Madison pulls away from Norwalk

MADISON TWP. — The start was encouraging. But over the course of four quarters, the Norwalk football team was unable to keep up with host Madison, who scored six touchdowns in the 42-7 win on Sept. 4 at Ram Field. "We came out fast, and I thought our offense moved the ball at times with Austin (Gentry) at quarterback," NHS head coach Keith Mora said. Both teams played to a scoreless first quarter, but the Rams (2-1) got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter. Daniel Norris capped a scoring drive with an 8-yard touchdown catch from Carson Cook, and the PAT made it 7-0 with 10:30 left in the first half. Madison then added a touchdown on its next possession. Damarrion Lloyd scored on a 17-yard run with 6:01 left in the first half for a 14-0 lead. The backbreaker came just before halftime. The Truckers were faced with fourth-and-5 at their own 46 with just under three minutes left in the half. After punting, Norwalk was unable to keep Madison off the scoreboard one more time in the half. Instead, Lloyd got free on a 65-yard TD run to make it 21-0 with just 46 seconds left in the first half. Trailing 28-0, the Truckers (0-3) got on the scoreboard when Ayden-Hudson Brown scored on a 65-yard run at the 5:26 mark of the third quarter. But shortly after, Lloyd ripped off another long run. This time, a 78-yard TD run with 2:54 left in the third extended the Madison lead to 35-7. The Rams closed out the scoring with 10:30 left in the game when Lloyd scored his fourth TD of the game. This time it was an 18-yard run that made it 42-7. "Lyric (Shipp) had some explosive runs early, and we just couldn't find ways to keep the chains moving," Mora said. "Ayden had some big runs as well and the lone touchdown. "I thought defensively we also came out strong and forced them to punt on their first three drives," he added. "Our defense tackled well and covered well early on. I was also proud of our special teams tonight. We had no issues with the snap on punts, and we defended well on kickoffs." Hudson-Brown totaled 116 yards on seven attempts for the Truckers. Shipp added 100 yards on 19 attempts. Gentry was 3-of-7 passing for 18 yards, including Caiden Wilson catching two passes for 17 yards. It gets no easier for the Truckers, who host longtime rival Bellevue (2-1) on Sept. 11 at Contractors Stadium. "We wore out," Mora said. "We have to find ways to rotate certain guys and still make sure we are giving ourselves the best chance to be successful."