Only one team stands in the way of the Halifax West Warriors from getting to the Nova Scotia Student Athletic Federation Football League (NSSAFFL) Tier 2 Provincial Finals.
The opposing team is the Auburn Drive Eagles. Dave Kelly, head coach of the Warriors, knows the importance of this game which will be played on Thursday evening.
“This is a very big game for any team at this point in the season, we are one win away from playing in a tier 2 championship game,” comments Kelly. “Anytime you are playing a competitive sport you want to win, however you have to put the thought of winning or losing out of your head and focus on the task at hand, which for us is playing Auburn and controlling what we can.”
While the team cannot control the injuries and the short time to prepare for the upcoming game, the focus turns to the basics and executing their game plan successfully.
“If we can get our players focused on their job on the field then everything else will take care of itself and come the end of the game win, lose or draw there will be no regrets and no what ifs,” adds Kelly. “The plan for the week was to review the systems already in place and continue to work on the basics, to allow any bumps and bruises to heal up a bit before the game and to keep the players focused on the task at hand.”
Offensively, the Warriors will look to quarterback Scott Borden, running back Zack Sellars and running back David Nisbet to lead the team. Defensively, linebacker Brad Long, linebacker/fullback Luke Byrne, free safety Allan MacLeod and defensive tackle Jordan Grant are expected to have big games.
Kelly says that both units plan on being aggressive on the field.
“Offensively we will continue to run the ball and stretch the field in the air when the opportunity presents itself,” explains Kelly. “Defensively we are going to put some pressure on their offense and force them into situations where they are uncomfortable.”
Last week, the Warriors trounced the JL Ilsley Judges 57-0 to advance to this semifinal game. Kelly says that the team has to improve on their discipline and reduce the number of penalties. However, he was impressed with the success he team had in executing their game plan against the Judges and with the amount of focus the players showed on the field.
“If we would have lost focus the chance for injury may have increased,” adds Kelly. “JL Ilsley fought hard the entire game and kept playing physical until the very end, if we would have lost focus and not paid attention then the chance of someone getting injured increases.”
On the other side, the Eagles got to the semifinals due to forfeit by the Northeast Kings Education Centre Titans. Rookie running back Brandon Stubbs and quarterback Tyler Harvie will lead the offensive attack for the Eagles.
Linebacker Ryan Willis, defensive back Davis Sala, Trae Colley, Josh Thomas , Ryan Addison, rookie linebacker Montell Thauvette, rookie defensive linebacker John Cole, linebacker Ryan Willis, Brendan Beerman, Garrett Cavanaugh, and Daniel Sule are other players that could figure prominently in the success of the team on the field.
The Tier 2 NSSAFFL semifinal game between the Warriors and Eagles will be played on Thursday evening at Burnside Turf. Kickoff is 6:00 pm.
(Photo courtesy of John MacCallum Charles P Allen Cheetahs Football Website)
[URL]http://cheetahsfootball.ca/Gallery
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