The Halifax West Warriors will square off against the JL Ilsley Judges on Saturday afternoon to kick off the Tier 2 playoffs in the Nova Scotia Student Athletic Federation Football League (NSSAFFL).
The Judges know they are not the favourite going into this playoff matchup.
“JL Ilsley is very much the underdog going into the game,”comments Judges head coach Steve Saunders. “We have struggled to be competitive this season with few returning players and eight season ending injuries to starters.”
The Judges regular season record was 1-7-0 and ended up being the third seed in the tier two Scotia Division. Meanwhile the Warriors were 4-4-0 and were the second seed in the tier two Nova Division.
For the Warriors, the team knows what is at stake is the opportunity to continue in the tier 2 playoffs. However, there are other things the players will be thinking about on the field.
“There is a fine line that we walk, we want to be truthful and let the players know this could be the last game of the season or their high school playing careers, and using that as motivation to play hard but at the same time you don’t want to over emphasize it and they start thinking negatively,” says Warriors head coach DaveKelly.
On the field, the Warriors hope to play well on both the offensive and defensive fronts.
“Defensively putting DB’s (defensive backs) in a position to be able to make plays at the same time being forcing the play up front,” says Kelly. “Offensively establish the run and build the passing game off of it.”
The Warriors expect running back Zack Sellars and linebacker Brad Long to lead the charge on game day. Offensive players on the Warriors include a core of receivers in Kyle Harris, Allan MacLeod, Gavin Quigley and Erdat Loshi. The offense will be led on the field by quarterback Scott Borden. Players to watch for on defense include David Kunzli (linebacker), Patrick Keats, Will MacInnis and Mahmoud Altawil.
Meanwhile, the Judges know that it will not be an easy task to play the Warriors and will be relying on their top guns to execute their game plan.
“We see the West as a big, strong team and really have to count on Rene Rizkallah (offensive lineman) and Isaac Noonan, on the offensive line, to make some holes and create time to pass,” says Saunders. “They will also get a lot of defensive time for the first time this year.”
“Both these guys will most likely go on to university next year and will get a look.”
Along with Rizkallah and Noonan, other players to watch for on the Judges include Colin Densmore, Justin Mabe and Jake Hanrahan, Colin Miller, Martin Clayton. Quarterback Donald Smith will try to execute game plans offensively on the field.
This tier two playoff game is set for Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm at Mainland Commons field in Halifax
(Photo Courtesy of McCarthy Photographic)
website [URL]http://www.mccarthyphotographic.com/jalbum/2011%20JL%20Football/1002-JLvsAV/index.html#_IGP0444.jpg)
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.
