Henlon's big night lifts Sandusky

SANDUSKY — Jason Henlon wasted little time getting going. The Sandusky senior quarterback who missed the first three games of the season hit Dre' Campbell for a 32-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the game. Henlon and the Blue Streaks didn't stop much from there. That was the first of four first-half touchdown passes by Henlon as Sandusky rolled to a 42-0 Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division win Friday over Norwalk at Strobel Field. "I have so much trust in the receivers I have," Henlon said. "We've been playing with each other for long that I can just throw it up there and I know they're going to be there to get it." Henlon added 45-yard and 58-yard strikes to Amir Aaron before hitting Aa'Zoriyon Bonner for 77 yards. Henlon was 10-of-16 passing for 271 yards in the first half alone. "He played phenomenal," Sandusky coach Jamaris Brown said. "He's a selfless kid and he's all about everyone else. He's about making everyone else look good, just like he is on the basketball court. He's a great kid to have on the team." After underthrowing a receiver on the first play from scrimmage, Henlon connected on four straight passes including the 32-yarder to Campbell near the Norwalk sideline. Will Thomas added the first of his five extra points as Sandusky (4-3, 2-0 SBC Lake) went up 7-0 just over three minutes in. The Blue Streaks' defense was just as good, forcing Norwalk (2-5, 0-2) into a three-and-out on the next drive, which just gave Henlon more opportunities. After a seven-play scoring drive on its first possession, Sandusky needed less than half of that as Henlon tossed a 16-yard bullet to Bonner. Two plays later, he found Aaron for a 45-yard score. The point after by Thomas pushed the Sandusky lead to 14-0 near the midway point of the first quarter. The Truckers found their best success on offense on their next drive. Norwalk picked up three first downs on the drive — all on the ground — but struggled once inside the red zone. Sandusky forced a field goal try, but blocked it, keeping the Blue Streaks up 14-0. "We knew we had to throw the first punch like always," Brown said. "Norwalk has had their time with us. It was good to see us come out strong and in sync with a flow. That's a great sight to see, especially at this point in the season. Hitting that second half, we want to hit it with a stride." Sandusky didn't wait long to pounce. Henlon went back to the air and hit Aaron in unison for what became a 58-yard touchdown pass, pushing the Blue Streaks' lead to 21-0. Sandusky scored once more in the half and it came midway through the second quarter. Facing 3rd-and-11 and possibly just wanting to keep the drive alive, Henlon hit Bonner over the middle for first down yards. But Bonner didn't stop there. He split through the defenders and raced up the Sandusky sideline with a lion's share of blockers for the 77-yard TD. Thomas made it 28-0 with 4:15 to go in the first half. "We told our defensive backs all week that they were going to have to be 15 yards back and make sure we don't get the top taken off of our defense," Norwalk coach Keith Mora said. "They're just extremely athletic. Across the board, it's hard to double somebody because when you double somebody, someone else is running solo." Penalties will certainly be something the Blue Streaks will want to clean up after 12 penalties for 128 yards on the night. But, even facing 3rd-and-38 at its own 45 in the third quarter after four penalties, the passing attack continued. Henlon found Aaron, who eluded a plethora of defenders and reversed field. He was off to the end zone for a 55-yard TD. The extra point enforced a running clock with Sandusky up 35-0. "I like how they came out and struck first," said Brown of his defense. "There was a couple plays here and there I didn't like. They remained relentless and kept staying together. They believe in the system." After sitting the rest of the evening, Henlon finished 11-of-17 for 326 yards. Makyveon Lately added a three-yard touchdown run for the Blue Streaks. Freshman Kayli Gundlach added the extra point as Sandusky ballooned the lead to 42-0 with 2:39 left in the third quarter. "We're still just young," Mora said. "We have sophomores and juniors on the offensive line and we're several weeks in now so they're getting better. But, we're still a team that is growing. We have a sophomore quarterback. We're more veteran at the wide receiver spot, but that doesn't necessarily equal immediate success." Norwalk struggled to move the ball, gaining just 104 yards. The Truckers started the season with two wins in the first three games, but have dropped four straight. Norwalk hosts Perkins (6-1) next week. "We have to get back to what we did early in the season and find some ways to have some success," Mora said. "It's tough when you string together some losses because you start to see the heads dip a little bit. You start dealing with sickness at this point in the season. Injuries are definitely playing a factor in what we're doing right now. We're trying to manage that." Sandusky has earned the right to play in meaningful games the rest of the way. That starts next week when it hosts Clyde (5-2, 1-1) in the last regular-season home game for the Blue Streaks. "We have to take it one game at a time," Brown said. "There's a lot of great teams in our conference. Clyde is not going to be anything to look over. They're a good football team and coached very well. We have to bring our A-game in each one of these games toward the end of the season." Norwalk 0 0 0 0 — 0Sandusky 21 7 14 0 — 42 S - Dre Campbell 32 pass from Jason Henlon (Will Thomas kick)S - Amir Aaron 45 pass from Henlon (Thomas kick)S - Aaron 58 pass from Henlon (Thomas kick)S - Aa'Zoriyon Bonner 77 pass from Henlon (Thomas kick)S - Aaron 55 pass from Henlon (Thomas kick)S - Makyveon Lately 3 run (Kayli Gundlach kick)