Windsor
The call was for Yellowjackets kicker Ben Meagher to launch a squib kick — low and hard — into Otter Valley’s formation, catching the anticipating Otters off guard.
But an onside kick is was, recovered by Windsor inside Otter Valley territory in front of the home crowd at MacLeay-Royce Field. The Jacks scored minutes later, adding another 29 points in the first half en route to a 55-13 victory over Otter Valley.
“That was a mistake,” Windsor head coach Greg Balch said of his team’s kick. “We thought about onside kicking, but we decided not to. Suddenly, we were doing it by accident. It worked great, but I can’t take credit for it.”
Saturday’s matchup against the rough-and-tumble Otters was supposed to be Windsor’s first test of the season after earning lopsided victories in its first three games. That brush with adversity will have to wait another week. Saturday’s game wasn’t close. The Yellowjackets (4-0) were in the driver’s seat from the opening kickoff, scoring early and often against Otter Valley’s shell-shocked defense.
“We weren’t really expecting this,” Windsor running back Trevor Worrall said. “At all.”
Windsor’s opening drive took 3 minutes, 3 seconds to conclude in the end zone, led by its speedy offensive trio — Worrall, quarterback Seth Balch and running back Hunter Judd, a Hartford High transfer — that kept the Otters defense off balance. Judd finished the drive with a 4-yard score up the middle for his fifth touchdown of the season.
Otter Valley’s first offensive play, which began on its own 43-yard line, was an interception by Windsor’s Hunter Patenaude. The Yellowjackets needed only four plays to score again, this time a quarterback keeper from Balch to make it 14-0.
The Otters punted on their next drive, putting the Yellowjackets back on their own 25. But it didn’t matter. Balch connected with Worrall for a 75-yard pass and run down the right sideline.
Windsor scored 21 points before Otter Valley converted a first down.
“This was supposed to be a test,” Balch said. “The scoreboard might have indicated otherwise for someone who might not have watched the game, but this was harder than the first few games. Those games were decided pretty quick. I think it certainly helps to have a tough game to work on those things.”
Worrall finished with four touchdowns, two receiving and two rushing. Balch racked up two passing touchdowns and added a rushing score. Patenaude and junior running back Jake Tucker also added TDs for Windsor.
Otter Valley’s two touchdowns came in garbage time, with Windsor largely playing its substitutes. The first was a 24-yard catch and run from sophomore quarterback Tyler Rowe to junior Payson Williams toward the end of the third quarter. The Otters scored again, a 10-yard run from Collin Parker, with 40 seconds remaining in the game during running time.
Through four games, Windsor has outscored its opponents, 210-26. Otter Valley’s 13 points was the most any opponent has scored against the Yellowjackets this season, though that’s hard to quantify given the lack of experience in Windsor’s defense toward the end of the game.
“There’s a lot of speed,” Balch said of his offense. “I really don’t think we’ve hit on all cylinders yet. I spend more time on that side of the ball, so I’m frustrated with it to be honest. But we’re fast. There’s a lot of guys who can carry the ball. And all those guys that can carry the ball can also catch. Seth does a great job getting the ball in the air. I think we’re hard to defend, in that sense. But I still think we have a lot of room (for) improvement.”
The Yellowjackets will now try to fight complacency while holding onto a four-win cushion. Woodstock and Mill River are also still undefeated in Vermont Division III. The Yellowjackets face a talented U-32 team on the road next Friday night.
“We talk about it a lot,” Balch said. “I’m proud of the way the boys responded to this. We knew this was a tougher opponent than the teams we had faced over the last couple of weeks, some of those teams had some injuries they were dealing with. … They showed me they can do it here. Hopefully, that’ll carry over into some of these other games.
“They’re a fun group. They’re really excited to play a tough opponent. They’re not looking for the easy game or the easy play. … They don’t want that at all. They were definitely making sure to let me know they wanted to play in the second half.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.