A second straight provincial title looked to be in the cards for the Vernon Senior Panthers as they went into the second half of the championship game at B.C. Place in Vancouver with a 14-0 lead over the Windsor Wolves.
But the Wolves' offence woke up in the final two quarters and the defence held strong, leading to a thrilling 17-14 victory that earned Windsor its first B.C. title since 2017.
The first quarter of the B.C. AA High School Senior Varsity Football championship game went scoreless, with both teams turning over the ball in their opponent's territory.
In the second quarter, Panthers star quarterback Cole Budgen threw a goal line fade to a receiver in the end zone for a touchdown. The Panthers missed the PAT, giving themselves a 6-0 lead.
Later in the quarter, Tanner Hanson intercepted a pass and ran the ball back to the Wolves' one-yard line. The Panthers punched it into the end zone from there and completed a two-point convert, putting them up 14-0.
Windsor then completed a 60-yard drive in the third quarter with Emmet Ward scoring the touchdown to get the Wolves on the board. Windsor would add a field goal to make it a 14-10 game heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, Windsor threw the ball deep in a fourth and long situation and the ball was intercepted on the Panthers' five yard line. The Panthers then drove the ball deep into Windsor territory, thanks in part to a 42-yard catch and run by Ayden McDonald.
But the Panthers missed a crucial field goal keeping the game's score at 14-10. That gave Windsor the ball back with the chance to win the game with five and a half minutes left to play.
A deep reception by Samson Sachter got the Wolves to the Panthers' 34 yard line. Then Sachter reeled in a ball with one hand and went in for the go-ahead touchdown.
The Panthers had 1:50 left on the clock to at least get a field goal and send the game to overtime, but on fourth and 10 around mid-field the Panthers came inches short of the first-down marker, turning it over on downs and sealing the victory for the Wolves.
The Panthers were looking to win back-to-back championships for the second time in six years after winning provincial titles in 2018, 2019 and 2023.
For Windsor, the win marked their first championship in seven years and third since 2005.
