Windsor blasts Augusta Prep 35-8 for key playoff win

When you have a player that can do a little bit of everything, the gameplan is simple: you get him the ball.

That’s exactly what coach Dylan Bass and the Windsor Knights did in their playoff game Friday night, riding a great offense led by a stellar all-around performance from Santiago Medina to a 35-8 win over the Augusta Prep Cavaliers in Macon.

Medina had more than 100 yards from scrimmage — including one catch of 50 yards that came up just a few yards shy of a score after he somehow escaped the grasp of about seven Augusta Prep defenders — along with a rushing touchdown, an interception and multiple booming punts in the dominant Windsor victory. 

For the player affectionately known as “Santa,” the game on Halloween night probably felt a little more like Christmas.

“I’m feeling great, It’s been a really great past few weeks. It’s all thanks to the coaches, man, I couldn’t ask for a better coaching staff. It’s been a heck of a time, really,” Medina said. “Something kind of just clicked in me.”

That click was something Bass and the rest of the Knights coaching staff had been waiting on. They knew Medina had oodles of talent and were eager to see the senior star fully piece it together.

“We kept telling him, but he wasn’t fully grasping what he could do (at the start of the season). Over these last few weeks, he has been a different player. He’s been elite,” Bass said. “It’s so much fun to watch him be what he can be.”

It was the latest in a series of excellent games for Medina over the past few weeks of football, a stretch across which Windsor has turned its season around completely. The Knights were 1-7 just a few weeks ago but moved to 4-7 with Friday night’s win, which also advanced them to the second round of the GIAA Class 2A state tournament.

“With the way we’ve played these last few weeks, our guys were able to come out and make a statement, especially in that second half,” Bass said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these guys, it’s been such a fun group. I’ve seen it from the beginning, but the 180 this team has done is incredible.”

Medina was far from the only contributor, both during the turnaround and in Friday’s win. 

Quarterback Heath Woodard, who actually moved to a different position midway through the season, caught fire after returning as the starting passer and had four passing touchdowns in the win. Running back Blayne Bennett scored two touchdowns. 

Dawson Sims had been Woodard’s primary target over the past three games, but his twin brother Dalton Sims reeled in two touchdown catches in the playoff victory.

“Dawson had been so great but was a little banged up tonight … and Dalton we knew could be one of our top guys, but he got hurt in the scrimmage in the fall,” Bass said. “For the brother to step in and get in the endzone twice, man, it was awesome.

“With them two and Santa, this group of seniors — it’s going to be an emotional (team) banquet this year, let’s just say that.”

Things were not always so rosy, however. Early on, Augusta Prep seemed to have all the momentum in the world after they forced a Windsor fumble on the 1-yard line. Then the Cavaliers somehow gained even more of an edge, as quarterback Carter Chavous took the very next play 99 yards for a touchdown.

Instead of getting even on its next series, Woodard threw an interception, and all of a sudden it looked like it could be a long night.

“We came out, we started shooting ourselves in the foot. Things looked all too familiar,” Bass said. “But that 99-yard touchdown was about the only big play we gave up.”

The Windsor defense suffocated Augusta Prep the rest of the way, holding them to only 176 total yards of offense excluding the long run early in the first quarter. Many of those yards were tallied on scrambles and sneaks by Chavous, who was a skilled and shifty runner but could not connect much in the passing game.

Even so, the Knights did not find their stride on offense until late in the first half. Medina got them their first huge play of the night with his 50-yard catch-and-run, which set up a rushing touchdown by Bennett with about six minutes until halftime.

Windsor then held the Cavaliers on a pair of possessions before Woodard found Dawson Sims wide open for a 23-yard touchdown catch to give the Knights a 14-8 lead at the intermission.

Once the second half arrived, Windsor looked unstoppable. Woodard found Dawson Sims again for a score, this time from 29 yards out, on the first drive of the third quarter. Bennett scored his second touchdown of the night not long after, this one on a slick shovel pass from a stock-still Woodard that fooled defenders.

Fittingly, Medina’s rushing score was the icing on the cake, set up by an impressive fumble recovery returned about 50 yards by Jadyn Hardeman to the 15-yard line.

Even Medina’s punts were exciting. Perhaps the only thing the football virtuoso did not attempt was a field goal — even though many fans in the bleachers suggested they try one whenever the Knights passed midfield.

“(The kicking) is fun, but scoring touchdowns feels the best,” Medina said of his favorite role on the field. “There’s no better feeling than getting in the end zone, seeing my brothers coming down, giving me some daps. There’s nothing like that.”

The Knights, who are the No. 8 seed in the Class 2A tournament, will travel to face No. 1 Brentwood in the second round on Nov. 7.

“The thing these guys have to remember: in playoff football, anything can happen,” Bass said of the impending matchup. “They really have it rolling over there, but we’re gonna show up. I hope our guys keep believing in what they can do. Like I tell ‘em, I think we’re the sleeper team in the bracket right now.”