Norwalk defense faces biggest challenge

The belief was always there. But even still, expectations have shifted. "Our defense has kind of become something we didn't expect it to be," Norwalk football head coach Keith Mora said. "We always felt like that group could be good because of the amount of senior experience on that side of the football, but they've become a unit that is repeatedly giving us chances and keeping us in the game, and we have to take pride in that." As a whole, the Truckers (2-5, 0-1) have forced nine turnovers in seven games. And though they are allowing 26.6 points per game, a deeper dive shows why Norwalk has been in three of its five losses late in the contests. Norwalk has posted seven scoreless quarters and allowed three points in another. In three games, the Truckers didn't allow more than a touchdown in the 12 quarters. "We were a good defensive team last year before injuries started to pile up," Mora said. "The injuries for us this year happened early in the season at a different time. I've always felt our defense could carry us, but the difference is, at the beginning of the year, I thought we could build a wall up front." Mora thought the defense could just be a solid force up front and keep the ball in front of them in the secondary while playing a "bend, but don't break" style of football. "Instead we've kind of morphed into a blitz-centric group that causes havoc in the backfield," he said. "And that's worked well for us except for the Edison offense, which you can't really blitz that much with what they do. "But against Bellevue, Vermilion, and Columbian, we were able to bring a lot more pressure to keep us in those games." Norwalk is coming off a 21-16 loss against Columbian (4-3, 2-0) on Oct. 3. The Truckers trailed 21-3 in the second half before mounting a comeback. "We're going to have to win ugly right now," Mora said. "We're not going to have any blowout wins, so we need to be willing to battle for four quarters. I feel like our kids did that, which is why we had a chance at the end." Nico Helton paces the defense with 45.5 tackles. Gavin Lepley has 37 tackles and two interceptions, while Brady Case has 32.5 tackles and a fumble recovery. AJ Weilnau has 23 tackles with a forced fumble and a sack, and Gabe Bellamy has 16.5 tackles with two interceptions This Friday, the Truckers will be tested defensively like they haven't been all season when they visit Perkins (4-3, 1-0) in SBC Lake Division action. The Pirates reached the Division IV state championship game last year and brought back a talented core of players from that team. They have non-league losses to Clear Fork (5-2), Div. II Toledo de Sales (4-3) and Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (2-4) by a combined 16 points. After Isaac Bunts led a dominant run game last season with 2,388 yards and 32 TDs, the Pirates are more pass-heavy in 2025. Quarterback Sam Schweinfurth is 99-of-158 for 1,483 yards with an impressive 17 touchdowns to just one interception. His top targets include Blake Parker, who has 37 catches for 699 yards and 6 TDs. Bryce Davie adds 17 catches for 135 yards and 3 TDs, while Connor Smith has 11 catches for 239 yards and 4 TDs, good for a 34.1-yard average per catch. Logan Wadsworth adds 10 catches for 149 yards, and Kaden Legend has nine catches for 132 yards and 4 TDs. On the ground, Braxden Martin has 275 yards and 4 TDs on 60 attempts, followed by JoJo Moore with 22 carries for 112 yards and 2 TDs. Levi Jackson also adds 113 yards and 2 TDs on 25 attempts for the Pirates, who are averaging 36.3 points per game. "They are kind of a different animal with the ability to hurt you in many ways," Mora said of Perkins. "All of their receivers are capable of taking the top off the defense and creating a lot of explosive plays for their offense. "They are still big and strong up front and still have a run game that is strong," he added. "They are a team that likes to put the ball in the air and create plays. But we have to create our own chances, too. We have to pressure the quarterback if we want to have a chance defensively." On defense, the Pirates are stingy, as they allow 13.3 points per game. Perkins has intercepted 10 passes in seven games, led by Davie with three and Legend with two. Martin leads the team in tackles (69), while Landon Flores has 67. John McGlashan adds 40 tackles with two sacks. "They are a very good team again, and we're going to have to play mistake-free throughout the course of the game," Mora said. On offense, QB Brady Singer is 28-of-62 for 272 yards with 2 TDs and 3 INTs while also rushing for 76 yards and a TD on 32 attempts for Norwalk. Carter Harp has 13 catches for 123 yards, followed by Kaedyn Warner with eight catches for 50 yards and Cade Evans with five catches for 85 yards and 2 TDs. On the ground, Norwalk is led by Weilnau with 215 yards and 2 TDs on 64 attempts and Lepley with 110 yards and a TD on 21 carries.