Never count out a cornered Wolverine. For reference, just ask the Olds Spartans.
Facing elimination, Zack Waldbauer scored two touchdowns to power the Bow Valley Wolverines to a 30-20 come from behind, upset win over the Olds Spartans on Friday (Nov. 5) to advance to the Big Rock South Division high school football semifinal.
“I’ve never seen a more complete team effort in a long time,” said head coach Wade Buckley. “Everyone pulled their weight and bought our senior players one more week of November football.”
Quarterback Matt Mahler, running backs George Reed and Luke Murphy and Waldbauer put together one of the team’s best offensive efforts of the season to secure the win over Olds, which was ranked seventh in the province. DJ Herbert and Murphy recorded touchdowns.
The Wolverines move on to face Drumheller on Saturday, (Nov. 14). Kickoff is at 1 p.m. at Millennium Field.
The Wolverines nearly gave the game up early with a shaky start, giving up a touchdown on the first play after kickoff on a 50-yard pass to fall behind 7-0. Things looked grim.
“After fumbling the ball on their 40 on our first offensive drive, we gave up another touchdown and were down 13-0 six minutes into the game,” Buckley said.
Facing a deep hole, the Wolverines knew they had to react fast. Coach Lou Pokol and Wade Buckley made adjustments to the defence, keying in on Olds’ primary receiver, and called on his team to step it up.
“I told our players at the start of the game that at this point in the season, they couldn’t expect to just do their jobs to get a W (do your job being the motto for the season). Rather, they had to do their job well. If the seniors didn’t want this to be the last game of the season, they would have to earn another game,” Buckley said.
The talk worked, as the offence went on an unstoppable role.
“Our running game was on point, with George Reed and Luke Murphy pounding the rock for a steady flow of first downs. Our receivers absolutely dominated, dropping only one ball all game. From being down 13-0, we went on a tear, methodically marching for first down after first down, going up 16-13 at the half, and continuing that trend into halfway through the fourth, 30-13,” Buckley said.
The Wolverines switched to playing clock ball with seven minutes to spare, and got sloppy, fumbling the ball three times, but their lead was large enough to hold thanks to a smart offence and voracious defence.
The coach had high praise for many of his players after the game, beginning with quarterback Mahler, who orchestrated the offensive onslaught.
“He played the most cerebral game I have seen him play. He was efficient (14-21 for 257 yards and three touchdowns), smart (calling audibles when he detected blitz, running the ball when he saw an opening), and continued exhibiting exceptional leadership.
“Zack Waldbauer may be the best Tier 4 player in the province, recording 157 yards, two touchdowns, running 75 yards return, a defensive tackle and two passes defended. Our defence was a true team effort, with 17 players recording a tackle and no one player recording more than five,” Buckley said.
The team now turns its attention to the Drumheller Titans for Saturday’s match. The last time the two teams played, Drumheller won big with a 54-36 victory at Millennium Field on Oct. 3. Drumheller’s double wing offence confused the Wolverines, but they vowed revenge the next time they met.
They get that chance Saturday.
The winner of Saturday’s game will go on to face either the Bow Valley Bobcats or the Willow Creek Cobras.
