The dms West Bay Hellcats are on course for another gridiron championship.
With seven titles already to their name, the Hellcats put themselves in the driver’s seat for an eighth triumph by wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the 2014 Digicel Premier League, put on by the Cayman Islands Flag Football Association. Dms, which boasts a 11-1 record, will be among four men’s teams in the playoffs, which start on Saturday at the Ed Bush field in West Bay. Hellcats tackle the No. 4 Island Heritage Predators, who went 8-4, at 1 p.m. before the No. 2 seed Burger King Panthers, the reigning champs at 9-3, battle the No. 3 seed Lone Star Mustangs – who went 8-4 – at 3:15 p.m.
Dms kicker Nick Bush said the focus now is on Island Heritage.
“The only team that can really beat the Hellcats is the Hellcats, that’s the only team out there,” Bush said. “We have to put this behind us now, start over again like it’s week one. We’re playing against the Predators now, after that we can look forward to the finals. We’re going to have to work on playing Predators this week and execute against them. They’re a hard-fought team so we’ll be playing another hard game again. It’ll be everybody doing their part and collectively putting a team effort in there. No mistakes, no getting over-anxious, just playing Hellcats football. Once we do that, we’re good to go.”
West Bay took the top spot on the strength of its defense, which allowed a league-low 55 points. Veterans like Damian Barboram, Nathan Narcisse and Nikolai Hill are the driving force behind a unit that is stingy against the run and thrives on intercepting deep passes. The Predators, technically a rookie club, have leaned on a stout offense that has scored 235 points – second-most in the league. The newcomers have leaned largely on established talents like Will Peguero Jr. and Jordan Cacho, though quarterback Jordan Stubblefield has been playing like the Rookie of the Year.
Dms ended its campaign with a tense 7-6 victory over the Panthers last Saturday. An emotionally-charged tussle throughout, Burger King led most of the way, courtesy of two field goals by David Taylor. The game changed in the closing minutes when Barboram, showing his versatility, fielded a punt and did a reverse pitch to team mate Nigel Solomon, who went the length of the field for the tying score. Bush would nail the decisive extra point. The contest would end unceremoniously as both benches cleared due to some ill-advised, on-field antics.
Bush credits his teammates for the winning kick.
“I was real nervous, I had a lot of people talk to me to make sure that I was, and we were, all prepared for that kick. Everybody was counting on me to make sure everything was executed precisely, to make sure that kick went through. So don’t give no thanks to me, give the thanks to my team. Without them, I won’t be out there kicking. My team, I really depend on them. They make it happen for me. I know everybody underestimated us. We knew within ourselves that we always want to win.”
It should be noted that it was an unusually anaemic performance by the Burger King offense, which scored a league-best 248 points this season. Among the catalysts for that juggernaut offense are QB Chris Lucas, versatile running back Glenn Duran Jr. and wide outs like Nicholas Roberts and Ed Pellot-Rosa. Duran Jr. and receiver Simon Rivers were among the players sidelined last Saturday with injury. Interestingly, the Panther defense allowed 65 points – second only to the Hellcats. Matt Bone, Jamuel Dell and Jon Carter were among the key defensive figures this year.
Burger King captain Brendon Malice gave his thoughts on the contest and the emotions between the two teams.
“As always, it was a close defensive game,” Malice said. “I guess the difference was special teams. We had six points off field goals and they had a punt return for a touchdown. Both defenses came out and played good, both offenses struggled to move the ball. They were fortunate enough to get the extra point to go up 7-6 in the last two minutes.
“Both teams have a lot of familiarity with each other. The last three years, it’s been either them or us in the semifinal or final. There’s a lot of mixed emotions, per say, but at the same time there’s a mutual respect for each other. We like the way they play and I’m sure they respect the way we play.”
On the flip side, the defeat cemented a surprising late skid that saw the Panthers end the season with three straight losses. Among the clubs to slay the champs were the Mustangs, who took out Terry Ballard and the Cox Colts, 19-14, in their finale. Lone Star, while unspectacular on the stats sheet and at times on the field, lean on two-way heroics from Chris Spigner and Jamie Stephen, defensive magic from Chip Whitney and key catches by Neil Carle and Paul Jr. McField.
Malice says the Mustangs represent a tough challenge.
“We played them last year in the final, we played them again this year and we split the series. They’re a good, well-coached team. They’re going to prepare for us, we got to come out and capitalize on our play and not make any mistakes. It should be, again, a nice, tight, close-played game. I like my team to pull through it though. I feel that we have a great team, I know we were missing some starters to injuries. I’m hoping to get the whole team back this week for the big game.
“Panthers in the final, come bring your popcorn!”
After Saturday’s games, the league finals will take place on Oct. 4, featuring the men’s and women’s teams. Association president Maggie Ebanks says anything can happen this weekend.
“Our league is blessed to have a number of players who have played football away and one thing they are able to do is bring a different level of play and competition here to our local league,” Ebanks said. “With Duran from the Panthers, it’s uncertain how much of him will be seen in the playoffs due to his injury, however, when he’s on the field, there’s a difference in how the ball is ran. Spigner from the Mustangs we normally see in a receiver position on offense, where he’s able to show off his speed and catching ability.
“However, the last two games he’s been in the QB spot and done exceptionally well. Having the speed that he does, he definitely keeps defenses on their toes in that position, but will throw the ball down the field if need be.
“I feel the playoffs could go either way for both the men and women. I don’t believe any team has a clear shot and whoever wins will have to work for that win. Teams aren’t going to give up and each team will leave everything on the field. Now is when games really matter for the teams that made it. I definitely feel there will be some exciting and fun games to watch.”
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