Truckers surge past Perkins

NORWALK — It was a play that perhaps salvaged more than a game. With Norwalk leading Perkins 31-28 with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter of Friday's SBC Lake Division game at Contractors Stadium, the Truckers were faced with a third-and-11 at the Pirates' 21-yard line. Perkins had all three timeouts after scoring consecutive touchdowns to climb out of a 31-14 hole. A potential Garrison Smith field goal would only put the Truckers up six and leave the chance of losing by one. But senior quarterback Garrett Chapin dropped back to pass, and was flushed out of the pocket. With no one open, he was able to scramble and buy some time while extending the play. Finally, junior running back Daniel Traczek slipped free in the flat, and Chapin lofted the ball to him up the right sideline for an easy 21-yard TD pass with 2:14 left in the game. It proved to be the clinching points in a 38-28 win that improved the Truckers to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the SBC Lake. After an 0-2 start with losses to unbeaten Huron (3-0) and Bellevue (3-0), the Truckers are back on track. "Garrett does so many things for us on the field besides just being a quarterback," Norwalk coach Todd Fox said. "He's a leader and makes things happen, and that's what you expect out of a three-year starter. "It was a great play that he kept with it," he added. "It was a read and he stuck with it, and it was really great to see us execute it in that spot." It was just a 10-7 game at halftime, as Norwalk got a 45-yard field goal from Smith and a Chapin-to-Traczek 6-yard TD pass for its points. The Pirates drove the length of the field to open the third quarter and go up 14-10 on a 7-yard TD run by QB Chris Campbell. But Norwalk responded, and faced with a fourth-and-2 from the Perkins 11, Chapin kept the football on a keeper right up the middle and dove across the goal line for the TD with 5:29 left in the third. One of five Smith PATs was good for a 17-14 lead. After a three-and-out by the Pirates, Norwalk moved the ball 68 yards in eight plays for another TD. It was Chapin again, this time up the middle for a 3-yard score with 53 seconds left in the third for a 24-14 lead. Another defensive stop by the Truckers gave them the ball back at their own 46. It took just five plays, as Chapin found Oliver Maloney open across the middle of the field for a 33-yard TD pass with 9:26 left in the game for a commanding 31-14 lead. But Perkins answered with a 52-yard TD pass from Campbell to Sam Siegel with 8:16 left. Then, Traczek was ruled to have fumbled the ball after a scrum at the Perkins 47 on the ensuing possession. Campbell made the Truckers play just five plays later, breaking through the middle of the defense for a 40-yard score with 5:42 left. The fourth PAT by Tyler Yingling pulled the Pirates to within 31-28. However, the squib kick attempt by Perkins was recovered by Norwalk at the Pirates' 45, and nine plays later Chapin found Traczek for the final score. "It's a process and we continue to improve with it," Fox said. "Our run game is improved a ton and Daniel is showing us maybe we should have used him earlier, but he's helping out a ton now. "Just a great job by our offense against a good Perkins team getting better just like we are," he added. Perkins turned it over on downs at the Norwalk 26 on its first possession of the game. The two teams then traded possessions before Norwalk got the 45-yard field goal from Smith — which had plenty of distance into the wind. The Pirates then answered with an 11-play, 83-yard scoring drive as Campbell found Jayden Rowe in the right corner of the end zone for six points. Two possessions later, the Truckers got the ball at the Perkins 37 after a shanked punt. Chapin connected with Maloney for 31 yards, then found Traczek the next play for the 6-yard TD with 6:43 left in the half for a 10-7 lead. For Norwalk, Chapin was 17-of-23 passing for 222 yards and 3 TDs while adding 27 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. Traczek ran for 109 yards on 24 rush attempts and caught five passes for 56 yards and 2 TDs. Staley added four catches for 67 yards, while Maloney had three catches for 66 yards and Ethan Phillips had four catches for 22 yards for the Truckers. "We'll take this win and get better … it's onto the next week in this SBC Lake grind." Campbell ran 24 times for 101 yards and 2 TDs and was 13-of-32 passing for 224 yards and 2 TDs. Rowe caught five passes for 103 yards and a score, and Siegel had three catches for 69 yards and the other TD. Norwalk will entertain Clyde (3-1, 2-1) next Friday back at the Warren C. Whitney Complex. The Truckers and Fliers have played consecutive overtime games in 2018 and 2019, with the away team winning each time. Perkins 7 0 7 14 — 28 Norwalk 3 7 14 14 — 38 Scoring NOR — Garrison Smith 45 field goal PER — Jayden Rowe 19 pass from Chris Campbell (Tyler Yingling kick) NOR — Daniel Traczek 6 pass from Garrett Chapin (Smith kick) PER — Campbell 7 run (Yingling kick) NOR — Chapin 11 run (Smith kick) NOR — Chapin 3 run (Smith kick) NOR — Oliver Maloney 33 pass from Chapin (Smith kick) PER — Sam Siegel 52 pass from Campbell (Yingling kick) PER — Campbell 40 run (Yingling kick) NOR — Traczek 21 pass from Chapin (Smith kick)