NSSAFFL: Scotia Division Week 7 recap

JL ILSLEY JUDGES 22, HALIFAX WEST WARRIORS 13:

At Graves-Oakley Field in Spryfield on Sunday afternoon, the JL Ilsley won the highly anticipated battle between two first place teams.  The Judges topped the Halifax West Warriors 22-13.
With this win, the Judges remain undefeated and are in sole possession of first place with a 6-0-0 (12 points) record.  As a result of the loss, the Halifax West Warriors slide into second place in the division with a 5-1-0 (10 points) mark on the season.
The Judges got on the scoreboard first in the game as the team seized opportunities based on their opponent’s mistakes.  Due to penalties and two blocked punts by Judges defensive back Mike Drillio, the Warriors conceded three consecutive safeties in the first half.
At the half, the Warriors enjoyed a slim 7-6 lead as the team scored a touchdown late.
In the second half, Judges quarterback Ben LeBlanc connected with Spencer Cooter-Earle and Jacob Parker on two bug passing plays.  Subsequent to those plays, tailback Joe Stuckless scored a major on a six yard run.  However, the two point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
Once again in this seesaw battle, the Warriors would come back and score to take a 13-12 lead.   However, Stuckless was successful on a 27 field goal attempt to put the Judges back up 15-12 early in the fourth quarter.
Finally, the Judges tailback solidified the victory with two minutes remaining when he scored on a 17 yard touchdown reception.  Overall, Stuckless amassed 137 rushing yards on 23 carries for the victors.
Defensively, Eric Bowdridge led the way with eight tackles and two sacks.  Defensive backs Skylar LeBlanc and Liam Thompson shut down the Warriors offensive air attack with huge plays in the game.
“Defensive ends Eric Bowdridge and Will Campbell did a great job chasing down the guys with the ball and our defensive backs and linebackers really clicked as a unit,” assessed Judges head coach Steve Saunders after the victory.  “Offensively, Joe Stuckless had a great day but fullback Tom Fiander made some huge blocks for him.”
“The West did a good job of shadowing wide receiver Andre Brady which opened up some routes for our slots, Spencer Cotter-Earle and Jacob Parker who both made some big catches to get us out of a hole.”
Saunders commented about the varied game tempo of both teams on Sunday afternoon.
“I can’t say enough about how the kids responded to the West when they had to from defense to special teams,” described the Judges head coach.  “It was a physical game on both sides and we hung in there.”
“The West got off to a slow start which really disrupted their tempo but as the game went on, really started to put some drives together as their quarterback (Scott Borden) was firing on all cylinders from the pocket and the roll.”
Warriors pivot Scott Borden had 12 completions in 26 attempts for 144 passing yards and one touchdown in the loss.  Clarke Hannam scored a major and amassed 74 yards on four catches.  Tariq Karaballi found the end zone once and rushed the ball five times for 18 yards while running back Javon Parris accumulated 80 yards on 13 carries.
Defensively for the team, Luke Byrne registered 11 assisted tackles, five solo tackles and a sack.  Daniel Power added five assisted tackles, four solo tackles and two sacks while Ahmed Ramadan chipped in with eight assisted tackles and two solo tackles.
Warriors head coach Dave Kelly said the Judges came prepared to play and earned the victory while capitalizing on the Warriors mistakes.
“JL Ilsley is a very good, solid football team and were more prepared to play then we were,” commented Kelly after the loss.  “We had a very bad day on special teams and our offence was unable to get going.”
“A lot of dropped balls and almost 160 yards in penalties put us in a lot of holes that we were unable to get out of and as head coach, I have to do a better job of getting our team ready to play in these tough games.”
Undisciplined play and lack of focus were attributed as the main reasons for the Warriors obstacles in securing a victory on Sunday.
“JL played well; they did not make a lot of mistakes and took the game to us from the opening whistle,” explained Warriors offensive coordinator David Rent.  “We were unable to respond and lost focus.”
“We played undisciplined and as a result took 17 penalties some at crucial times, which either ended a drive for us or continued a drive for JL Ilsley”
While no particular player had a standout performance for the Warriors, the defensive unit did their best to keep the team in the game. However, the team will move forward by improving on aspects of their game in the coming days.
“This week, the coaches will be pushing the players hard to be more disciplined on the field and pushing the veterans to lead the team into the next game,” added the Warriors offensive coordinator.
As tough of a loss as it was, Kelly is optimistic the team will rise from it.
“I am hoping that we learn from this loss and get better because of it,” said the Warriors head coach.  “We have to cut down on our mistakes because as this loss shows, we can’t get away with it against a good team.”
The JL Ilsley Judges will travel to Antigonish to take on the Dr. John Hugh Gillis Royals on Friday October 26th, 2012.  Kickoff is 7:00pm.  As for the Halifax West Warriors, they will host the Cole Harbour Cavaliers on Monday October 29th, 2012 at Mainland Commons.  Game start is 7:00pm.

AUBURN DRIVE EAGLES 47, AVON VIEW AVALANCHE 0:

On Monday evening at Burnside Turf, the Auburn Drive Eagles got back on the winning track in a big way as the team shutout the Avon View Avalanche 47-0.
The Eagles have now moved into a tie for second place in the Scotia Division alongside the Warriors with a 5-2-0 (10 points) record. As for the Avalanche, the team sits at the bottom of the standings with a 0-6-0 (zero points) mark on the season.
Offensively for the Eagles, Brandon Stubbs (two catches for 57 yards), Kareece Riley (four catches for 78 yards) Trae Colley (three catches for 64 yards, six carries for 52 yards) and Josh Thomas (four carries for 82 yards) all found the end zone.  Eagles quarterback Daniel Sule had 10 completions in 17 attempts for 206 passing yards and one touchdown in the victory.
On the defensive side, Thomas registered 10 tackles including six for a loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.  Artis Biloque added nine tackles including four for a loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and scored a touchdown.  Ryan Willis (nine tackles including three for a loss), Nathan Simmons (eight tackles including three for a loss), Justin Valencourt (seven tackles including two for a loss), Colley (six tackles) and Ro Willis (six tackles including two for a loss, one interception) figured prominently in the success of the unit in Monday’s game.
Eagles head coach Chris Anstey said the team bounced back from a disappointing defeat last week and some key players stepped up after the injury bug affected the team.
“We were flat embarrassed by Halifax West last week,” commented Anstey after the victory.  “After losing Angus Fraser for this game and possibly next we knew our focus as far as getting balls to other playmakers had to change.”
“Daniel Sule was again an absolute force in the passing game and with timely runs and having Trae Colley back from a leadership and playmaker perspective was big for our unit’s confidence.”
One key in the victory for the Eagles was the performance of the defensive unit, especially the standout players.
“We have an award that we give to our player of the game called the “BIG STICK” and I will be telling our Athletic Director to buy a lot of wood this week because every member of our defense was tremendous,” reflected the Eagles head coach.  “Ro Willis dominated his side of this field as a pass defender and in the run game and continues to make the plays we expect of him. He is our only grade 11 captain and not one game has gone by that he hasn’t made an impact as a defensive leader.”
“John Cole and Artis Biloque controlled the edges throughout the night and their quarterback proved his toughness as the two of them were relentless in pressure and seemed to be on top of him or in the backfield every play.”
One player who had an exceptional game was Thomas.  He scored one of his two touchdowns on a 92 kickoff return and also accumulated 227 all-purpose yards.
“Josh Thomas is going to make some recruiter a very happy man next year,” added Anstey.   “He was simply a man possessed tonight and dominated the game in all three phases.”
“When you lose some of the players we have lost over the past few weeks you can be reluctant as a staff to put too much on a guy’s plate but Josh just plays the game so hungry and with so much passion you almost feel bad when you ask him to leave the field.”
In spite of the huge win, there are some areas the Eagles need to improve upon during their off week.
“We took some bad penalties again this week and need to be sounder in our coverage units and pass defense,” assessed the Eagles head coach.  “The guys have accepted the challenge of playing with only 28 players and believe the difference will be work ethic and commitment.”
“With the bye week coming at the perfect time for us we need to refocus our efforts in getting guys prepared mentally and make sure we are sound in all three phases as we come to the close of the regular season.”
Avalanche head coach Rory Campbell said that the Eagles deserved the victory and in spite of the loss, there was a star that shined brightly on the field.
“Auburn was just the better team in all three phases of the game,” commented Campbell after the game.  “They are well coached and have explosive athletes all over the field.”
“Despite the loss, AJ Whitehead continued to show that he’s one of the best defensive players in the province. He didn’t come off the field the entire game and registered 14 tackles.”
Anstey concurred with the play of Whitehead and thought the opposing team put in a solid effort in a losing cause.
“I don’t know that I have seen a more dominant player than number 50 for Avon View,” said Anstey.   “As a football fan, you love to see talent like that on display and he played his butt off for 60 minutes.”
“I know that squad is in the middle of a rough year but there are players over there that should be proud of how hard the play and that guy in particular is an absolute beast who is a very special talent.”
As teams make their final push in the last couple of weeks of the Scotia Division regular season, the Eagles expect the competition to only get stronger with each game.
“We have JH Gillis next and this game will be important to how we want to finish and prepare for the playoffs,” explained Anstey.  “With JL Ilsley defeating the West this past week, we have a solid idea of the type of challenge we are facing as both of our losses so far have come to the top two teams in our division.”
“I also have a strong sense that Horton has only grown stronger since our early season meeting so as I see it we have at least three teams in front of us that we have to be better than to reach our goal.”
The Auburn Drive Eagles will enjoy a bye this upcoming week.  As for the Avon View Avalanche, they will look to get into the win column as they square off against the Northeast Kings Titans in Canning on Sunday October 28th, 2012.  Kickoff is slated for 2:30pm.

DR. JOHN HUGH GILLIS ROYALS 45, NORTHEAST KINGS TITANS 14:
NOTE:  Player/game stats and postgame comments were not available at press time from either team.
COLE HARBOUR CAVALIERS VERSUS CENTRAL KINGS GATORS:
NOTE:  Score, player/game stats and postgame comments were not available at press time from either team.
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