By Noah Tucker
Thayer came into Saturday’s Class 1 state quarterfinal with revenge on its mind. The Bobcats welcomed in defending state champion Windsor. The Greyhounds beat Thayer 14-12 in the state semifinals last year on the way to winning the Class 1 state title. Windsor came in riding a 27-game winning streak.
Thayer jumped out early and never trailed on the way to a 30-22 win over the defending state champions to advance to the Class 1 state semifinals for a second straight year.
Thayer got its first score at the 8:36 mark of the first quarter to go up 6-0. Jackson Willison would give Thayer a 14-0 lead on a 19-yard touchdown run at the 5:01 mark of the first quarter.
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That is where the score stood until Windsor got on the board with 3:32 left until the half to make it 14-8 heading into the break.
Willison added two more scores in the second half on his way to 253 total yards on the ground and three total touchdowns. His final touchdown came with 1:57 left to ice the game after Windsor had pulled within six points late in the third quarter.
“This was such a big game we have to be cautious about being a catch game going into this next one. We knew this was gonna be one of those epic battles, which is what it turned into. We were right there with them last year and just back and forth today. So we have to enjoy this for the next day or two and then get refocused,” Thayer head coach Billy Webber said.
Thayer (10-3) will travel to face East Buchanan (12-1) next Saturday with a berth in the Class 1 state championship on the line.
