A new coaching staff brings new ideas and a fresh approach to achieving the same goals every team works toward. Norwich is one of three local teams with a new head coach this season, and the Tornado will figure out quickly how well dramatic philosophical change on offense will work.

Before getting into division play next week, the Purple Tornado travel to Vestal Saturday night to play in Dick Hoover Stadium. NHS hasn’t seen much of the Golden Bears with the most recent meeting a rare Thursday game loss at Vestal, 20-12.

Norwich met Vestal more frequently in the 1990s, and behind a dominant offense, had its share of success. Since the 1990s, though, Vestal has typically handled the Tornado. Knowing the Golden Bears will present a stiff non-league challenge, Saturday’s outcome should be a good gauge for the season, said first-year NHS coach Mike Chrystie. “Seeing their kids on film from their scrimmage, this is one of the more athletic Vestal teams,” Chrystie said “Their skill guys are dangerous, and it should be a good test for us.”

Norwich’s offensive approach is a stark departure from the ground-and-pound attack that favored the running game first, second, and preferably third. While the ground game will not be dismissed, the passing game should occupy a greater percentage of the game plan, and Chrystie said he has plenty of kids to execute that type of offense. “I thought we played pretty well offensively (at the scrimmage) running our base stuff,” Chrystie. “There are some tweaks we had to make, but that’s a good thing and that’s what scrimmages are for.”

NHS’s opener is at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Vestal. Check out the rest of the weekend’s schedule below:

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