Norwalk visits Edison in rivalry matchup

The uniqueness will never wear off. When Norwalk and Edison meet in football, there are obvious connections between the two neighboring school districts that sit just six miles apart. "It's one of those where you're next door neighbor could be across from you on Friday," Norwalk head coach Keith Mora said. "A lot of the kids from both teams likely played youth sports together at some point. It's one of those where you know a little more about them than some other teams, and it's cool to be a part of it." The Chargers (4-0) and Truckers (2-2) will meet for the 37th time at 7 p.m. Friday in Milan. While Norwalk enters the game after a 26-0 shutout loss at Bellevue (3-1), the Chargers are riding high with an average score of 45-9 through the first four games. But when he watched the Truckers on film, longtime Edison coach Jim Hall sees a team that is close. "When you look at them and watch what they do, they are a good team," Hall said of Norwalk. "Their offensive line looks good and has great size, and they have some great skilled kids with good speed. "I see a team that I think is going to put it together as they continue to move along in the season, and you see glimpses of that in their past games." Hall noted how pleased he's been with the balanced attack of his high-scoring offense. Mora said it doesn't take long to see that aspect jump out when watching the Chargers. "They can throw and run it well," he said. "It looks like they've made some changes to kind of what they are known for doing, where it's not just the traditional flexbone triple option." Much of that is because of senior quarterback Marcus Medina. He is 41-of-61 for 567 yards with 9 touchdowns and one interception, but has also ran 42 times for 387 yards and 5 TDs. He's complimented by a backfield that includes Cy Finnen (362 yards, 4 TDs), Bryson Wittmer (142 yards, 2 TDs) and Luke Blatnik (115 yards, 3 TDs). Medina's top targets include Grayson Smith (12 catches, 186 yards, 3 TDs) and Davin Wendt (12 catches, 146 yards, 1 TD). In total, six different Edison players have caught touchdowns and five different players have ran for TDs in four games. "They will run it out of a T-set, also from the shotgun, but still get under center with that traditional triple option that has been solid for them for many years," Mora said. "But then they can put Medina in shotgun and throw it around still, too. "We have to make sure we don't get lulled to sleep to the run and give up a big pass play," he added. "But we also have to fit up the run in the box, and our coverage guys have to stay in it. There is a lot to prepare for with their offense." Norwalk is led by senior running back Jarren McLendon. He has rushed 80 times for 604 yards with 7 TDs, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Quarterback Brayden Viock is 23-of-37 passing for 238 yards with a touchdown to Rothhaar, who has 10 catches for 89 yards and has rushed nine times for 32 yards. "McLendon obviously jumps out, and Rothhaar has state sprinter speed," Hall said. "Obviously those guys are very tough to bring down once they get loose. Getting to the point of attack and keeping them contained is something we have to do a good job with." Defensively, Edison has allowed five TDs in four games. The unit also spreads the wealth, with Finnen the leader at 31 tackles and two sacks. Blake Simon adds 25 tackles (one sack), followed by Medina (23 tackles) and Smith with 20 tackles and an interception (returned for a TD). "They are a balanced defense out of the 3-4," Mora said of Edison. "Those kids grew up in that defense and they do a nice job of flying to the football and tackling well. We have to find ways to attack the weaker points of the defense and make sure we control the ball, ultimately. We can't turn the ball over. "That's a big thing any week, but especially this week," he added. "With two teams who want to run the ball and chew up clock, you can't afford to give them the ball back." Rothhaar (24.5 tackles) and Grant Maloney (24 tackles) lead the Norwalk defense. Mason Canalos adds 19.5 tackles, followed by Austin Ware (13 tackles) and Eian Reineck (11.5 tackles). Ware also has an interception and a fumble recovery. "I think our defense played very well at times," Mora said. "We did a nice job of kind of bending but not breaking at times last week. We had multiple big stops, but were just on the field the entire night, and that's really what it came down to. "Our defense was on the field a lot the entire night. But with two stops inside the 10, there were definitely some things to build off of." Hall has now played and coached for Edison in rivalry games against both Norwalk and St. Paul. The series was known for its streakiness for the first 15 years, but has settled in as an even matchup for both programs. After a two-year break in 1998-99, both the Truckers and Chargers have 10 wins each in the 20 meetings since 2000. Edison maintains a 20-16 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1982. "The Norwalk rivalry has been there for 40 years, and it was the first game I ever coached on top of playing against them," Hall said. "These close rivalries are great to have, St. Paul now again as well. "There is a lot of pride involved with the schools when it comes to wanting to win those games."