Norwalk gets first test against Clear Fork

NORWALK — The challenges were obvious. Not only did Norwalk take on a perennial playoff opponent, Clear Fork, in a scrimmage Saturday. But the Truckers were also battling low numbers, with some injuries and kids being shuffled into different roles. Also while learning a new offense in extreme heat on the Contractors Stadium turf, third-year coach Keith Mora was pleased with his team's intensity level, notably on the offensive side of the ball. "What Clear Fork did on defense presented a really tough front," Mora said. "They stunted and moved around a lot, and that's tough to deal with in an opening scrimmage. "Ultimately, we wanted to come out with good intensity, and I liked what our guys did coming off the ball with that." The Colts were also the first time the Truckers have been able to get a full varsity look since camp started Aug. 1. "Our numbers are low right now, so we don't always get a true varsity-on-varsity look when it comes to our practices," Mora said. "So figuring out how our kids can turn on the switch and play at a high varsity intensity level right off the bat was important, and we thought they did a nice job with that." Norwalk switched its approach and is running the run-based Wing-T offense this season. "We didn't move the ball the way we wanted, but again, we got a lot of young kids who are still learning and trying to get better," Mora said. "That's our goal. We want to find ways to get better each day, and I thought we took a nice step toward that today." Defensively, Mora thought his kids were wearing down a bit from going both ways in the heat. "It's noon on the hot turf, which is always a challenge as well," he said. "But they did a nice job. An important thing was tackling at the point of attack and being in the right places with our alignment against their different formations." With no film to prep in a scrimmage, Mora said it was about seeing if Norwalk's base defense could line up correctly against the Colts. "I thought for the most part we did do a good job with it," he said. "They moved the ball a bit too much, but overall, our tackling was good, and our strong point today was our line coming off the ball on defense. "They were ready to shed blocks and create some movement in the backfield." Things will get no easier for the Truckers in their final scrimmage. They host a Shelby team Friday that will be preseason top 10 in various state rankings. The Whippets are led by Air Force commit Brayden DeVito at quarterback. The varsity portion of the scrimmage should start around 6 p.m. at Contractors Stadium. After that, Norwalk shifts its focus to the regular season opener Aug. 22 at Toledo Start. Mora hopes for more improvement next week. "It's a live half of high-level varsity for our younger guys, a lot of whom were JV players last year," he said. "Can we match the intensity of a Shelby team that has a lot back and should be a very strong playoff team? They are a team that is big and strong up front and traditionally very strong across the board. "Can we match that intensity and show that we got one week better and show we are ready for Week 1? Because that's what this is about. We have to be making the daily steps to improve for the regular season. I thought this past week was one of our stronger weeks, so I want to see if we can take another step forward against a very good team." St. Paul shows growth NORWALK — Two consistent winners were tested by each other and the conditions Friday. Visiting Keystone and host St. Paul met in a scrimmage on the hot turf at Contractors Stadium. The Flyers scored three touchdowns, and the Wildcats found the end zone twice in a format that saw each team get four series of 10 plays. "I think we started off slow across the board, but I really felt as it went, we continued to improve and correct things," St. Paul coach Chris Doughty said. "I was really happy with our aggression on defense. There were some holes and things, but that is a big part of why you have these scrimmages. "We still have two weeks to continue to fix our mistakes and work on things, but our defense attacked really well and caused some fumbles," he added. "I was really happy with the way Nate Sandor played. He continues to be developing into a really strong leader for us, and he flew to the football tonight." On offense, the Flyers got a touchdown run from senior Nick Pocos after he broke several tackles and cut up the left sideline from inside the Keystone 40-yard line. Senior Landon Fries then caught a TD pass from Grant Kuhnle and later added a short TD run. "Our offense made good improvements throughout the scrimmage," Doughty said. "A lot of things in that first series of 10 plays, whether it was a mistake by a running back or a lineman or whoever, we made those mistakes early — but they were corrected. "Maybe not perfectly, but a lot closer toward the end of the scrimmage than the beginning," he added. "A big focus across the board with our offensive line is controlling what we can control. And in practice, we can control our effort, foot speed, and pad level." Doughty said it doesn't matter if it's the scout team in practice or a team like Keystone. "We have complete control over those things in practice, and we need to embrace that a little more with our technique," he said. "We have to be a little bit more on top of that with controlling our bodies and not so much worrying about what our scout team is giving across from us. "I think the overall theme tonight was growth from start to finish, and that's all you can ask for." St. Paul two-a-day practices start at 6 a.m., and Doughty also noted Friday was the first time his players were in the peak afternoon heat. "We didn't handle the elements real well early," he said. "That hits a little different and is shocking to the body on the hot turf that first time. But again, we moved forward. "The kids settled in and went to work and were able to put the ball in the end zone three times, and then we put together some stops on defense." St. Paul will head to Mohawk for a 6:30 p.m. one-half scrimmage under regular game rules Thursday. From there, it will shift to game mode as the Flyers host Port Clinton in the season opener Aug. 23. "Our mindset fully shifts," Doughty said. "(Saturday) we will do an hour of practice and technique in the morning, and they will all be on things from today that we want to work on. But we'll hit the reset button on Monday, and our focus is fully on Mohawk. "That has to be where our mindset is. Attack the opponent in front of you and continue to get better for Week 1."