Frank Speziale Photo
NORWICH – The Purple Tornado scored 63 points and saw touchdowns from seven different players to defeat Section III’s Fulton in a non-league contest Friday night. The Norwich offense totalled 562 yards, their second highest total in a game this season, to bounce back from their loss to Maine-Endwell a week ago.
Norwich’s first scoring drive was capped off by a 64 yard run by Eric Conant, putting the home team up 6-0 with 11:29 left in the opening stanza. The Tornado added another four touchdowns to give the home team a 33-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Drew Walsh punched the next two scores in as he was the only Norwich player two score two offensive touchdowns in the game. His first was a call up he middle for two yards but it was the second where Walsh displayed his shiftiness and speed, scoring 59 yards from the line of scrimmage with 6:36 left in the first.
Getting his first offensive carry since week one, David Berger matched Walsh’s long run of 59 yards with just six ticks left on the scoreboard for the quarter. Before Berger’s score, the Norwich passing game tacked on the fourth touchdown. Quarterback Thomas Parrella connected with Eli Rodriguez for 36 yards and six points.
Fulton scored their first touchdown in the beginning of the second quarter as Benjamin DeMars scored from 43 yards away, cutting the lead down to 26. The Red Raiders tacked on two more scores in the quarter, including another touchdown from DeMars.
In between his two TD’s, Norwich’s Seth Wessels scored his second touchdown for the season with a 38 yard run. Following the second score by the Fulton running back, Griffin Mills ran for 45 yards to his first career varsity touchdown, putting the Tornado back to their first stanza lead.
The Red Raiders quarterback Donald Dunham found Collin Baker-LaBreck down field and the two turned the play into a 53 yard touchdown reception, making the score 47-21 by the end of the first half of play.
Baker-LaBreck started the second half with a four yard touchdown run, the only play to score six points in the third as well as the final points for the Fulton squad during the contest.
Norwich’s Matt Giglio came on with 4:12 remaining in the quarter and put a 30 yard field goal attempt through the uprights, the first for his career as the Tornado kicker.
In the final 12 minutes, Norwich’s Nick Barber took just 11 seconds to score the first touchdown of his varsity career. Taking the hand-off at the line of scrimmage, Barber bounced out to the outside and sprinted up the sideline near the Tornado bench for 51 yards.
Scoring the only defensive touchdown of the game, Berger scooped up a fumble forced by his Tornado teammate and took off up the field towards the end zone. As the clock ticked down to zero, Berger crossed the goal line after a 51 yard return, giving Norwich their final score of the game.
The Tornado point total against the Red Raiders is the most by Norwich scored in a single game this season, giving the Purple an average of 40.6 points per game.
Wessles led the Norwich offense in the ground game, racking up 95 yards on eight carries. Walsh ended the night with his two touchdowns and five carried for 90 yards. Conant received two hand-offs for a total of 77 yards, averaging 38.5 yard per carry for the game. Barber ran for his career high 70 yards on just three attempts.
Carson Maynard added another 43 yards in three carries for the Norwich offense while both Mills’ and Berger’s one offensive carry scored from the line of scrimmage.
Parrella finished the game with perfect, completing all four passes attempted for 78 yards in air. Maynard threw two passes and completed one. Rodriguez caught two for 45 yards while J.T. Vinal also ended with two catches, racking up 27 yards. Mills also ended with a 15 yard catch.
On the defensive side of the ball, Norwich was led by Brad Walley’s 5.5 tackles. Four of Walley’s tackles were solo. Wessles added 4.5 tackles, including one for a loss. Brayden Supensky and Vinal finished with 3.5 while Keegan Wright wrapped up the Fulton quarterback for the Tornado’s lone sack of the game. He tallied three tackles.
DeMars finished the game as Fulton’s leading rusher with 111 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. Dunham added 93 yards and Baker-LaBreck ended the night with 62 yards on the ground as well as 62 receiving yards.
Dunham threw six passes, completing three for 62 yards.
Norwich heads to Owego on Friday for their regular season finale. The game between the Tornado and the Indians will determine the third and fourth seeds of Section IV Class B postseason. The winner will take the higher seed and will wait to see who their first round opponent is following the Chenango Forks and Maine-Endwell game on Saturday.
Norwich 63, Fulton 28
