Windsor reclaims South Bibb Trophy, defeats CFCA 16-14

As the Windsor Knights gathered on the field and prepared to hoist the South Bibb Trophy for the first time in a long time, one young fan summed up the feelings of the entire Windsor crowd with one perfect line.

“We broke the curse,” he shouted. “We broke the curse!”

The youngster was referring to Windsor’s losing streak against bitter crosstown rival Central Fellowship, which spanned back more than 15 years as a result of the Knights dropping down to 8-man football for several seasons — until Friday night, that is.

Windsor exorcized those demons and excited a sizable home crowd as it stunned the CFCA Lancers with a 16-14 win, defying the expectations of their 1-7 record and toppling their crosstown rival.

It was Windsor’s first win over CFCA since 2008, when a Mike Smallwood-led team trounced the Lancers 53-8. This was not quite such a display of strength, but the dramatic win was just fine with the Senior Night crowd.

“It means so much to these guys. Coming back to 11-man, they wanted that trophy. We finally get to bring it back home,” Windsor head coach Dylan Bass. “The fight they showed ‘til the end in such a close game, I couldn’t be more proud of them. It means so much for this community.”

It was as chaotic and chippy as one would expect between the archrivals, who only resumed playing one another just last year after a 10-year hiatus — CFCA won that matchup 13-8 — but barked and bit at each other like longtime enemies.

The Knights looked dominant early, riding the connection between quarterback Heath Woodard and receiver Dawson Sims to a 13-0 halftime lead. Woodard hit Sims in stride often, and the wideout rewarded him with one broken tackle after another to extend plays.

Sims finished with 149 receiving yards and, though they won’t show up on the stat sheet, at least two jukes that shook CFCA defenders out of their shoes.

“He’s special, man. He’s been our playmaker all year. He’s played quarterback and running back, he actually hurt his shoulder a few games ago,” Bass said of Sims. “Woodard actually came back last week at quarterback and threw for 300 yards, and Dawson had 118 at receiver.

“That told us: when the going gets tough, get the ball in No. 1’s hands.”

The offensive explosion was even more impressive considering CFCA’s dominant 51-19 win last week, but the Lancers struggled to find momentum in the first half.

“We were flat. I mean, you could see it in our eyes in pregame,” CFCA head coach Jake Walls. “They knew Windsor’s record. Young kids, that’s all they think about. They don’t realize Windsor’s got a lot of talented players, got a lot of pride. They showed that tonight and played really hard. They played well enough to win, and that’s the result you get.”

The three-headed CFCA rushing attack of Judson Walls, Shepherd Tanner and Terrell Coley Jr. did get sharper in the second-half, however. Coley ripped off a 51-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and CFCA was right back in the game late.

Even after a field goal by Windsor made it 16-7, the Lancers kept fighting. The last five minutes of the game got prickly, as both teams received several unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. In the middle of the chaos, CFCA scored a touchdown with about 1:30 left in the contest to make it 16-14, but the onside kick failed and Windsor locked things down.

The improved second half was not enough for the Lancers.

“The great thing about football is that you only get 10 chances. You only get 10 games, so how can you not come out ready to play one of those halves?” Walls said. “The lesson is, don’t underestimate any teams. That’s what the kids need to take away. Windsor played a great game, and we weren’t ready to play.”

Windsor’s fans stayed in the stands and on the field for a bit after the game ended, reveling in the victory that was sweet enough considering their opponent, but also gave the Knights much-needed momentum as the playoffs approach.

“This is huge. We got Homecoming next week with our last district game. Then if the rankings stay where they are, we’ll actually get to host a home playoff game. That would be the first time Windsor’s hosted a home playoff game since I think 2017,” Bass said. “Regardless of our record, that would mean so much to this team and this community.”

On the other side of a brutal loss — both coaches also appeared disgruntled with the officiating, as there were many penalties on both sides — Walls and CFCA hope to learn something from the loss with the postseason looming.

“Hopefully you don’t have anybody flat in a playoff game … who know’s where we end up, but as a coach you just get ready,” Walls said. “Right now you just get ready for Cherokee next week and that’s all you do.”

The Knights host Heritage in their game next week for Homecoming, while CFCA will play Cherokee on the road. Both games are the season finale for the two teams.