CONKLIN— Eventually, Norwich or Susquehanna Valley would have to find the endzone. The overtime system in Section IV demanded an outcome.

With scoring for both clubs at the absolute minimum through 48 minutes of regulation play, the Tornado were able to capitalize on their first OT possession, then held on against SV to win 6-0 on Saturday afternoon.

After not playing in an overtime session since it was introduced to Section IV play several years ago, Norwich went into extra minutes for the second straight week, and each time has come away victorious. The Tornado are 2-3 overall, but in the all-important division standings, are tied for first with a 2-0 mark. “We’ve sold to our kids to never quit,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “We’re a resilient bunch, and when push comes to shove, we’ve been able to get these victories.”

Norwich had the ball first in the extra period, and quarterback Seth Thomsen immediately scrambled for a 15-yard first down to the SV five. Three plays later, Norwich was moving backward, and was faced with a fourth-and-goal from the eight. After a Martinson timeout, Norwich operated out of the shotgun formation, and Thomsen fired an eight-yard TD strike to Mackay Hotaling for the winning points.

Sus Valley did not apply much pressure with its lone possession, although a Norwich penalty on fourth down kept the drive alive for one more play. Senior linebacker Alex Williams stopped the Sabers’ Laurent Dure short on a fourth-and-three to end the contest.

Sus Valley had just two sniffs at the endzone the entire game. A clipping penalty called back a Dure 64-yard TD run in the opening minute, and the Sabers set up shop in the first quarter at the NHS 15 after the Tornado’s lone fumble of the game. The Tornado defense held steady to blank SV for the second time in as many seasons.

“I can’t tell you how stingy our defense was,” Martinson said. “Williams had a huge game for us. Morgan Cleveland and Paddy Law stepped up for us. We were fortunate early on in the game, but the defense did a great job holding them tight.”

The Sabers’ defense was equal to the task allowing just 141 total yards. “They were extremely physical up front and very aggressive,” Martinson said. “They moved some kids up (from junior varsity), and they did an outstanding job against us. They took us out of what we wanted to do.”

Norwich will host longtime rival Oneonta on Friday night.

Scoring Summary

Overtime

N: Mackay Hotaling 8 pass from Seth Thomsen (kick failed)

Score by quarters OT

NHS 0 0 0 0 6–6

SVa. 0 0 0 0 0–0