By ANDREW
FEEBACK
HUNTINGTON—It was just another day at the office for the Norwell Knights as they ran all over the Huntington North Vikings 56-0 Friday night.
The Knights ran their record to 8-0 while dropping the Vikings to 2-6.
The first unit scored five touchdowns. Then the reserves added three more in the second half in a completely one-sided affair.
Coach Josh Gerber liked how his team came out focused in a game that was never in doubt.
“We challenged them to set the tone, and we knew Huntington North was a little dinged up,” he said. “We didn’t want to come out flat, and the guys did what we asked of them. They came out sharp, set the tone early, and played well from start to finish. I was pleased with how we were able to run the ball. We didn’t throw it as much as we would have liked, but the game got out of hand pretty early.”
Luke Graft’s two-yard touchdown run got the scoring started midway through the first quarter.
A one-yard touchdown run from Jon Colbert capped off a 10-play, 85-yard drive to give the Knights a 14-0 lead.
Graft and Colbert each scored another in the next quarter, and a 12-yard run from Trey Bodenheimer gave Norwell a 35-point lead.
In five possessions before the break, Norwell only reached third down one time.
In the second half, Timothy Bonjour scored a pair of touchdowns, the second of which came on a 71-yard run.
Alex Fojtik added a 31-yard burst in the final minutes to finish the scoring.
Gerber was also pleased with his defense and special teams.
“I’m really happy with how we handled their offense,” he said. “It’s a tricky one to defend, a lot of backfield action, but guys stayed disciplined and read their keys. Special teams, I’m really pleased with how well the guys played there. It’s awesome when you can kick the ball into the end zone, and when you don’t, you tackle them at the 18 or 19-yard line. All in all, really good night for the kids.”
These are giddy times for the Knights, who can win their first conference title since 2009 and finish a regular season unbeaten for the first time since 2006 when they host the Columbia City Eagles next week.
“It’s something they’ve been working hard for,” Gerber said about his team. “It’s on the goal list; it’s not goal 1-A or anything like that, but it’s on a list of goals we’d like to accomplish for this season.
“More than anything, we just need to play well and continue to grow,” he added. “The conference championship would be nice if we could get it. We’ll see what we can do this week in practice and how we can attack them next Friday.”
NORWELL 56,
HUNTINGTON NORTH 0
At Huntington North
Score By Quarters
Norwell 14 21 7 14 – 56
Huntington North 0 0 0 0 – 0
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
N—Luke Graft 2 run (Austin DeLeon kick), 7:54.
N—Jon Colbert 1 run (DeLeon kick), 1:16.
Second Quarter
N—Graft 5 run (DeLeon kick), 9:56.
N—Colbert 7 run (DeLeon kick), 5:25.
N—Trey Bodenheimer 12 run (DeLeon kick), 1:33.
Third Quarter
N—Timothy Bonjour 4 run (DeLeon kick), 5:20.
Fourth Quarter
N—Bonjour 71 run (DeLeon kick), 11:00.
N—Alex Fojtik 31 run (DeLeon kick), 1:00.
Team Statistics
NOR HN
First Downs 19 4
Rushes-Yards 41-429 33-87
Yards Passing 42 6
Passing (C-A-I) 3-7-0 1-5-0
Penalties-Yards 5-45 1-15
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Punts-Average 0-0 5-31
Time of Possession 25:53 22:07
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Norwell, Jon Colbert 8-93, Luke Graft 9-80, Drew Ringger 5-38, Timothy Bonjour 6-122, Alex Fojtik 1-31, Trey Bodenheimer 2-18, Kline Neuenschwander 1-10, Cohen Bailey 1-10, Jacob Bischoff 4-10, Drew Graft 1-9, Collin Burns 1-8, Cale Mallery 1-8, Lleyton Bailey 1-(minus 8). Huntington North, Luke Tuesch 15-69, Sam Close 5-10, Marcus Linker 3-9, Nate Elliot 2-4, Cameron Moore 1-4, Sully Stahl 1-3, Cameron Reich 1-3, Phil Basting 1-(minus 3), Ian Wiley 4-(minus 12).
Passing: Norwell, Lleyton Bailey 3-6-0-42, Fojtik 0-1-0-0. Huntington North, Wiley 1-5-0-6.
Receiving: Norwell, Colbert 1-26, Neuenschwander 1-8, Cohen Bailey 1-8. Huntington North, Elliot 1-6.
sports@news-banner.com
