WATCH: Banting receiver makes great one-handed catch, wins NFL Canada award

It was just a pre-season game, and a wild throw by a rookie Banting Broncos quarterback, saved by a great one-handed catch by receiver Will McBurney.

But McBurney's mom caught the epic moment —and her son's sprint for a touchdown — on video.

"I didn't think it was going the right way so I had to make an adjustment," said McBurney, a Grade 12 student at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School in London.

Banting head coach Todd Mackay submitted the video to NFL Canada's Way to Play contest, which singles out great high school football plays from across the country — and it won first place.

"I shared the accolades with both the receiver and the quarterback, because if the quarterback hadn't thrown a bad pass, Will wouldn't have been able to make a great catch like that. Takes two people," said Todd Mackay, the head coach of the Broncos.

The play was shared on TSN's NFL Live broadcast on Sunday, and the school now wins $3,000 to spend on equipment.

"The plays are typically excellent, meant to show a play done the way it's supposed to happen, be it good blocking or good tackling or great catches," Mackay said.

"In this case, it was making up for an errant pass with a one-handed catch, which is not typically the way you want to catch a ball, In fact, we often yell at our receivers to catch with two hands and Will is known to sometimes catch one-handed.

"He made a spectacular one-handed catch to make up for a pass that was behind him, and he made it in spectacular fashion and ran the ball in for a touchdown," Mackay said.

It was a lucky catch, the receiver told CBC News. "I love football for the teamwork, how everyone comes together," McBurney said. "I like how hard it is as a sport. It's the hardest sport there is."

McBurney and quarterback Eli Willoughby are playing together for the first time and meshing well together, McBurney said.

That game, the Broncos were playing a series of pre-season games in Windsor. Mackay happened to be watching with a coach from the University of Windsor and both looked at each other in disbelief. "If Windsor hadn't already wanted him, Will basically sealed the deal for himself when the coach saw that catch," Mackay said.

Mackay has been the head football coach at Banting for 15 years, and played football at Western University with McBurney's dad.

"I still remember the positive impact that my coaches had on my development as an athlete and as a young man, so when I went into teaching, I knew I needed to give back this way, to pass on the skill of football and the love of football, but also the important lessons and values that football can bring and contribute to the development of young men," Mckay said.

McBurney is graduating from Banting this year and plans to play football in university. His coach describes him as a "strong, fast, technical wide receiver" who knows how to make "big plays in important moments."

As for McBurney, he's not sure what next year will bring, but says it will for sure include football. The TSN shoutout was extra special because his Junior Mustangs coach from this summer, Luke Wilson, was the presenter that night.