Three Norwalk Warrior sports teams were in action on Friday. The girls golfers finished in seventh place at the Class 4A State Meet, the girls soccer team lost a heartbreaking regional final and the baseball team beat Gilbert 2-0.
Girls Golf:
On Day 2 of the 4A Girls State Golf Tournament in Iowa City, Norwalk finished seventh out of 10 teams with a total score of 675. The Warriors followed up Thursday’s team round of 330 with a 345 on the Pleasant Valley Golf Course. They were just one stroke out of fifth place and eight back of fourth. Ames won the 4A state title with a 633, edging Waukee Northwest and Pleasant Valley by a single stroke.
Sophomore Evelyn Kinney paced Norwalk for the second straight day, shooting an 83. Kinney placed 27th in the field with a 20-over-par total score of 164. Additional scores for Norwalk were as follows: Ava Garvey 83-85 – 168; Lydia Krueger 84-87 – 171; Addie Smith 82-90 – 172; Allie Soukup 88-96 – 184; and Mariola Torro Abad 97-90 – 187.
Norwalk was making its state tournament debut in girls golf. They will graduate four seniors off the varsity squad in Garvey, Krueger, Soukup and Torro Abad.
Girls Soccer:
For the third consecutive year, the Norwalk girls soccer season ended in the Class 2A regional finals. The sixth-ranked Warriors lost to No. 11 Bondurant-Farrar 2-1 in penalty kicks, the exact same result as last year’s season-ending defeat at the hands of Lewis Central.
Following two scoreless 10-minute overtimes tied at 1-1, the Bluejays converted all five of their attempts during the PK shootout. Norwalk went 3-for-4 on makes by Tatum Miller, Addy Wood and Alayna O’Connor.
The Warriors and Bluejays played to a scoreless tie on April 4, and neither team scored on Friday until the 70th minute. With 10:33 left in regulation, Norwalk junior Pearl Brown snuck a header goal off the goalie’s fingertips, set up by Wood’s perfectly-placed corner kick. It looked like the 1-0 score would stand, but with 1:18 remaining Bondurant-Farrar tied things up on a free kick by Abby Chambers.
The Warriors held a significant advantage in possession time and shots, but Bluejay goalie Alli O’Connor kept her team in the game by making numerous high-level saves throughout the match. Norwalk also had a few critical calls and non-calls go against them down the stretch. The Warriors finish the season at 11-4-3 overall. The Bluejays will advance to state with a record of 8-5-5.
Baseball:
Garrett Geurink pitched a complete-game shutout as the Norwalk baseball team defeated Gilbert 2-0. Geurink allowed six hits, walked two batters and struck out seven in his first start of the year. The Warriors totaled only three hits on the night. Konner Holtorf went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, driving in a run in the first inning and scoring in the fourth. Norwalk, now 3-4 overall, returns to Little Hawkeye Conference play on Monday for a varsity doubleheader at Pella Christian.