Clippers have no fear

Face Crusaders in high school semi

October 30, 2008 - Winnipeg Sun
Ken Wiebe

TThe Kelvin Clippers have already dethroned the defending champion, but use the word upset at your own peril.

And don't think for a second they're going to be complacent as the Winnipeg High School Football League playoffs continue.

"Happy to be here" isn't really in the Clippers vocabulary either, even after bouncing the Oak Park Raiders from the post-season party last week.

The Clippers face the St. Paul's Crusaders tomorrow at 5:15 p.m. at Canad Inns Stadium and they don't sound the least bit intimidated about facing a perennial powerhouse.

"We match up pretty well against them," said Clippers running back Braxton McIntosh.

Way back in Week 2, the Crusaders earned a 34-25 victory over the Clippers but being able to hang around in that contest has given Kelvin hope coming into this game, where the stakes are considerably higher.

"We put up a good game against them at our Homecoming and I think we have a good shot at beating them," said Clippers quarterback Ben Allen. "We've progressed a lot since Week 2. They're undefeated, so it would be nice to get a big win against them, move on and hopefully have a bigger game in the final."

The numbers would suggest the Clippers are a clear underdogs going into the contest, since the Crusaders No. 1 team was perfect during the regular season before bouncing River East in the quarter-finals to improve to 8-0.

However, few thought the Clippers were going to be around this long.

Clippers head coach Jon Romu understood a slow start could be in the cards as his club moved back up from the Kas Vidruk Division to the John Potter Division after winning the Vidruk title in 2007.

Now, Romu believes his team has what it takes to play for another championship.

"A lot of our guys were on the team last year and know what it's like to play in the semis," said Romu. "St. Paul's beat us during the season but we've gotten better and they've gotten better (since Week 2). We'll see if we've gotten better enough to jump that hurdle.

"We know it's going to be a physical game and that St. Paul's is going to be disciplined but if our guys play to our potential, we're going to be OK."

Interestingly, McIntosh didn't think his team got much of a lift from knocking off the defending champs and suggested the Clippers have loftier goals in mind.

"We didn't play (Oak Park) last year, so it didn't really affect us at all," said McIntosh, who has been a force since being moved from receiver to tailback. "We won our division last year and they won their division. Of course, it feels good to move on but any win gives us momentum in the playoffs.

"I don't feel particularly happy that we beat Oak Park."

The WHSFL playoffs resume at Canad Inns Stadium today at 3 p.m. with Murdoch MacKay taking on Kildonan East in a Currie Division semifinal.

That game will be followed by Portage Collegiate taking on Sisler's second team in the other Currie semifinal and Sturgeon Heights facing Tec Voc at 7:30 in a Vidruk Division semifinal.

Tomorrow's games include a 3 p.m. start at St. Paul's High School featuring the Crusaders second team against Garden City in the Vidruk Division.

The final game of the semis features Churchill meeting Grant Park in the Potter Division at 7:30 at Canad Inns Stadium.