The Clippers posted a solid and convincing 33-14 victory over the defending Potato Bowl-champion Souris Wildcats on Friday night.
The Papa John’s P.E.I. Varsity Tackle Football League game was played before another large crowd at Eric Johnston Field in Summerside.
“What else can you say?,” asked Clippers head coach Marc Reid following the game. “This is probably the best team game we’ve put together against Souris. Both sides of the ball, and special teams, everything went well. . .
“As a group we came together and played as a group. Football is not just one guy; we win and lose as a team.”
Big win
The win improved the Clippers’ record to 3-0 (won-lost), but more importantly it proved they can defeat the Wildcats, who defeated Summerside in the last two Potato Bowl championship games. It was only the Clippers’ second win over the Wildcats (1-1) in franchise history.
When asked when the Clippers last won against the Wildcats, Reid paused, looked at defensive co-ordinator Teejay Foley for help and commented, “Ghee, probably eight or nine years ago when we were playing over there.”
The “over there” Reid was pointing to was the infield of Summerside Raceway, which was the temporary home of the Clippers when the program first started in the mid-2000s.
Big plays
The Clippers opened the scoring on a Matt Tanton defensive touchdown on a Souris fumble. The Wildcats, winners of the last six Potato Bowls, bounced back to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.
The Clippers didn’t panic and answered back as quarterback Jayden Reid hit wide receiver Cameron Paynter for a long touchdown play down the right side of the field. Reid then scored a major on an approximately 40-yard run to send the Clippers into halftime up 21-14.
The Clippers defence pitched a shutout in the second half while Reid scored on another rushing touchdown and Paynter scored his second major on a passing play.
“That was a perfect all-around team win,” added Foley.
Key interceptions
The Clippers also received key interceptions from Tanton and Sebastien Roy-Garand.
With the Wildcats driving deep in Clippers’ territory looking for a tying touchdown, Roy-Garand intercepted a pass in the end zone on the final play of the first half. Tanton then capped off a strong by recording an interception late in the game that sealed the win.
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