Norwalk pushes forward from ugly loss

NORWALK — First things first. Like any program, the players and coaches from the Norwalk High School football team pick apart last week's loss at Ontario during film review in the days that followed. But when the result was a 58-0 loss to the Warriors, including a 51-0 halftime score, there also had to be a bit of realism when watching the game back. "The first thing we told the guys is there is not a lot you can take away from that," NHS head coach Keith Mora said of the lopsided defeat. "It was another week where we had a lot of self-inflicted wounds in the first quarter, but this one compounded into many more." Mora said the team also highlighted things that were done correctly. "I know that may be hard to believe in a score like that, but there were some things done correctly," Mora said. "When we left here on Saturday, we talked about the basics and getting back to who we were." The basics, however, have become complicated. The Truckers (0-2) were already battling depth before the season started. Now, they enter Friday's game at Mansfield Madison (1-1) on their third quarterback in as many weeks. Returning starting quarterback Brady Singer was injured in the first half of a 34-17 loss to Toledo Start on Aug. 21 in the season opener. Last week, Ayden Hudson-Brown shifted from running back to QB and was also lost to an injury. Now, the Truckers turn to 6-foot-2, 170-pound junior Austin Gentry. "When Brady went down, we tried to move toward this look with a running back, not a Wildcat necessarily, but this idea we'll run the offense with a running back," Mora said. "If we had other great throwing QBs, then we would have put those guys in and repped them all summer long. "We have 36 guys on the team, and unfortunately for us, we don't have a lot of guys who have that interest in playing QB or who have experience playing there. So there is this time period here where we have to figure out how to move on from the guy who has been our QB since Week 8 of 2024." Mora said when Singer went down, it meant some trial and error would be involved. "Austin is someone who has taken reps for us and went through the summer working it a little bit," he said. "We're going to roll with him and focus on the basics and try to do what we can do. We can't blow this up and start over. This won't make us better or catch anyone by surprise. "We have to do what we know how to do these last two years. We have to get back to who we are trying to be, and we have to work through those injuries. There is nothing you can do about that." With multiple top players who the Truckers planned to rely on out, Mora said there is no solution to fix the situation. "So we just have to keep trying to coach and find ways to get these kids better," he said. "Our kids came in ready this week to try and do that, and we felt like they took a nice step forward." Still, the coach has been impressed with the attitude and resiliency of his team so far. "I've been a part of teams in my 17 years of coaching where rough years happen because injuries or lack of talent got us early," Mora said. "Sometimes you see a team that isn't giving you everything, and that's not this group at all. "They came in ready to work and accepted the little changes and nuances we're adjusting to try and build on. They took those things and ran with it and are trying to build off it in practice." Meanwhile, the Rams are coming off a 41-12 win over Caledonia River Valley on Aug. 21. It was the most points scored in a game by Madison in almost exactly 10 years. The Rams beat Toledo St. Francis de Sales by a 46-41 score in Week 3 that season on Sept. 9, 2016. In the win over River Valley, quarterback Carson Cook was 16-of-19 passing for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Camden Moysi caught six passes for 48 yards and rushed for 22 yards. Julian Washington caught three passes for 44 yards and a TD, and Daniel Norris added three catches for 39 yards and a TD. Jayden Hall had four catches for 64 yards and Madison's third receiving TD. Damarrion Lloyd ran seven times for 80 yards and a TD, while Aseem Mickouma added three carries for 35 yards and a TD. Defensively, Adien Atwell and Lloyd had interceptions. Moysi and Tyler Medley forced fumbles, and Wyatt Kimes recovered a fumble. "They have athletes on the field with a couple kids at quarterback and two they like to run with more," Mora said of the Rams. "They will pass with both QBs, though, to keep their tendencies from being clear. Up front, from guard to guard, they probably average around 6-2 and 270 pounds across the board, so they are very big up front. Their tackles may be a little smaller than their guards." Mora said Madison also uses their screen passing game as a means to run the ball. "We have to defend 53 yards wide because of the way they use a quick screen game," he said. Defensively, Madison is a 3-3 front that will likely do some different stunts against Norwalk's WIng-T offense. "Probably an odd front, but maybe more of a 50 look there with guys who will be active and put a lot of pressure on us at the line of scrimmage," Mora said. "That will be all the more reason to trust the roles of our offense and not try to build something brand new. "As they move and stunt, we have to stay true to that and take the right step against their pressure." Norwalk and Madison have played three times in the previous 131 years of NHS football. Friday's meeting, however, is the first in 82 seasons, dating back to 1945.