Cumberland’s Jr. Peewee Clippers rolled past Tri-Town, 37–0, on Homecoming Sunday, powered by a balanced offense and a defense that never let up. Five players reached the end zone, and the contributions around those scores showed a young team beginning to play some of its most complete football heading into the playoffs.
Much of it started up front. Cumberland’s offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, creating space for the running backs throughout the afternoon and keeping Bryce Wilson clean when he dropped back to throw. That work gave the offense room to operate on the ground and time to find opportunities through the air. Cole Nastari also helped protect a possession when Cumberland put the ball on the turf, recovering his team’s fumble and ensuring the Jr. Clippers had another down to work with.
Michael Tardy put that running game on display early, breaking through contact before accelerating into space down the right sideline for a 50-yard touchdown. The conversion was unsuccessful, leaving Cumberland ahead 6–0, and the defense went to work protecting that lead.
Pressure in the backfield disrupted Tri-Town’s running game, while Cumberland’s No. 1 safety closed quickly on a sweep, meeting the runner before he could make a move into open space. John Anderson then delivered the possession’s biggest stop. On fourth-and-10, he burst through for a sack, giving the Jr. Clippers the ball at Tri-Town’s 41 with 2:02 left in the opening quarter.
Jack Jodoin immediately made that field position count, covering approximately 26 yards to reach the 15. Wilson followed with a run around the left side, and Luca Demers pushed through contact for more yardage, helping Cumberland reach the nine by the end of the quarter. Wilson finished the drive from roughly 10 yards out, working left toward the pylon and extending across the goal line through contact. A successful conversion stretched the lead to 13–0.
The next scoring drive required Cumberland to work its way out of trouble. A 15-yard completion from Wilson to Demers helped move the Jr. Clippers to Tri-Town’s 20 with 2:15 left in the half, but holding calls and other penalties pushed them backward. After an incomplete pass, Cumberland faced second-and-30 with just 27 seconds remaining.
Tardy started recovering the lost ground, taking a run off right tackle before bouncing outside and getting down the sideline. Demers followed on a direct snap that he initially had trouble handling. He secured the ball, worked around the left side and found help from his quarterback, as Wilson delivered a strong block to give him room to advance.
Wilson had already contributed as a runner and passer. Here, he dug in to help a teammate turn a difficult start into a positive play. Between Tardy’s run and Demers’s effort behind that block, Cumberland worked back to fourth-and-three near the Tri-Town 15.
Wilson and Demers finished the job from there. Wilson swung a pass into the right flat, where Demers corralled a difficult catch, turned upfield and took it in for a 15-yard touchdown. It was Wilson’s seventh passing touchdown of the season, and Cumberland took a 19–0 lead into halftime after rescuing a possession that penalties had nearly derailed.
Jodoin brought his combination of strength and speed to the next scoring drive. No. 99 broke through contact on a big run down the right side into the red zone, and Wilson followed with another gain around the left edge. When Jodoin got the ball again near the goal line, he kept his legs driving with several defenders hanging on, powering his way into the end zone to finish what he had helped start. The conversion was unsuccessful, leaving Cumberland ahead 25–0.
Jack Travers, No. 9, added the next burst, breaking through down the right side for a 34-yard touchdown. Tri-Town stopped the conversion in the backfield, and Cumberland carried a 31–0 lead into the fourth quarter. Tardy later finished the scoring on a reverse sweep around the left edge, fighting through contact for his second touchdown of the day. No conversion attempt was permitted after that score, making it 37–0.
Cumberland’s defensive front helped make sure Tri-Town never found an answer. Anderson, Nastari and Isaiah Lindsay were among those doing the work up front, with Lindsay adding a defensive fumble recovery to the effort. Pressure inside, pursuit along the edge and teammates arriving to finish plays kept Tri-Town off the scoreboard. The shutout reflected contributions across the defense.
This is a different Jr. Clippers team from the one that started the season. Many of these players are in their first or second year of tackle football, learning the game and how to play it together. That progress showed Sunday in the space created by the line, Wilson’s willingness to block for a teammate, Nastari keeping a possession alive and backs staying on their feet through contact.
Cumberland heads into the playoffs with a young group beginning to put it together at the right time. The next matchup will test that progress and provide valuable postseason experience early in their football careers. For a core that began together in flag football, there is plenty to look forward to beyond this season, too, as they continue growing together within the Jr. Clippers organization.