By ANDREW FEEBACK
A series of big plays early in the game gave the Norwell Knights the cushion they needed to withstand a late charge from the visiting New Haven Bulldogs Friday night.
The Knights (2-3) held on to win 25-24 after racing out to an early 22-0 lead.
Norwell’s three touchdowns all came on passing plays.
With New Haven (0-5) failing to convert a fourth down on its opening series, Norwell took over at the Bulldogs’ 23-yard-line. Cayden Cassel threw a touchdown pass to Max Babcock on the Knights’ first play.
When the Bulldogs punted on their next series, the Knights took over at the 46. Again, only one play was needed as Drew Graft threw a halfback pass to Garry Riley.
Norwell’s third possession took a little longer to get going, but the Knights converted a third-and-20 and extended their lead when Cassel threw a four-yard pass to Graft.
“That was huge for us,” coach Josh Gerber said. “We saw them in man coverage and thought we could get some looks. The kids ran the right routes, Cassel found the right guys and made some really good throws.”
The Norwell defense was also active early on, intercepting New Haven quarterback Dominick Wallace three times in the first half.
The Bulldogs got on the board when D.J. Simpson scored on a 12-yard run early in the second quarter.
But the play that seemed to decisively shift the momentum occurred minutes later, when the Bulldogs blocked a punt and Jesus Diaz recovered it in the end zone.
The Knights began the second half with a nine-play drive that ended with Graft’s 24-yard field goal. It extended Norwell’s lead, but kept New Haven within two scores.
The teams traded punts, which placed New Haven on its own three-yard-line.
The Bulldogs proceeded to go 97 yards in 17 plays, ending with an 11-yard touchdown run by Simpson. Two offside penalties on the Knights proved costly, one of which came on a fourth-and-one.
It looked like Norwell was going to put it out of reach when Cooper Bunn made a diving catch for a first down in the red zone on third-and-ten.
But on the very next play, Cassel rolled to his right and threw a pitch. No one was there to receive it, and it bounced into the backfield as a live ball. The Bulldogs pounced on it and suddenly had a chance with 3:50 to play. “Instead of taking advantage of a chance to bury them, we let them hang around and made quite a show out of it,” Gerber said. “But we’re proud of the way the guys battled on both sides of the football.”
Simpson got loose for a 34-yard scamper, then Wallace threw a dart over the middle to Jamarcus Turner for a 31-yard touchdown pass.
Turner was flagged for excessive celebration after the play, which proved rather important.
The penalty was assessed on the conversion attempt, so instead of trying to take the lead from the three-yard-line, the Bulldogs had to do it from the 18.
Wallace’s pass was knocked down in the end zone, and the Knights stayed in front.
They had to punt it away with still two minutes left after failing to pick up a first down, but the Bulldogs didn’t get a first down either on their final possession.
Success in the passing game was pivotal for the Knights, who finished with only 47 rushing yards on 29 attempts.
Strangely, in spite of their struggles running the ball and quick scores, they managed to hold a seven-minute advantage in time of possession.
“It really was kind of a total team win,” Gerber said. “Offensively we made some plays, not as many as we’d have liked to, and the defense made some huge stops. Just a real good win for our kids.”
Norwell will travel to East Noble next Friday night.
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NORWELL 25, NEW HAVEN 24
At Norwell
Score By Quarters
New Haven 0 12 0 12 — 24
Norwell 22 0 3 0 — 25
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
N—Max Babcock 23 pass from Cayden Cassel (Garry Riley pass from Babcock), 10:38.
N—Riley 46 pass from Drew Graft (Graft kick), 6:57.
N—Graft 4 pass from Cassel (Graft kick), 3:50.
Second Quarter
NH—DJ Simpson 12 run (run failed), 8:55.
NH—Jesus Diaz fumble recovery in end zone (run failed), 5:27.
Third Quarter
N—Graft 24 FG, 7:36.
Fourth Quarter
NH—Simpson 11 run (PAT failed), 9:55.
NH—Jamarcus Turner 31 pass from Dominick Wallace (pass failed), 2:42.
Team Statistics
NH NOR
First Downs 12 8
Rushes-Yards 29-205 29-47
Yards Passing 182 199
Passing (C-A-I) 14-30-3 10-18-1
Penalties-Yards 6-50 6-55
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-1
Punts-Average 4-34 7-25
Time of Possession 20:05 27:55
Individual Statistics
Rushing: New Haven, DJ Simpson 26-210, Jamarcus Turner 2-0, Dominick Wallace 1-(minus 5). Norwell, Adam Mahnensmith 11-24, Garry Riley 2-5, Drew Graft 5-1, Cayden Cassel 8-5, Max Babcock 1-8, Ben Peterson 2-4.
Passing: New Haven, Wallace 14-30-3-182. Norwell, Cassel 9-17-1-153, Graft 1-1-0-46.
Receiving: New Haven, Aaron Hoffer 3-28, Braydon Kunberger 5-42, Simpson 2-38, Chris Woods 1-4, Jamarcus Turner 3-38. Norwell, Cooper Bunn 1-14, Babcock 2-42, Graft 5-68, Mahnensmith 1-25, Riley 1-46.
