As the school week came to an end, the football team’s next game was approaching on the night of Friday, Sept. 13. Not only was this the Wizards’ second game of the season, but it was the centennial game to celebrate the 100th year after officially changing the school mascot from the Bulldogs to the Wizards.
Assistant Principal Eric Johnson (staff), as involved in the sports as he is in the history of the school, explained how the intermixing of the two ultimately led to the mascot transitioning to the Wizards a century ago.
“The team prior to 1923 was really, really bad …. So the league that the school played in at the time issued an ultimatum saying, ‘You guys need to get a lot better or I kick you out of the league.’ So the principal then hired a former WWI veteran to become the new coach. They got new rules they had to abide by so the team was reluctant at first. After the loss of a teammate, they began to turn things around. They ultimately changed their style completely, leaving the press enamored with that style, so they dubbed them ‘Wizards on the floor’ … and the name of the high school got changed from the Bulldogs to the Wizards,” Johnson explained.
This football game provided the opportunity for celebration as well as recognition of the history. Bringing out small-town fans from previous generations left the stands packed not only in the student section but also in the parent section as well.
“It’s a really cool way for us to celebrate with our biggest venue and biggest crowd possible. It will mark the 100th year of us becoming the Wizards and celebrating a century’s worth of what that has meant: hard work and pride in the community, and certainly success both on and off the field,” Johnson said.
Though the air was brisk and the day faded into night, the Wizards were prepared for the game about to take place. This game was against Montbello High School at WHS on Friday, Sept. 13.
(Adyson Roles)
From the opening whistle, Windsor’s players powered through, dominating the field from the beginning. Corner Grady Sullivan (11) received a 43-yard punt return and then immediately after, a rushing 7-yard touchdown was made by wide receiver Tripp Thomas (12). To gain that seventh point, wide receiver Kale Frederick (12) successfully made the point after kick.
Coaches like Chris Jones (staff) were astonished by the team’s quick rush to score several touchdowns and portray many great plays in only the first quarter.
“We had an expectation to be the same person on the field that we are in the classroom,” Jones explained. “In the public, the expectation is to do what you’re asked to do and sacrifice for other people, and a lot of guys sacrificed a lot so we could be successful.”
Going into the second quarter, Thomas made his third touchdown, which was an 18-yard touchdown, and Frederick made a jet sweep touchdown. Along with those two athletes, Teegan Cole (12) completed a three-yard touchdown, with the point-after kick being good.
With coaches, team captains are used to support and carry the team both on and off the field. In Coach Jones’ eyes, his upbringing and positive attitude are some of the few things that make Piercen Lewis (12) a great aspect of the team. With Lewis’ motivation, his teammates were driven to continue fighting for the win.
“As a captain, I am the guy who always has the right energy no matter what is happening in game and the guy who keeps the team in check, whether that means we’re losing or winning,” Lewis stated. “If we’re losing, I need to get the team’s energy up so we can make a comeback. If we’re winning and the team is getting all fat and giggly, I need to keep them focused because the game is not yet over.”
With the clock ticking down and losing numbers by the second, the game went into halftime at 46-0 Windsor.
“I did not know we would go into halftime with so much leverage on the other team,” Lewis said. “The week of practice before, we treated this team as a team who could beat us. Coach Jones always says that they’re coming here to take something from us, so that was the mentality all week, and that’s the mentality we need every week, regardless of the opponent.”
The remaining two quarters finished within 20 minutes, allowing Windsor to get in one more good touchdown as well as more plays. As the last buzzer rang, Montbello High School was defeated 54-0.
Fans were eager to rush onto the field to congratulate their football team, but before, Jones gave a few words of encouragement as well as motivation for their upcoming game.
“I kind of said what I’ve said the last couple weeks, ‘Are you with me?’ And they’re always with us when we’re on the field, but ‘Are you with me we when we’re not here?’ That’s the difference of team chemistry …” Jones said. “Once again, I’m very proud with how they handled the second half, especially considering that team was a little down. They played with a lot of grace and empathy and respect for their team. As far as this week, we’re as good as yesterday’s practice, so it’s kind of like taking one thing at a time.”
