An emphasis on responding was drilled into the Miles MacDonnell Collegiate football team all week with a pivotal matchup against the Kelvin Clippers on the horizon and the playoffs approaching.
Respond they did. And in a big way.
The Buckeyes (4-1) blanked the Clippers 27-0 at Kelvin High School on Thursday, locking up the second seed in the Vidruk Division (Division 2).
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Miles Macdonell Buckeyes’ Amari Griffithssosoo runs for a touchdown against the Kelvin Clippers on Thursday at Kelvin High School.
The last week of the WHSFL regular season proved important for both teams, each in the thick of the playoff race. The loss drops the Clippers to 2-3 on the season and puts their standing in the post-season in question with John Taylor High School (2-2) set to play Elmwood (0-4) Friday.
The Buckeyes, whose first playoff matchup will be determined based on the outcome of the John Taylor game, still trail Vincent Massey Collegiate (Brandon) in the standings, as the out-of-towners are undefeated at 4-0 on the season.
A sloppy start to the game on both sides, that featured a combined five fumbles in the first half, was alleviated for Miles Mac by returner Amari Griffithssosoo who housed a 50-yard punt return to open the scoring halfway through the second quarter.
Griffithssosoo, a defensive back in Grade 11, who his coach calls a “special athlete” with “some of the smoothest hands he’s seen in a long time,” did it all for the Buckeyes, adding 55 yards worth of returns to his already big game to finish the day with over 100 all-purpose yards and an interception on the defensive side of the ball.
“It was all in the moment,” Griffithssosoo said after the game. “Catching the ball, I saw them converge (on the right side), so just cut to the left side, got off one defender, then just saw green.”
“It feels amazing getting the touchdown and getting a score on the board.”
The punt return sparked the visitors heading into the second half, as Miles Mac ran up 20 points beginning with a 40-yard receiving touchdown in the third quarter by do-it-all running back Nate Malcolm.
Malcolm, who shouldered a workhorse workload in the game, finished with 22 rushing attempts, three catches and a trip to pay dirt to lead the Buckeyes’ offence.
“Honestly, I made a lot of mental mistakes out there,” said Grade 11 student Malcolm. “I definitely could have been playing better but, like always, I buckled down and I get what I can get and I make the reads I can read and I make sure I’m doing my best for my team.”
Malcolm, who his coach says has established himself as “the leader of the team,” has welcomed a heavy workload all season and doesn’t plan on shying away when playoffs start.
“I love it. I love it so much. There’s nothing better than the feeling of three guys hitting you at once. It’s amazing,” he said.
“I think all it takes is the right mentality and anything is possible. Going into the playoffs, I’m going in thinking that I’m gonna beat everyone up and I’m gonna make sure I’m performing well for my team the same way my team’s gonna perform well for me.”
The Miles Mac defence smothered the Clippers as the fourth quarter dwindled, forcing a pair of turnovers to spoil Kelvin’s last home game of the season.
“I loved how we responded, and that was kind of the message of the week is, ‘How do you respond?,’” said Miles Mac head coach Dan Washnuk. “We had a very successful start to the season, we made a lot of mistakes and we needed to develop and grow but we managed to come up with some wins early, and so it’s great for us to come out in Week 7 and not only have a big win but grind out a game.”
“We break down as a team, ‘three units, two halves, one heart’ and it was nice to see all three units have their struggles and all three units have their successes and so we’re really looking forward to building off that going into the playoffs.”
The Virduk Division isn’t the only one with massive playoff implications, as the WHSFL regular season concludes Friday.
Sturgeon Heights Collegiate (4-0) and Springfield Collegiate (3-1), which has taken the WHSFL by storm since its arrival in 2019, are both in action as first place in the Gustafson Division (Division 2) hangs in the balance. Springfield will look to secure its second championship since its inception in 2019.
In the Potter Conference (Division 1), St. Paul’s High School has maintained its dominance all season, boasting a perfect 6-0 record while putting on a clinic in nearly every game they’ve played. The Crusaders, who lead Dakota Collegiate (5-1) in the regular season standings, have racked up 170 points while allowing a modest 44 points in six games this season.
Twitter: @jfreysam
