Spartans eye perfect season

Privateers looking to pull off upset in Ed Hilton Bowl

The Summerside Waterwise Spartans have a chance to complete a perfect season.

The Charlottetown Privateers have an opportunity to spoil the party.

That is one of the storylines heading into the Ed Hilton Bowl – the championship game of the P.E.I. Bantam Tackle Football League – at Eric Johnston Field on Saturday. Start time is set for noon, and the Spartans are hoping for a big crowd.

“Anything can happen in one game, and we know that we have to show up with our A game,” said Spartans head coach Brian Goguen. “We will have to utilize our size, speed and physicality on both sides of the ball, and play well on special teams, to come out on top.”

Privateers head coach Coady Carr-Boulter said his team is looking forward to the opportunity to play in the title game.

“Most of these kids haven’t had winning seasons, and this is like the first time Charlottetown has looked like a top-two team since the last time they won (in 2012),” said Carr-Boulter. “That has them all excited.”

The Spartans, who lost last season’s Ed Hilton Bowl in Summerside to the Cornwall Timberwolves, completed the regular season atop the standings at 6-0. Charlottetown was second at 4-2, with both losses against Summerside – 36-18 on Sept. 28 and 48-12 on Oct. 14.

“It will be a good matchup,” said Carr-Boulter, who admits the Privateers are entering the Ed Hilton Bowl as heavy underdogs. “I’m hoping my team comes out and plays better than they have the first two games (against Summerside), but we were missing starting players for both of them. I will hopefully have my full team ready to go Saturday.”

In last weekend’s semifinals, the Spartans defeated the Timberwolves while the Privateers topped the Kings County Steelers to advance.

The Spartans will look to take advantage of their strong depth.