Quick start for Norwalk in scrimmage tie

NORWALK — Todd Fox likened it to finding a key piece of a puzzle. But moving forward from the Aug. 13 scrimmage against visiting Shelby, the Truckers need to mix and match the pieces in time for Friday's season opener at Mansfield Senior. The Truckers and Whippets played to a 13-13 tie in one live half of action. Norwalk jumped on Shelby early for two quick scores before the Whippets answered with two touchdowns of their own. "We found a lot of great pieces of the puzzle and found where we need to work," Fox said. "First, our offensive passing game was very successful, and my hats off to Coach (Gary) Lill and Coach (Danny) Pauley for getting them to that point." Early in the scrimmage, quarterback Payne Flores connected with senior receiver Sam Battles for a long touchdown pass. "Our team is a unit, so pointing out someone is difficult," Fox said. "Our defense was aggressive and very good for an early scrimmage." Even though fall practice was just two weeks and the Truckers have a lot of work to do in preparation for the Tigers, Fox said his team will be ready. "We are in same boat as anyone else," he said. "Our guys aren't afraid to put work in and we will be ready. We did a transition to a game week practice already last week. Our coaches will have the biggest adjustment, as we will share our focus on preparing our players to be better — and also preparing them for our opponent." Fox said the scrimmage against the Whippets showed that the Truckers still have to develop a little more consistency. But time is not on their side. "We have to get game ready for four quarters this Friday," he said. "Adrenaline and excitement can make it difficult, so we have to mentally prepare ourselves."