Simwamu secures win with pair of TDs

Tyler Lowey
Times Reporter

 

A hip injury forced Strathmore High School Spartans head coach Travis Gorski to lean on one of his seniors to play a new position, and it sparked a towering comeback.
The Spartans trailed by 14 underneath the lights in the third quarter and came back to clip the Brooks Buffalos 30-27 in Rangeland Football Conference action Sept. 23, at Brooks Composite High School field.
Maverick Ridley typically returns kickoffs and punts for the Spartans, but he sustained a hip injury while getting tackled and was removed from the game.
In steps Isaiah Simwamu, a Grade 12 student, who has never fielded a punt in a game before.
“I’ve practiced catching punts before when Isaac (Wegner) and I would kick balls back and forth to each other, but that’s about it,” said Simwamu.
Punts aren’t the easiest things to catch. The football spins oddly, knuckles back to earth and can shift direction last second in the wind.
The Spartans (2-1) weren’t getting anything done and were trailing 20-6 midway through the third quarter. Gorski inserted Simwamu and he ignited the Spartans.
Simwamu bobbled the first punt, but recovered in time to side-step one tackle and sprinted all the way to the house.
“I saw them over-pursue the right side of the field, so I went left and had a clear lane all the way to the end zone,” said Simwamu.
Normally a wide receiver, Simwamu had trouble getting overtop the Buffalos cover-3 defence. His biggest play as a receiver was a 25-yard catch and run.
Simwamu returned his second kick with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the Spartans a 30-27 lead.
“The bench was pretty fired up. We worked hard that game; it was another tough game but our guys just put our head down and went to work,” said Simwamu, who cheers for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.
“We just came off a tough loss to one of the top teams in the province and now we were losing to this team. They were good, but we thought that we shouldn’t have been in that position. My touchdowns helped, but then our defence was able to take over the game.”
Following Simwamu’s second score, Gorski’s defence forced a two-and-out. The Spartans received the ball back with three minutes remaining and was able to run out the clock with a couple key first downs.
“They were a very physical team,” said Gorski. “They came into this game ranked eighth in the province and were taking it to us at the start. They are a very well respected program but we just refused to be beat.”
The Spartans battled the Chestermere Cowboys in a junior varsity exhibition game Sept. 27, and will host the W.H. Croxford Cavaliers of Airdrie Sept. 30 at 4:30 p.m. at Strathmore High School Field.