MEAD — The Mead High School band played Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” at halftime.
How appropriate on the night after Halloween, and for a Class 3A, white-knuckle showdown between No. 1 Windsor and No. 2 Mead.
In the end, the Wizards knocked the Mavericks from the ranks of the unbeaten and took control of the North 2 League with a 13-7 victory.
Mead, set up by a 37-yard halfback pass from Ethan Elmore to Ryan St. Aubin, appeared to be driving to the game-tying score in the final moments, but another Elmore halfback pass was broken up inside the Windsor 10-yard line.
The Wizards emerged from the rugged affair with an 8-1 record and a perfect 4-0 league mark. Mead tumbled to 8-1 and 3-1.
Windsor’s kicking game gave it a 10-7 lead with 4:26 left in the third quarter. Senior Matt Zenger pinned Mead at its own 4-yard line. The Mavericks went four-and-out, giving the Wizards a short field. The Wizards didn’t do much with it but Kale Frederick drilled a 33-yard field goal.
Early in the fourth quarter, Windsor began feeding the ball to junior Adrian Czyszczon and he delivered with runs up the middle. But a holding penalty wiped out his 5-yard touchdown run and Frederick was called on to make another field goal. He was perfect, again, drilling a 29-yarder to increase the lead to 13-7 with 10:10 remaining in the game.
The two rivals were deadlocked at halftime, 7-7, with jarring defense the predominant theme.
The Wizards opened the game making two big statements. They stuffed Mead on the game’s first possession and promptly scored in four plays for a 7-0 lead. On a third-and-seven play, Windsor used a no-huddle offense, and senior running back Tripp Thomas found a seam, cut outside and jetted 55 yards to the Mead 3-yard line. On the next play, Thomas slipped into the end zone for the touchdown.
Mead struggled offensively for most of the first half. The Mavericks put together a nice drive late in the first quarter but a false-start penalty on second down at the Wizards’ 38 short-circuited the possession.
A huge defensive play set up Mead’s first score early in the second quarter. Junior defensive back Carter Woods, timing his blitz perfectly, hit Windsor quarterback Edison Burk just as Burk released the ball. JD Hamilton gathered in the dying pass for an interception, giving Mead a first down at the Windsor 33.
The Mavericks fed sophomore running back Ethan Elmore for four consecutive runs and he finished off the drive with a 16-yard TD, cutting back against Windsor’s pursuit.
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