Football
Norwich 33, Sidney 6
NORWICH – Norwich coach John Martinson felt that Friday night’s home game against Sidney would put a stamp on all of the success the Tornado have achieved over the last month.
“We knew this could be a statement game,” Martinson said after his club overwhelmed the Warriors.
The victory avenges two non-league losses to the Warriors from earlier this decade, but most of all, puts Norwich over the .500 mark for the first time this season.
“Our backs and our offensive line just did a tremendous job all night long,” Martinson. “They took away our inside running and challenged us to run outside.”
That tactic did not work for Sidney at all.
On the Tornado’s opening drive of the game, sophomore Mackay Hotaling took a sweep around the outside for a 51-yard TD run. Hotaling had his second straight 100-yard rushing day finishing with 132 yards on 13 carries.
Sidney’s lone score came in response to Hotaling’s touchdown run. Anthony Masi plunged in from a yard out.
Aside from that offensive possession, the Warriors did not string together much consistency on the offensive side of the ball finishing with 210 yards of total offense, well below its season average. The Warriors were also averaging 25.7 points per game entering the contest. “Our defense bent a little bit here and there,” Martinson said. “Yes, they were missing Aaron Wood (Sidney’s leading rusher), but to hold that offense to six points is excellent.”
Norwich took the lead for good in the second quarter. On a fourth-down pass, Seth Thomsen connected with Andrew Austin in the back of the endzone for the 13-6 halftime lead.
The Purple Tornado moved the ball with ease throughout the second half. Thomsen, Alex Williams, and Casey Edwards all scored on TD runs to pad the Norwich advantage.
Norwich (3-0, 4-3) returns to action Saturday at Chenango Valley.
Score by Quarters
Sidn. 0 6 0 0–6
NHS 7 6 14 6–33
Scoring summary
N: Mackay Hotaling 51 run (Josh Favaloro kick)
S: Anthony Masi 1 run (kick failed)
N: Andrew Austin 28 pass from Seth Thomsen (kick failed)
N: Thomsen 8 run (run failed)
N: Alex Williams 1 run (Casey Edwards pass from Thomsen)
N: Edwards 15 run (pass failed)
Team Summary
S N
First downs 11 11
Rushes-yds 44-177 36-289
Passing yds 33 65
Comp-att-int 4-12-1 3-5-1
Punts-avg 3-38-7 0-0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 3-1
Penalties-yds 4-26 5-30
Individual Statistics
Rushing: (S) Josh Wilce, 12-76; Corbin Curley, 8-47; Andy Searles, 11-49; Anthony Masi, 5-11; Dylan Umbra, 8-(-6). (N) Mackay Hotaling, 13-132; Paddy Law, 5-65; A. Williams, 3-38; C. Hotaling, 7-29; S. Thomsen, 3-9; C. Edwards, 3-7; T. Hoffman, 2-5.
Passing: (N) Thomsen, 3-5-1, 65 yards, TD; (S) Umbra, 4-12-1, 33 yards.
Receiving: (N) Andrew Austin, 3-65; (S) Alex Heil, 2-18; Curley, 1-10; Wilce, 1-5.
Sherburne-Earlville 14, Mohawk/Richfield Springs 6
SHERBURNE – After an inspiring defensive stand at the end of the first half, Sherburne-Earlville’s offense came alive.
Scoreless for 3 1/2 games, the Marauders (2-5) marched for a touchdown on their first possession of the second half, and ended a four-game losing streak on senior recognition night Friday.
“Our defense kept us in the game,” said S-E coach Mike Jasper. “It was senior night and we played with a lot of emotion. That emotion can swing good or bad, and last night it helped us out and carried us through.”
Will Slentz broke a scoreless tied in the third quarter on a 28-yard TD run. Before Slentz’s run, S-E quarterback Ethan Johnson completed a fourth-and-five pass to Greg DuVall to extend the march.
The Marauders (2-5) upped the lead to 14 with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter. Johnson hooked up with Anthony Roman on a 22-yard pass to the one-foot line. Johnson sneaked the ball over the goal on the next play.
Mohawk avoided the shutout scoring on a 16-yard pass play with 1:29 left. “We just played more intense,” Jasper said. “We didn’t run the ball consistently well, but we made plays when we needed to, and the defense came up big. We have some young guys that are learning and getting better.”
