Truckers eye upset win at Clyde

NORWALK — The signs are still there. But as has been the case for seven of the eight weeks during the high school football season, the end result has not been there for the Norwalk High School football team. Midway through the third quarter of an Oct. 8 game at SBC Lake and playoff contender Perkins, the Truckers were in a 7-7 deadlock with the Pirates. But after a near-hour delay because of lightning, things didn't go well once the game resumed. The Pirates outscored the Truckers by a 28-0 margin in just under 14 minutes to cruise to a 35-7 win. "During the delay, our guys were ready, and we came out ready — I'm not going to put any blame on the delay," Norwalk head coach Todd Fox said. "They (Perkins) are a good team and some things happened for them. We made some mistakes early and we didn't rebound from that. It really just came down to they finished better than we did." The rugged SBC Lake schedule continues to provide no breaks for the Truckers (1-7, 0-3), who travel to Clyde (6-2, 2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Bob Bishop Stadium. The Fliers are the No. 2 seed in Division IV Region 14, and with a win can assure themselves of playing for a share of the league title against U.S. 20 rival Bellevue next week. Fox knows this will be no easy task for his team, just like the previous eight weeks. Of Norwalk's 10 opponents, only Sandusky (3-5) is on the outside looking in of the state playoffs entering Week 9. "The great part about it is we go into every week feeling like we can win," Fox said. "And the reality is we've been able to do that. You look at the record and it is what it is, but it doesn't tell the whole story. We are competing with these teams and something happens, or that team was better that night. We're looking for the night where we're the better team and we take care of business. "It's been grueling, but I love how our kids have been responding," he added. "They haven't stopped working hard and finding ways to try and get better each day. I think a lot of teams with a 1-7 record would struggle to do that, but these guys aren't, and it's a testament to who they are as individuals and a team." Clyde averages 32.8 points per game and is led by the balanced attack of quarterback Jaden Cook, running back Michael Daniels and receiver Brady Wilson. Cook leads the SBC Lake in passing yards, Wilson is tops in receiving yards and Daniels is third in rushing yardage. Cook has completed 103-of-156 pass attempts for 1,641 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. Wilson has caught 34 of those passes for 675 yards and 4 TDs, while Daniels has ran 184 times for 899 yards and 15 TDs. Andrew Kauble adds 16 catches for 354 yards and 4 TDs. "I think what they are doing a great job with is keeping it balanced between the quarterback and the running backs," Fox said of the Fliers. "Cook is doing a phenomenal job with that kind of percentage and that many yards passing. He has a few weapons, Wilson being the first, but he's got others. "And once you try and focus on stopping the pass, they can come back with the run game with Daniels," he added. "They are still a traditional, blue-collar Clyde football team for Coach (Ryan) Carter, but they are a little bit more balanced than some past years." Defensively, the Fliers allow just 15.6 points per game — the best in the Lake. Linebacker Dillon Overmyer is Clyde's top tackler — as well as the SBC Lake — with 93.5 to go with 2.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and an interception. Lineman Remington Norman has 51 tackles and 10 sacks. "They don't do a lot — they just play very fundamentally sound on defense, though up front they are exceptional," Fox said of the Flier defense. "Our offensive line is going to have to have a great week. "Their linebackers just do a great job filling readings, flying to the ball, and doing all the things their coaches are asking them to do. Norman up front with 10 sacks, our line has their work cut out for them — but they like that challenge." For Norwalk, quarterback Payne Flores has thrown for 922 yards and three touchdowns on 84-of-160 pass attempts while leading the team in rushing with 525 yards and 5 TDs on 93 attempts. Daniel Traczek has totaled 439 yards and 3 TDs on 88 attempts and has eight catches for 100 yards. Also for the Truckers, Jarren McLendon has 364 yards and 3 TDs on 75 rushes, Sam Battles has 31 catches for 469 yards and a TD, and Jesse Cole has 19 catches for 161 yards. Friday's game is the fifth meeting between the two teams since they became members of the Lake Division in 2017. The Fliers won in 2017 and 2018, while the Truckers have won the previous two meetings in 2019 and 2020.