It came down the final week of the season to determine which teams would make the playoffs and determine playoff match ups. Week nine of the Nova Scotia Student Athletic Federation Football League (NSSAFFL) was action packed.
In the “must see” game of the week, the Charles P Allen Cheetahs defeated the Dartmouth High Spartans. The Sir John A MacDonald won a nail biter against the Cobequid Cougars to keep their hopes alive of getting into the Tier one playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Horton Griffins trounced the Sackville High Kingfishers to end the season atop the Scotia Division. By defeating the Lockview Dragons, the Citadel Phoenix continued their dominance as the top team in the Nova Division and in the NSSAFFL.
The Prince Andrew Panthers won big against the Northeast Kings Educations Titans as it propelled them into the Tier one playoffs. Additionally, the John Hugh Gillis Royals got a key win against the JL Ilsley Judges which keeps their hopes alive. Finally, the Halifax West Warriors crushed the Central Kings Gators to end the regular season with a win.
Next up is the Tier one and two playoffs which start on Friday November 11th. Playoff seeding and matchups will be revealed by Tuesday.
Here are the results from Week Nine action in the NSSAFFL:
Charles P Allen Cheetahs 39, Dartmouth High Spartans 24:
On Thursday night at Burnside Turf, the Cheetahs defeated the Spartans to keep a firm grip on second place in the Nova Division. Linebacker Dustin MacCallum led the way for the victors as he rushed for three touchdowns. Running back Louis Stephen had a big game as he rushed for 258 yards and scored one touchdown.
Cheetahs’ receivers Chris Strum and Mack Thompson scored touchdowns from passes thrown by quarterback Andrew Adams. On defense ,linebacker Taylor MacDonald had eight tackles and one sack to lead the way for the team.
With the win, the Cheetahs end the season with a 6-1-1 record for 13 points. Meanwhile, the Spartans end up with a 5-3-0 record for 10 points. Through tiebreakers, the Spartans get the third place spot in the Nova Division.
Sir John A MacDonald Flames 26, Cobequid Education Centre Cougars 23:
Saturday afternoon is alright for winning as the Flames got by the Cougars in a key matchup. The Cougars had a 23-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, but the Flames came roaring back with 19 points in that quarter to win the game while the Cougars suffered a meltdown.
Michael Soley led the way for the Flames. The receiver scored two touchdowns (15 and 18 yard receptions) and had 58 yards on four catches on the day. Receiver Ryan Murchison scored a 20 yard touchdown reception and had four catches for 82 yards on the day. Additionally, he had two carries for 30 yards. Mark Gaudry scored the other touchdown for the Flames. The receiver caught a 60 yard reception for the score.
Quarterback Matt Shannon had 18 completions on 28 attempts for 343 yards. Running back Justin Stevens had 100 yards on 15 carries for the victors. On defense, linebacker Keith Langille led the way with eight tackles. Flames linebacker Josh Bordage had five tackles while linebacker Donovan Blue and defensive back Jamal Alhendal had four tackles a piece. Offensive lineman Mark Nelson had one sack. The Flames blocked two conversions and a field goal in the second half which was a key part of the victory.
For the Cougars, quarterback Gab Bagnell had 18 completions in 28 attempts for 186 passing yards. Running back Brent Johnson ran into the end zone once and had 30 rushing yards. Mat Waterman and Brandon Shute scored touchdowns for the team. Defensively, linebacker Derek Naugler had 10 tackles while linebacker Calder contributed eight tackles. Andrew Murphy had six tackles for the Cougars. The defensive back also had a fumble recovery and an interception.
With the victory, the Flames are unbeaten in four straight to end the regular season. The team has bounced back nicely from the forfeit of two games earlier in the season due to an ineligible player. Both teams end up with identical regular season records and are tied with the Royals and Eagles with 4-4-0 records and eight points.
Citadel Phoenix 30, Lockview Dragons 14:
On Thursday night at Burnside Turf, the Phoenix continued their impressive unbeaten streak with a win over the Dragons. This bodes well for their chances to defend their provincial title.
The dynamite duo continued to lead the way for the Phoenix. Wide receiver A’dre Fraser had seven carries for 174 yards and two touchdowns for the victors. Quarterback Derek Brown had 10 completions in 18 attempts for 225 passing yards and threw three touchdowns.
On defense, Nick Rhodenizer led the way with nine tackles and a forced fumble. Mark Sampson chipped in with five tackles, a punt block, and returned for a touchdown. Rob Wilson had a big game as he registered four tackles and two interceptions for the Phoenix.
The Phoenix ends up with the best record in the Nova Division and the NSSAFFL with an 8-0-0 record and 16 points. Meanwhile, the Dragons record for the regular season is 4-4-0 with eight points.
Horton Griffins 60, Sackville High Kingfishers 0:
On Friday night at Acadia, the Griffins win in a blowout over the Kingfishers. The team led 47-0 at the half and never looked back.
Quarterback Greg Brown led the way for the Griffins. The pivot threw four touchdowns in the game. Those included a 35 yard reception from receiver Noel Morgan, a 35 yard reception from receiver Sam Crowford, a 52 yard throw to Curtis Bawn and a 72 yard throw to Will Stewart. Running back Robert Adams rushed into the end zone twice and had over 100 rushing yards in the game.
The defensive unit of the Griffins also got in on the scoring, as Bawn and defensive lineman Zack Daigle each recovered a fumble in the end zone.
With this win, theGriffins end the season atop the Scotia Division with a 7-0-1 record and 15 points. Meanwhile, the Kingfishers end up in sole possession of second place in the division with a 5-3-0 record and 10 points.
Prince Andrew Panthers 54, Northeast Kings Education Centre Titans 6:
On Sunday evening at Burnside Turf, the Panthers had very little trouble with the Titans.
Dylan Cossar got things started as he scored on an 80 yard opening kickoff punt return for the Panthers. He also was successful on two point conversion reception. Full back Ian Melanson scored two touchdowns for the team while Riley Potter, running back Andrew Klain, Ryan Fleet and Jake Moore each ran into the end zone once. Spencer Wiechert was successful on a two point conversion while kicker Nate Skeete had a field goal and had five conversions.
The Panthers defensive unit was led by Melanson (defensive back role) and Phoenix Grouse who each had two sacks. Cossar had interception to go with several tackles he had in the game. Tyler MacDonald and Matt Melvin each had a fumble recovery to help the Panthers on the field.
This victory gave the Panthers a 5-3-0 record and 10 points in the Nova Division to end the regular season. This caps off a Cinderella story in the regular season as they are one of the most improved and surprise teams of the NSSAFFL. On the other hand, the Titans end up with a 2-6-0 record and four points, which put them in fifth place in the division.
Auburn Drive Eagles 20, Avon View Avalanche 6:
At Windsor on Saturday afternoon, the Eagles cruised by the Avalanche.
Running back Brandon Stubbs put up the first score of the game as he ran 90 yards on the opening kickoff punt for a touchdown. Daniel Sule collected a 40 yard touchdown from quarterback Tyler Harvie. John Cole also ran into the end zone for the Eagles. Defensively, Cole and Trae Colley each had 12 tackles.
The Eagles end the regular season with a 4-4-0 record and eight points in the Scotia Division. Meanwhile, the Avalanche end their regular season with a 4-4-0 record and eight points in the Independent Division. The team cap off a successful and surprising regular season. They have improved by four wins from the previous season, when they were winless.
John Hugh Gillis Royals 20, JL Ilsley Judges 0:
At Rockingstone on Sunday evening, the Royals got the job done by defeating the Judges. No game statistics were available at press time. The Royals end the regular season with a 4-4-0 record and eight points. They are in a tie with the Flames, Cougars and Eagles in the Scotia Division. As for the Judges, their final regular season record is 1-7-0 with two points in the Scotia Division.
Halifax West Warriors 72, Central Kings Gators 0:
At Acadia on Sunday evening, the Warriors crushed the Gators. No game statistics were available at press time. With this victory, the Warriors regular season record ends up being 4-4-0 and eight points in the Nova Division. Meanwhile, the Gators will end the regular season as the basement dwellers and winless. The team’s record will stand at 0-8-0.
(Photo courtesy of Joe Chrvala of Cheetahs Football)
(website: [URL]http://www.flickr.com/photos/jchrvala)
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