Clippers, Timberwolves clash in highly-anticipated Potato Bowl

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — It has the potential to be everything a championship game should be.

The defending-champion Summerside Cooke Insurance Clippers and Cornwall Timberwolves both sport identical 5-1 (won-lost) records in the Papa John’s P.E.I. Varsity Tackle Football League and the two teams split their two regular-season meetings. Saturday, they will play the rubber match in the biggest game of the 2019 season – the Potato Bowl. Kickoff at Eric Johnston Field in Summerside is set for 1:30 p.m.
“It will be another great game between us and Cornwall as our last three games, going back to last year’s Potato Bowl, has come down to who made the critical plays late in the fourth quarter,” said Clippers head coach John Turner, whose team was awarded first place based on a tiebreaking formula. “We have stressed to our team since training camp that it’s about getting better every week and peaking in the Potato Bowl.”

The Cornwall Timberwolves will face the Summerside Clippers in the 2019 Potato Bowl on Saturday that will determine the P.E.I. Varsity Tackle Football League championship. Game time at Eric Johnston Field in Summerside is set for 1:30 p.m. Members of the Timberwolves are, front row, from left: Colin Walsh and Adam Younker. Second row, from left: Ryder Gallant, Connor Hennessey, Brandon Proude, Hudson Roberts, Hunter Prus, Christian Desreux, Joseph Bertram, Ben Coles and Richard Lush (defensive co-ordinator). Third row, from left: Parker Williams, Dominic Green, Dawson MacDonald, Mason Ward, Caleb Acorn, Jayden Wall, Frankie Woods, Matthew Calder, Zack Toner, Caelan Mills, Mark Green (head coach) and Gordon Harding (assistant coach). Back row, from left: MacKenzie Plouff, Riley Toste, Jacob Fitzpatric, Dennis Roddell, Ben Proctor, Connor Corbett, Dale King and Chris Williams (line coach). Missing from photo is Austin Carter.

Timberwolves head coach Mark Green feels this year’s championship has a chance to be a classic.
“It should be the best one of the last decade,” said Green. “They are both very even teams.
“We have, I think, a little more speed but they have more size. It’s going to boil down whatever team wants it more.”
In the head-to-head meetings, both teams were victorious at home after jumping out in front early. The Timberwolves won 22-14 in Week 2 and the Clippers’ defence turned in a gem in a 22-0 victory in Week 5.
“We knew we could compete with them,” said Green. “The first one, we came out strong, scored quick and what kind of hurt us was bad penalties. That gave them a little bit of life and they got back into it and it came down to the last few plays of the game.
“The second game they came out strong and outplayed us. We will make adjustments off that and of the two meetings this third one should be one to remember.”

Similar
Green feels the Clippers and Timberwolves are very similar.
“We both have offences that can score quite easily and it’s going to come down to the defences,” said Green.
Turner described the Clippers’ defence as the “backbone” of the team.
“They have a couple of key players you need to shut down and we are confident in our defence they can carry out the game plan on Saturday,” said Summerside defensive co-ordinator Jeff MacDonald.
Seniors Luke Payne, Brayden Lawless, Finn Turner, Ryan Murphy and sophomores Landon Gallant and Breton Brown will be counted on to lead the defence, noted Turner.
“We need our D-Line to get middle pressure on passing downs and we need to keep our gap integrity on running plays and let our fast linebackers take care of the rest,” said MacDonald. “We have been getting better every game as the season progressed. Now we need our best game of the season on Saturday.”
Offensively, Turner said the Clippers will look to five seniors – quarterback Nic Gunning, wide receivers Charlie Turner and Kyle Cameron, tight end Alex Campbell and offensive tackle Ryan Murphy.
“We need to protect the football, which we have done all season,” said Summerside offensive co-ordinator Mike Miller, who added two keys for the Clippers are execution and not turning the ball over. “Our quarterback, Nic Gunning, is improving every week and he’s playing great and running back Mike Friesen is starting to find his stride after missing five weeks at the beginning of the season.”
Green is hoping a “well-balanced” attack will benefit the Timberwolves.
“We rely heavily on defence and we do have a really good defence,” said Green. “We have a quarterback who can swing the ball well, our running backs are great at reading holes and shedding blocks.
“I feel we are very balanced both offensively and defensively. I know, against Summerside, we have to rely heavily on our defence because its offence runs so well. We will be relying on our defence to give us those big stops.”

Weather
Both teams expect Mother Nature to be a factor and the Clippers and Timberwolves are preparing for that.
“The wind is always a factor in Summerside, the same as Cornwall,” said Green. “We know the weather is going to play a factor. We will have some wind and I’m not sure if they are calling for rain or not, but we always put the weather into our game planning.
“We practise in it all season long so it should not play that much of a factor in the outcome of the game.”
To prepare for the wind, the Clippers have worked hard on their kicking game. Summerside assistant coach Brian Doucet said punter Lucas Doucette will be prepared for a field-position game while Kyle Cameron will handle the kickoff and place-kicking duties.
"We tried more field goals then we normally do throughout the season to prepare for situational football that might come up in the Potato Bowl,” added Doucet. “We wanted to make sure our coverage is good on missed field goals and kicking field goals from the different hash marks in game situations.”

Rosters
Rosters of teams in Potato Bowl:
Summerside Clippers
2. Nic Gunning; 4. Phoenix MacKay; 6. Lucas Doucette; 13. Charlie Turner; 19. Zackary Blood; 21. Finn Turner; 24. Breton Brown; 28. Michael Friesen; 32. Luke Quinlan; 41. Spencer Rossiter; 44. Rory Gaudet; 50. Luke Payne; 51. Brayden Lawless; 58. Landon Gallant; 60. Jayden Ryder-Clements; 68. Ethan Gallant-Smith; 69. Paul Wamboldt; 80. Ryan Lawless; 88. Kyle Cameron; 89. Alex Campbell; 91. Daniel Tomtom; 92. Nathan Enman; 97. Nathaniel Mueller, 99. Ryan Murphy, and Connor Murphy (injured reserve).
Staff
Head coach – John Turner.
Assistant coach – Brian Doucet.
Defensive co-ordinator – Jeff MacDonald.
Offensive co-ordinator – Mike Miller.
Offensive line coach – Matt Gunning.
Quality control coach – Ken Blood.
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Cornwall Timberwolves
2. Colin Walsh; 3. Dominic Green; 4. MacKenzie Plouffe; 14. Hunter Prus; 22. Joseph Bertram; 23. Ben Proctor; 24. Texas Carter; 32. Christian Desreux; 33. Connor Hennessey; 34. Matthew Calder; 35. Ben Coles; 43. Dennis Roddel; 45. Mateo Roberts; 52. Frankie Woods; 53. Zack Toner; 55. Jacob Fitzpatric; 62. Dale King; 63. Connor Corbett; 64. Brandon Proude; 65. Riley Toste; 72. Caleb Acorn; 74. Caelan Mills; 75. Mason Ward; 83. Dawson MacDonald; 84. Parker Williams; 92. Jayden Wall; 93. Ryder Gallant; 94. Hudson Roberts, and 95. Adam Younker.
Staff
Head coach – Mark Green.
Defensive co-ordinator – Richard Lush.
Quarterback coach – Joe Puiia.
Line coach – Chris Williams.
Running back coach – Ryan Dempsey.
Assistant coach – Gordon Harding.