Norwich knows how to do homecoming, and tonight, the Tornado faithful will enjoy a super-sized celebration thanks to the vision of the athletics department and the help of countless volunteers. Aside from an expanded parade to precede the football game, all of the Tornado varsity sports teams will receive recognition and a grand entrance onto the newly-turfed Ulrich Field. And, by the way, there is a longtime rival ready to meet the NHS gridders – Oneonta – to top off the evening. For those unable to take in the contest in person, Frontier Communications High-Speed Internet subscribers can take in the game on an exclusive webcast by logging on to www.ESPN360.com.
“There is a lot going on,” said Norwich coach John Pluta. Pluta’s Tornado club is coming off what he called a “disappointing loss” to Chenango Forks a weekend ago. The Tornado suffered a pair of costly penalties in the fourth quarter that contributed to two stalled scoring drives in a 14-6 defeat. “We’ve had some pretty tough losses, but our kids are hanging in there and they’ve had a solid week of practice,” he said.
Despite the hoopla surrounding and preceding Norwich’s seventh contest this season, Pluta said he team has resolved to remain focused on an opponent that is much better than its 2-4 record. “They are a good team, but had some injuries early in the year,” he said. “They have everyone back and have some game-breakers back. They’ve also played good defense all year.”
Brendan Pidgeon returned to the Yellowjackets lineup last week and ran for 136 yards and one score in a 12-7 win over Susquehanna Valley. Oneonta’s defense also allowed just 64 yards rushing, and nary an opposing team on its schedule this season has eclipsed 200 yards rushing. That includes games against Windsor, Chenango Forks, Johnson City, and Unatego, who have a combined 20-4 record this season.
Norwich running back Chris Mattingly broke the 600-yard rushing mark for the third straight season in last week’s game, and he needs 90 yards to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark for his three-year varsity career.
The Tornado defense is also yielding just 15.3 points per game this season and 259 yards a game, a one-TD improvement in scoring defense, and nearly 50 yards better per game in total yardage surrendered on that side of the ball. Perhaps the 3-3 record does not do Norwich justice in a division that has as much parity as any in Section IV. “Our division is so tight and has good football,” Pluta said. “I don’t think we’re surprising anyone in our division. Maybe people on the outside didn’t think we’d be as competitive, but we knew we’d be solid and play hard each week.”
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The Norwich contest is one of five on the slate this week. In a battle of local rivals, Oxford travels to Bainbridge-Guilford tonight, while Greene is in action hosting Lansing this evening. Saturday, UV-Edmeston makes the trip to Harpursville, and Sherburne-Earlville is at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill. Here are capsules of this week’s games:
Oxford (3-3) at Bainbridge-Guilford (4-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
A slim playoff opportunity remains for the Bobcats, who have gone in twos with their wins and losses. After winning the first two and dropping the next two, B-G has beaten Harpursville and Hancock the last two weeks. “They have been up and down somewhat, but they are still in the playoff hunt and I’m sure their coaching staff is telling them they need to win this game,” said Oxford coach Mike Chrystie.
The Blackhawks’ defense has improved significantly since back-to-back losses to Harpursville and Walton in weeks two and three. The past three weeks, the run defense is giving up under 80 yards a game. Offensively, the running offense has averaged over 230 yards per game.
On the B-G side, it has the area’s second leading rusher, Dustin Ross, second leading passer, Chris McGinnis, and second leading receiver, Dylan Whitaker. The Bobcats are not short of weapons on offense, and it is a quicker, more aggressive team overall than last year’s B-G team. “The one thing our coaching staff noticed was their team speed,” Chrystie said. “On defense, B-G gets off its blocks well and pursues to the ball. We need another great team game.”
