Deep in the playoffs, your star players have to show up when it matters most. In the AA Semi-final matchup between the Robert Bateman Timber Wolves and the Windsor Wolves, Windsor's stars stepped up their game and led their team to a 44-28 victory, punching their ticket to the AA Final game.
Running back Brady Smith was the first star to shine for Windsor. Smith ripped off a sixty-yard run and opened the scoring for the Wolves. After Bateman's Cade Handy plowed into the endzone to cut the lead to 7-6, it was Smith's turn to respond.
On the ensuing drive, Windsor ran a counter play to the short side of the field. Bateman's defense appeared to play it absolutely perfectly as only a sliver of a hole was created. Smith cut through that minuscule opening and ripped off another 60-plus yard run down the left sideline for another score.
With 11:47 still to go in the first half, Smith already had over 130 yards of rushing and had his team up 15-6. For the rest of the half, it appeared that both team's defenses had finally figured it out. With Bateman's offense struggling, their special teams unit stepped up big time, with time ticking down in the second frame.
With Windsor punting from their own endzone, Bateman returner Dante Meyer stood at midfield. Meyer took the bouncing kick down the left sideline and took off with his blazing speed. Finally, a Wolves defender angled him out of bounds inside the 20-yard line. Jackson Kliewer rewarded Meyer for his efforts and cut the deficit to 15-13 going into the half.
Now, most teams would be ecstatic to have a star like Smith alone. Windsor must be counting their lucky stars because they also have Waterloo commit Emmet Ward at the helm. With Bateman's defense finally figuring out Smith, Ward took matters into his own hands.
Ward makes plays out of structure you just can't teach. He'll roll out of the pocket and seem to be sprinting towards the sideline but throw a laser across the field at the last second for a big completion. The quarterback has an uncanny ability to extend plays. No play is ever over with him under center.
Ward drove his team all the way downfield and punched the ball in himself deep in enemy territory to start the second half and put Windsor up 22-13.
Kliewer and the Timberwolves would strike right back and would make the score 22-20. With the ball back in his hands, Ward was poised to show off his arm.
Ward rolled to his right on a sprintout pass. Much to the dismay of Bateman's defense, Ward stopped up and unleashed a bomb down to the left sideline. The pass fell perfectly into the hands of Smith, who was running a wheel route all by himself, and after making one defender miss, it was another score for Windsor, and it was 29-20.
In the fourth quarter, Ward put away the game for good. First, he extended a play in the pocket and found receiver Xavian Washington across the middle. Washington made multiple defender misses and found the endzone again for Windsor.
Ward then capped off his incredible day by launching the ball over 40 yards to a wide-open Oscar Rouillard to put the game away for good.
With their 44-28 victory, Windsor is now one game away from a BC Highschool AA Championship.
