ATH Potter likes “split second decisions”

For many of us, making a decision of any sort can be torturous, never mind one that has to be made in seconds. For Logan Potter, he has no problem with this when it comes to football.

“I like being in control of the defence and having to make the split second decisions to call off blitz, I like the pressure of it,” he explained when we caught up with him. “To me, football is my life. It’s pretty much what I spend all my time thinking about or working on. I’m constantly trying to improve my game and become that much better.”

Potter is a member of the Northeast Kings Educational Center (NKEC) in Nova Scotia and has been playing for seven year now. On the field, it’s anyone’s guess where he will be playing as he has played defensive end, linebacker, slotback, running back, and defensive back.

“I always played a lot of sports as a kid and my mom suggested football so once I started playing I began to love the sport,” said Potter when describing what made him get into football. Being a two time provincial defensive MVP, team MVP and a three time all-star, it’s no wonder he found his niche on the gridiron.

He recalled playing for Nova Scotia in the Football Canada Cup just recently and said it was one of his most memorable football experiences to date. However, he is looking ahead to the high school season and has some goals set out for himself.

“I’m looking forward to lead the team because we are losing many of our captains, I’m also hoping to win league MVP this year.”

Defensive coordinator, Andrew Hartnett, said that Logan is a key contributor to both the offense and defense of NKEC.

“He’s a game changer. Very high motor, very athletic and very smart to the game of football. We had a moment last year in a game where he basically called out every offensive play in the fourth quarter,” he mentioned. “He’s instinctive, has a nose for the football and isn’t afraid to play the game rough. Logan can basically play any position on the field which is a great attribute to have. We plan on using Logan extensively this year in every position we. If things don’t identify Logan, they will pay for it.”

Potter believes he plays “smart” on the field and that is what puts him ahead of other players. “I always visualize the play before it happens. Also I believe I am a very strong blocker on the offensive side of the ball, I play very physical on all sides of the ball,” he said.

For this young athlete, he would like to continue on with football once his high school football career comes to an end. He said he has an interest in studying to be a physiotherapist or go into teacher’s college. If he can do it while playing football, that would be a dream for Potter.

While it is still a bit of a way off, recruiting starts earlier and earlier nowadays. Potter’s discussions with schools hasn’t been much, but he still has a few years to get there, but no doubt, with the player pool smaller in Nova Scotia than in some of the bigger provinces, the identification process has already started. Once those discussions do start in earnest for Potter, he does have a few schools that he would like to consider further.

“I have not committed to a school yet, but my top three I’d like to go to would probably be Acadia because it’s my local university, StFX because it has a great football team and is still close to home, and university of Ottawa because it is further away and has a great team and reputation,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to all the new opportunities and really going out into a new world.”

Once Potter does step foot onto his new campus, he would like to learn and get better – eventually becoming one of the leaders of the team.

Coach Hartnett doesn’t think this jump to the next level will be any trouble for Potter.

“He has all the attributes to be very successful going forward. Any program that gets Logan will definitely have a game changer on their squad. I think Logan will excel at the next level. Great kid, great attitude, very coachable and has high grades in school which will make him very attractive to any program.”

“I think I will adjust just fine because I’m already a very mental player, I watch film on my opponents and self to find weak points and room for improvement,” said Potter of this adjustment period. “This off-season I want to try and get bigger and a better leader.”

Without his Mom, Potter would not have had the support he has needed to get to where he is today. “she is constantly getting involved with the team and helping me improve my game,” he said.

“My coaches also had a huge contribution to the player and person I am today, without my minor coaches I would not still be playing and thanks to the knowledge and skill of my high school and provincial coaches I have bettered myself as a player.”

The sentiment goes both ways. Coach Hartnett finishes with these sage words of his young player:

“Every now and then you get a kid that comes along that you don’t really have to teach the game to as much. They understand the little intricacies of the game more than other players which makes it that much easier to coach a player like that. Instead of focusing on teaching the game, you can focus on teaching the subtle little elements of the game to make him a better player.

Logan is a natural to the sport of football. In fact Logan is an natural to sports, period. Whatever sport he plays he excels at. He should garner more attention because he is that special of a player. If people pass on Logan, they will regret it.”

 

Logan Potter (#47)
Athlete
6’5, 195lbs

Teams: Valley Bulldogs (minor), NKEC (high school), Team Nova Scotia U15,U18
Official visits: n/a
Unofficial visits: n/a
Considerations: Acadia, StFX, uOttawa, open
Commitment: none
Class: 2019