The Norwalk football team will try to get to 3-0 tonight when the Class 4A fifth-ranked Warriors travel to Newton for their first matchup with the Cardinals in 10 years. The non-district game kicks off at 7:30 p.m., with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 on kniakrls.com (KNIA3).
Consistent chunk plays in the passing game have been the biggest story thus far for Norwalk. The Warriors followed up a 52-32 Week 1 win at Carlisle with last Friday’s hard-fought 21-14 home win over Indianola. Newton, meanwhile, sports a record of 1-1. The Cardinals opened the season with a 49-21 loss to current 4A No. 1 ADM, then used a big second half last week to defeat Dallas Center-Grimes 20-3.
Newton’s read option attack centers around quarterback Caleb Mattes and running back Cody Klein, who share remarkably similar rushing stats through two games. Mattes has carried the ball 38 times for 196 yards and four touchdowns; Klein has 39 carries for 196 yards and one TD. Mattes has also passed for 287.
Norwalk coach Paul Patterson tells KNIA-KRLS Sports that the Warriors must be disciplined with their eyes on defense, recognizing Newton’s multiple formations and the tendencies that go along with each one.
“If you go watch what they did in the first half against DC-G, they didn’t have any points and they were down 3-0,” Patterson said. “Second half they came back and they changed a couple of things as to how they were attacking DC-G, and then they put 20 points up on the board. They’re solid and we need to make sure we’re really sure just like we were in Week 1 with our assignments when it comes to their option type of football.”
In his first two starts as a varsity quarterback, Norwalk senior Aidan Harder has completed 34-of-50 passes for 804 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception. Sophomore Eli Robbins, who caught the game-winning 60-yard TD pass vs. Indianola, is a playmaker on both sides of the ball and leads the Warriors with 403 receiving yards. Robbins and senior Keilor Rodman both have three scoring receptions. Linebacker Will Clark leads the Warrior defense with 18 tackles, including four in the backfield.
Offensively this week, Coach Patterson says the Warriors must do a better job of protecting Harder in the pocket and establishing a more potent running game while continuing to take what the defense gives them on a play-by-play basis.
Norwalk cross country boys place 5th, girls 16th at Bobcat Invite
The Norwalk boys placed fifth out of 21 teams and the Warrior girls squad finished 16th in Thursday’s Bobcat Cross Country Invitational, held at Marshalltown Community College.
The Warrior boys, who moved up to fourth in the latest Class 4A state rankings, posted a team score of 172. They were led by senior Noah Buhrow in 11th place, junior Tony Anania in 16th and sophomore Teegan Kralik in 23rd out of 148 runners. Buhrow, Anania and Kralik clocked five-kilometer times of 15:47, 15:57 and 16:07, respectively.
Class 4A’s top nine ranked boys teams all competed at Marshalltown, with No. 1 Cedar Falls easily claiming the meet championship with a score of 60. Third-ranked Dowling Catholic, No. 8 Ankeny and No. 12 Dallas Center-Grimes rounded out the top four.
The Norwalk girls scored a 470 for 16th place out of 18 teams. Top-ranked Johnston and No. 11 DC-G earned the top two spots with scores of 94 and 99. The Warriors were paced by the pack of Maya Butler in 89th, Lhotse Samuelson 90th and Anita Scholten 92nd. All three girls finished with times between 22:05 and 22:14.
Both Norwalk squads will return to competition Tuesday at the West Des Moines Valley Invite.