This past week came and went with a lot of firsts for teams in the Nova Scotia Student Athletic Federation Football League (NSSAFFL).
Sydney Academy Wildcats won their first game since joining the league, Sackville High Kingfishers won their first game in two years and Prince Andrew Panthers got over a decade drought to defeat their crosstown rivals.
All that plus, the first time since 2008 the defending Nova Division Tier 1 champions Citadel Phoenix lost a game. Their consecutive winning streak was halted by the Charles P Allen Cheetahs.
Here are the results from Week 3 of the NSSAFFL:
PRINCE ANDREW PANTHERS 42, DARTMOUTH HIGH SPARTANS 0:
On Thursday early evening at Burnside Turf, the Prince Andrew Panthers got their first win in a decade over their crosstown rivals, by crushing the Dartmouth High Spartans 42-0.
Quarterback Nate Skeete created magic on the field with Spencer Weichert as they connected three times for touchdowns in the game. Skeete also passed for 150 yards. Mo Jalil rushed for 45 yards and scored a major while Isaiah Skeete added a major and ran for 70 yards in the game.
Kicker Matt Kelvey was successful on a 35 yard field goal attempt and on two conversion attempts. Jake Moore recovered a failed conversion attempt and ran it into the end zone two points.
As for the Panthers defense, Ben Deturbide, Royce Johnston, Darian Beals and Noah Bowes led the way for the unit. Beals recorded a sack, his fourth of the season, which was recovered by Josh Mahar.
The Panthers got their second consecutive shutout victory and are now 2-1 on the season. Still looking for their first win of the year, the Spartans are 0-3.
Panthers Head Coach Joe Flemming was impressed with the performance of the team despite having a short turnaround time to rest and prepare for this game.
“PA only had only two days between games this week,” explained Flemming. “That kind of turnaround can go two ways.”
“It can either leave your team worn down and unable to recover in time. Or, it can result in a team staying in game mode and mentally focused without an opportunity to wind down. My coaching staff and I tried our best to keep them in game mode, and it worked better than we could have hoped.”
Emotions had to be kept in check by Panthers players during this game against their crosstown rivals.
“We simply explained to them that emotion can play a real role in these rivalry games,” commented Flemming. “We wanted them to suppress that emotion, just for a little while and focus on taking care of business on the field.”
“You can’t celebrate a win before you put in the work and play the game. You can’t mourn a loss and count yourself out before you put in the work and play the game. What we needed to do, regardless of our opponent, is evaluate ourselves while looking in the mirror. Have we worked hard enough to be a better team this week than last? Did we correct the little mistakes and stay focused and organized? If the answer is yes, I knew they had the potential to play a well-rounded game and win.”
While the team still made some errors in the game, the team remained focused on their task at hand and came out with the win on Thursday.
“In the end, we still made mistakes, just less of them and we still have lots of improvements to make,” expressed Flemming. “But they stayed focused, played better than the week before, and the confidence they gained from recognizing their own efforts as a team helped them grind through a full 60 minutes resulted in a win. I’m not completely a meanie as I promised them that if they did what it takes, right until the final whistle, I’d take the lid off and the emotion could flow and wow did it flow! To some, it was just another game but to players on both sides, it’s a 50 year old rivalry that comes with emotion and bragging rights. PA hadn’t been victorious versus Dartmouth High, a very well-run program, for the better part of a decade. It wasn’t a playoff game or title match, but to these players, this win was huge.”
Prince Andrew Panthers will host Central Kings Gators on Sunday September 29th, 2013 at 5:00pm at Burnside Turf. Meanwhile, the Dartmouth High Spartans will battle the Sackville High Kingfishers on Thursday September 26th, 2013 at 5:00pm at Burnside Turf.
CHARLES P ALLEN CHEETAHS 14, CITADEL PHOENIX 4:
In the national game of the week, the Citadel Phoenix saw their undefeated game streak since 2008 snapped at the hands of the Charles P Allen Cheetahs in Bedford. The Cheetahs defeated the Phoenix 14-4 on their new turf.
After conceding safeties to each other, the score was tied 2-2 after the first quarter.
At 4:57 of the second quarter, 2012 NSSAFFL Nova Division MVP Taylor MacDonald would score the only touchdown of the game.
By halftime, the Cheetahs enjoyed a 10-2 lead over the Phoenix.
With 1:14 remaining in the game, Cheetahs kicker Greg Hutchins was successful on a 30 yard field goal to nail the coffin in the Phoenix’s consecutive winning streak.
Quarterback Sean Muir has 12 completions in 17 attempts in the victory while defensive back Andre Boudreault played a pivotal role in the success of the Cheetahs defense with two interceptions in the fourth quarter.
The Cheetahs remain undefeated with a 2-0 mark this season while the Phoenix slides to 2-1.
While Cheetahs Head Coach Michael McPherson was thrilled with the win, he downplayed the significance of defeating the provincial champions. The Cheetahs gave props to the Phoenix for being formidable opposition. Now, CFC’s TOP 50 Cheetahs will focus on improvement in all aspects of their game.
“Both team’s defenses played exceptionally well,” said McPherson. “It was a battle of field position and ball security for four quarters.”
“It was a very tight but exciting football game. We are very pleased to get the win; however, it is still very early in the season and we could very likely see them again. It is important we keep this in perspective and understand that we will see a much different much improved group should we play a second time. In the interim, we will need to focus on getting better in all phases of the game and prepare for our weekly opponent. There are some great teams in the league so it is going to be very important for us to get better every day and week in order to compete come November.”
As for the Phoenix, Scott Baigent accumulated 60 rushing yards on 15 carries and 20 receiving yards. Quarterback Byron Kavanagh had seven completions in 19 attempts and threw four interceptions in the game.
Phoenix Co-Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Jeff Lawley commended the Cheetahs on a well-earned victory.
“CPA is the best team we have faced in this league in a number of years,” commented Lawley. “They were favoured to win the game and they met all expectations.”
“The CPA program has steadily improved over the last few years and now has found the mountain top. They are a talented and physical team; we sustained a number of key injuries as a result.”
CFC TOP 50 ranked Charles P Allen Cheetahs will host the Lockview Dragons under Friday Night Lights on September 27th, 2013. Kickoff is 7:00pm. Citadel Phoenix will regroup and look to get back in the win column in a rematch of the 2012 NSSAFFL Nova Division Tier 1 Championship. The provincial champions will travel to Tantallon to face Sir John A MacDonald on Sunday September 29th, 2013 at 1:00pm.
SACKVILLE HIGH KINGFISHERS 41, DR. JOHN HUGH GILLIS ROYALS 0:
In Antigonish under Friday Night Lights, the Sackville Kingfishers got their first regular season win in two years by shutting out Dr. John Hugh Gillis Royals 41-0.
Offensively, Jalen Loppie rushed for 250 yards on 19 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead the way for the Kingfishers. Additionally, Loppie had two receptions for 48 yards. Receivers Josh Cluett and Chris Roberts added touchdowns for the victors.
Quarterback Matt Lausten had 11 completions in 18 attempts for 112 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and one interception.
Kyle MacDonald led the Kingfishers defense as he registered five solo tackles, one assisted tackle and two tackles for a loss. Moreover, he recorded a sack and blocked a field goal.
With this win, the Kingfishers are 1-2 on the season while the Royal also have a 1-2 record with the loss.
Sackville High Kingfishers will try to get their second consecutive win of the season when the team battles Dartmouth High Spartans at Burnside Turf on Thursday September 26th, 2013. Dr. John Hugh Gillis Royals will be on the road this week as they visit Auburn Drive Eagles on Saturday September 28th, 2013 at Burnside Turf. Kickoff is 7:00pm.
SIR JOHN A MACDONALD FLAMES 45, LOCKVIEW DRAGONS 21:
On Saturday afternoon at Lockview, the Sir John A MacDonald Flames kept their unbeaten record intact as the team defeated the host team Dragons 45-21.
Nate Rostek and Lorenz MacDonald led the Flames offensive unit. MacDonald had 15 completions in 21 attempts for 236 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and no turnovers while Rostek amassed 74 rushing yards on five carries.
“Nate Rostek led our charge today playing an inspired football in every aspect,” commented Flames Head Coach Steve Majury. “He made a couple of great receptions breaking multiple tackles; played great defence and was a force on special teams.”
“Lorenz MacDonald was excellent today in that he took what Lockview’s defence gave us. Lorenz is becoming a dominant quarterback in our league and his confidence grows weekly.”
However, other players on the offensive unit played a key role on the win.
“Thomas Hoyt had a huge day for us as did Grade 10 receiver Seth Lane, who made a strong impact at receiver scoring his first High School touchdown,” added Majury. “Our offensive line (Patrick Logan, Tristan Williams, Brandon Snow, Donovan Blue and Gregor MacKellar) controlled the line of scrimmage today which really established our power run game which helped set up our aerial attack allowing Lorenz MacDonald to make great reads.”
In spite of the Flames defense being challenged by Dragons quarterback Morgan Laws, the unit was able to succeed.
“Defensively, we played well,” evaluated Majury. “Lockview’s quarterback Morgan Laws did a nice job of getting rid of the ball quickly thus testing our secondary which was great for us as a defence.”
“Our Defensive Coordinator Paul Moore made some quick adjustments and we played well from there. Donovan Blue led the defence with his tenacity & desire. Linebacker Zack Leger had another strong day as did cornerback Brayden Culligan who continues to make strong tackles and added another interception to his season’s total. Tyler Sherwood was very good at defensive back as well.”
Majury said that the Dragons were formidable opponents on Saturday. Moreover, the Flames still need to work on improving some aspects on their game. However, the team is pleased with their overall effort on Saturday.
“We really need to reduce our penalties,” assessed the Flames Head Coach. “We improved from last week, but must continue to improve in this area going forward.”
“We need to be crisper on all facets of the game including special teams which struggled at times versus Lockview. Lockview played a physical football game and played hard for 60 minutes as evidenced by their two late fourth quarter touchdowns. We respect the effort they put forth and the challenges they gave us; they are a much improved football team from last season and are gaining more confidence weekly. We need to take our game to the next level which will only happen with great practices day in and day out. It was a good team win, where every player on our roster contributed to our victory.”
Sir John A MacDonald Flames face the toughest test of the regular season when they host the Citadel Phoenix on Sunday September 29th, 2013 in a rematch of the 2012 NSSAFFL Nova Division Tier 1 Championship Final. Kickoff is 1:00pm. As for the Lockview Dragons, the team will visit the Charles P Allen Cheetahs for a game under Friday Night Lights on September 27th, 2013 at 7:00pm.
SYDNEY ACADEMY WILDCATS 34, AVON VIEW AVALANCHE 22:
In Sydney on Saturday afternoon, the host team Wildcats gave the home crowd something to cheer about as they won their first game since joining the NSSAFFL, 34-22 over the Avon View Avalanche.
Devon Marks led the ways for the Wildcats as he scored two rushing touchdowns and was successful on four conversion attempts to account for 16 of the team’s points. Receiver Liam Stapleton tallied two majors while Bryce Gouthro scored a touchdown.
Quarterback MacDonald had 10 completions in 17 attempts and three passing touchdowns in his first start, playing only his second game ever.
This victory evens out the Wildcats record to 1-1 on the season.
“We were very happy with a win in our very first home game,” said Wildcats Head Coach Lorne Burke in his postgame comments. “I know the players were a bit nervous playing in front of a very big home crowd (approximately: 800) for the first time.”
“The key to our win was the physical play of our tailback Jarrad Detheridge as he set the tone for our offence and forced Avon View to key on him which opened up our passing game On defence, our run defence was solid and limited Avon View to only a hand full of first downs in the game, but they were able to capitalize on our aggressiveness on playing the run and get a Few balls behind our defensive backs. We will be spending a bit of time this week at practice to correct some of these lapses. We give Avon View full marks for making the long trip to Sydney and while being out manned and out sized played their hearts out and never quit.”
As for the Avalanche, quarterback Cory Whitney had three passing touchdowns, added a two point conversion and rushed for 60 yards. Justin Crossley connected with Whitney to score two majors while accumulating 85 receiving yards. Receiver Jordan Bauchman also added a touchdown score. Matt Brison had 75 rushing yards on seven carries while JJ Chambers had 60 rushing yards on eight carries.
Kyle Fraser led the Avalanche defense with five tackles and caught an interception. Chambers racked up 10 tackles and also recovered a fumble in the game. Roberto Gonzalez registered four tackles and recorded two sacks.
“With Sydney up by a touchdown with 10 minutes to go, Avon View fumbled the ball on the kickoff return to pin us deep in our territory,” explained Avalanche Head Coach Jim Bryan. “Avon View quarterback Cory Whitney got injured on the ensuing punt which ended our comeback chances.”
“It’s difficult to travel six hours and not have a bad start, which gave them a quick 7-0 lead early.”
Sydney Academy Wildcats will seek their second straight win when the team hosts West Kings Wolverines on Saturday September 28th, 2013 at 3:00pm. Meanwhile, Avon View Avalanche will try to get into the win column when they host Northeast Kings Titans on Sunday September 29th, 2013 at 1:00pm.
HORTON GRIFFINS 17, COBEQUID EDUCATIONAL CENTRE COUGARS 6:
On Saturday evening at Acadia, the Horton Griffins got by the visiting Cobequid Educational Centre Cougars 17-6.
In the first quarter, Jake Melanson connected with Cameron Davidson for a 53 yard pass. Subsequent to that, Davidson scored on an 84 yard kickoff return (his third ST touchdown in three games).
Melanson had nine completions in 12 attempts for 119 passing yards and combined with his brother Isaac for five tackles in the game.
“The two of them did a great job on the pass rush, basically taking passing out of CEC’s game plan,” said Griffins Head Coach Alec Hyndman.
On defense, the Griffins had three turnovers to increase the team’s season totals to 11 takeaways to three losses. Gabe Morgan recovered a fumble, blocked a field goal and caught an interception. Jake Melanson created the other turnover when he caught an interception and had numerous sacks in the game.
With this win the Griffins now sport a 2-1 record while the Cougars have an even 1-1 record.
“This was a rebound game for us, we needed to win this game to get the season back on track,” expressed Hyndman. “The guys worked hard and we were a much better team this week then last week.”
“CEC played us tough, and it was a close game the whole way through. When Gabe Morgan hit that short field goal, it was the first time we had a two score lead with two minutes left in the fourth. CEC never gave up and it could have gone either way. We need to work on penalties for week 5. We had five drives killed because of bad penalties and Cam (Davidson) had an 80 yard punt return touchdown called back on a bad penalty. We will get a handle on it and will cut that down in Week 5.”
As for the Cougars, kicker Nick Zscheille was successful on 37 and 25 yards field goal attempts. Quarterback Riley Jennings had seven completions in 12 attempts.
Defensive lineman Drew Erskine registered seven tackles while Adam Kaulbach chipped in with 6.5 tackles.
“Our players are young and continue to learn from their game experience,” said Cougars Quarterbacks Coach Thomas Shreve. “Last night provides another opportunity to grow and learn as football payers and as a team.”
Horton Griffins will enjoy a bye this upcoming week while the Cobequid Educational Cougars will host the JL Ilsley Judges on Monday September 30th at 4:00pm.
HALIFAX WEST WARRIORS 39, CENTRAL KINGS GATORS 28:
On Sunday afternoon, Javon Parris and David Nesbitt combined for over 250 yards and two touchdowns to propel the Halifax West Warriors to a 39-28 win over the visiting Central Kings Gators.
Quarterback Justin Bower and receiver Clark Hannam were a dynamic duo on the field as they combined for 130 receiving yards and a major.
Sterling Wright led the Warriors defense as he registered five tackles and a blocked punt recovery in the end zone.
Despite the win, the Warriors made some errors in the game and will improve upon those areas in the coming days.
“We turned the ball over too many times today and did a bad job on specials teams as we gave up a punt and kick return for touchdown,” assessed Warriors Head Coach Dave Kelly. “We have a big game next week versus Cole Harbour High and have to do a better job in these areas if we hope to win.”
With the victory, the Warriors remain undefeated with a 2-0 record. The Gators now have a 1-2 mark on the season.
Sam Jennings scored two touchdowns for the Gators on punt returns while Jacob Shephard connected with Adam McCluskey for a major. Tailback Ben Best also added a touchdown score.
On defense, Matthew Priestnall had three fumble recoveries.
“It was a windy day which was bad for both side with the kicking and passing game,” expressed Gators Head Coach Larry Priestnall. “We made a lot of mistakes on both sides of the ball but my team is young and overall we had some positive progress.”
“We look forward to next Sunday against PA.”
Halifax West Warriors will try to keep their perfect record intact when the team takes on Cole Harbour Cavaliers on Monday September 30th at Burnside Turf. Kickoff is 5:00pm. Meanwhile, Central Kings Gators will meet the Prince Andrew Panthers on Sunday September 29th at Burnside Turf. Game start is 5:00pm.
COLE HARBOUR CAVALIERS 44, NORTHEAST KINGS TITANS 0:
On Sunday evening at Burnside Turf, Joel Russell and Liam McVarnock each scored two majors and rushed for over 100 yards as the Cole Harbour Cavaliers kept the Northeast Kings Titans off the scoreboard with a 44-0 win.
The Cavaliers improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Titans are still winless with a 0-2 record.
Ian Hilton, Spencer Wells connected with quarterback Mike Wedsworth for majors. Joe Russell was perfect on conversion attempts as he had six PAT’s on the day.
Keysh’jaun Downey led the defensive unit with four tackles for a loss and recorded two sacks for the Cavaliers.
“The scoring was stopped at halftime based on the league’s new rule to allow games to proceed into the second half without score being kept -a great opportunity for both teams to allow second string players to play and a great way to display sportsmanship in not allowing blowouts,” explained Cavaliers Head Coach Peter Crouse. “Josh Bray added a safety in a strong display on defense.”
“Gaylin Smith and Isaiah Simmonds were keys on both special teams and defense. NEK had a strong round game and a quarterback that is a real gun-slinger but his day was unfortunately cut short due to an injury. It was a well contested, well officiated game with a high emphasis on sportsmanship on both sides.”
Cole Harbour Cavaliers will battle Halifax West Warriors on Monday September 30th at Burnside Turf. Kickoff is 5:00pm. Meanwhile, North East Kings will visit the Avon View Avalanche on Sunday September 29th at 1:00pm.
JL ILSLEY JUDGES 51, WEST KINGS WOLVERINES:
At press time, player/game stats and comments from both teams were not available.
(NOTE: All 19 teams were contacted for the CFC NSSAFFL Weekly Recap)
Photo credits:
CPA vs Citadel: Karrie-Ann Buchanan
Nate Rostek: Mark Kays
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