Norwalk seeking more progress against Galion

The schedule only gets tougher from here. After edging Toledo Start in overtime, the Norwalk football team took a 37-6 loss in its home opener to Ontario on Aug. 29. The Warriors were coming off a 12-win season and regional runner-up finish in 2024. Up next for the Truckers (1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday is a familiar opponent when they host Galion (2-0) back at Contractors Stadium. Norwalk and Galion were both members of the Northern Ohio League (1944-2017) and played yearly in all sports, including football. As NOL opponents in football, the Truckers and Tigers played yearly from 1944 to 2010. Galion then left for the North Central Conference, which also no longer exists, before landing in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference with the Warriors and Shelby, among others. Friday's game is the first meeting between the two teams since Galion left the NOL, a 26-12 win by the Tigers on Oct. 8, 2010. Galion leads the all-time series, 39-27-3, ahead of the 70th meeting this week. But what Keith Mora's team will find on Friday is not a Galion program that the Truckers won eight of their last 10 meetings against with relative ease from 2002-10. The Tigers have had just one losing season in the past 10 years with six playoff appearances. That includes making the playoffs with their only losing record in that span, a 4-7 season in 2021. The Tigers blasted St. Marys Memorial, 35-6, and Carey, 41-14, to start this season. "Galion is a good team," Mora said. "Our non-league schedule is tough across the board, and they are no exception. They are a physical team up front that runs the ball really well with a quarterback who can escape and go 60 yards on you in a hurry." Senior Ayden Schmidt (5-foot-9, 168) quarterbacks the Tigers. He's got classmates Braxton Stuckman (5-10, 196) behind him at running back and Jacob Chambers (6-1, 180) at receiver. Chambers was MOAC first team, and Stuckman was second team in 2024. Schmidt was not all-league while playing in a MOAC that featured Ontario's Bodpegn Miller, now at Ohio State, and Shelby's Brayden DeVito, an Air Force commit. He has 239 yards passing with 3 TDs and an interception, and 96 yards rushing and 3 TDs on the ground in two games. "He is someone you have to be aware of at all times, which is something we haven't seen in our first two games as far as a QB wanting to run the ball," Mora said of Schmidt. "Our kids have to be cognizant of that. Both he and Stuckman are fast and run the ball hard, and Schmidt can throw it. Chambers has five catches for 99 yards and a TD, while sophomore receiver Kurt Hay (5-7, 149) adds 148 all-purpose yards with 4 TDs. "We have to be very strong again defensively, but also find ways to move the ball on offense," Mora said. Mora believes his team is coming off an uneven performance in the Ontario loss. Defensively, Norwalk had a goal line stand against the Warriors but gave up a safety soon after. Ontario then returned the free kick for a touchdown. Add in a punt return TD, and the Truckers allowed 20 points on defense, which included Ontario scoring on a busted play on the final snap of the first half. "Field position really hurt us last week," Mora said. "Our kids are playing pretty much both ways, so when you have something not going your way on one side of the ball, you tend to carry it with you to the other side. "Our defense did play a good game; it just snowballed on us into a very bad situation," he added. "I think we got worn down a little. Our defense has played well in both games, but we have to take advantage of our opportunities on offense." Running the Wing-T, Mora said the Truckers need to control the clock and continue solid defense to stay in games. "We want to be a strong defensive team with an offense that controls the clock and moves the chains," he said. ". We were last year as well, but some injuries ended up really impacting us. So far this year, we've done a good job of keeping the ball in front of us on defense." Norwalk has rushed 61 times for 170 yards in two games, with Caiden Wilson leading the way with 51 yards on 15 attempts. Quarterback Brady Singer is 7-of-9 passing for 78 yards with a TD and an interception. Carter Harp has caught six of those for 74 yards, while Cade Evans has a 4-yard TD catch. Defensively, Brady Case and AJ Weilnau each have 14 tackles. Nico Helton has 13, and Harp adds 11. Gavin Lepley also has 11 tackles and two interceptions. "Galion comes off the ball well at the line of scrimmage," Mora said. "I wouldn't say it's a lot different from the last two weeks as far as a team being strong and physical up front. But we have to take care of the areas we can control, which is something we didn't do last week. "We have to take care of our areas and things we know how to do. That's something we didn't do a great job with, and it's somewhere we need to really improve."