Windsor
But when the 2018 season rolled around, the Thunderbirds decided to give it another try. Unfortunately, the schedule-maker made them start the season by traveling 110 miles down the interstate to play a Windsor team that had not lost a game since the 2015 season.
The result: 41-0, Yellowjackets.
And those 41 points all came in the first half in a game that switched to a running clock after Missisquoi fell behind, 29-0, in the first quarter. While Windsor scored a couple of more times, the clock never stopped running. There were just seven plays from scrimmage in the second quarter.
Missisquoi dressed just 17 players and crossed the midfield stripe only twice.
Windsor, which won the opening toss and deferred to the second half, also deferred again in the second half and kicked to start both halves.
After winning the VPA Division III state championship in each of the last two seasons, Windsor entered the campaign trying to replace seven two-way starters, four of whom were Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl players.
“I think we showed today that we did a good job of filling the holes,” said senior Robert Slocum, who was a big part of the victory as he rushed for two scores, kicked three extra points and had four kickoffs go into the end zone.
Windsor coach Greg Balch admitted that coaching a game like this was difficult as he didn’t want to embarrass the Thunderbirds.
“There were some things we just had to try, and that included some passes,” he said. “All of a sudden I looked up and we were ahead, 41-0.”
He also thought that Missisquoi agreeing to go to a running clock in the first quarter “was the right thing to do.”
Balch remembered that when he first took over the team, he had numbers in the low 20s and sometimes had less than that in some game days.
“I think we had like 14 healthy players for one game,” he said.
The win was the 21st straight for Windsor, which went undefeated in each of the last two seasons.
The Thunderbirds showed some spunk the first time they had the ball, earning a first down and moving to their own 47.
But a wayward pass was picked off by Windsor sophomore Jackson Davis, who returned the ball to the 42. On first down, wingback Slocum got plenty of help from his linemen friends and carved his way up the middle without being touched for the score.
And then the beat was on.
Dakohta Sanderson’s pick-six, Josh Gaudette’s six-yard run and Jacob Meagher’s 27-yard run gave Windsor a 29-0 lead after one period.
In the second, Slocum’s 11-yard run and Davis’ 33-yard reception from quarterback Ryland Richardson wrapped up the scoring.
Windsor travels to Poultney next weekend.