For one week, Norwich steps out of Section IV division play and has a golden opportunity to not only regroup, but take down one of the top-rated Class B teams in the state.
Tonight at 7 p.m., the Tornado (4-2) visit number three ranked Oneida (6-0) in a Section III versus Section IV non-league crossover.
“A lot of times you look at team and they are either really strong or really athletic up front,” said Norwich coach John Pluta. “Oneida is both.”
As good a passing team as Oneida is – and quarterback Ryan Kramer is already well over 1,000 yards passing this season – the Indians are just as happy running the ball on sweeps, off-tackle runs, and counters, Pluta said, out of the “I” formation. “They also throw a lot to their backs and have a wide-open attack called the ‘Polecat Offense,’” the Norwich coach said.
The Pole Cat system spreads the field and receivers in a unique formation in which multiple receivers are eligible to catch the ball. “It’s not their base offense, but they might run that a series at a time,” Pluta said.
While Oneida is wide-open, Norwich looks to return to a ball-control offense that has been the team’s staple in Pluta’s long tenure. Norwich can take heart that the time-consuming, ball-control drives are still in its repertoire. The Purple Tornado marched 94 yards for a score last week against Windsor, although it needed to use the passing game more than usual.
“The biggest thing within our game plan is to control the ball and control the clock,” Pluta said. “We want to minimize their opportunities on offense and shorten the game. We’re capable of that, and we need to make plays on defense.”
Norwich also needs to start fast and limit early mistakes that have had it trailing in the first quarter in all but one game this season. “It would be nice to go out and get the early lead,” Pluta said. “We’re thinking too much about making mistakes. We just need to go out and play.”
Oneida’s tightest battle this season was a 14-13 win over Chittenango two weeks ago. Chittenango nearly hung a loss on Chenango Forks last month giving up a defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter to lose 7-3. Two weeks ago, Norwich dropped its first game of the season to the Blue Devils, 21-6.
––––

Below are the rest of this week’s local football contests:

Candor (5-1) at Oxford (1-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
Candor has won four straight contests since a week two blowout loss to Elmira Notre Dame. Cody Rose is among Section IV’s top-10 rushers, and paces the Indians’ attack.
Meanwhile, Oxford matched up Walton a week ago, and is happy to be back home. “We just played the best team that is out there,” said Oxford coach Mike Chrystie. “Not that any other team will be a cake walk, but no one is as physical and well put together as Walton.”
Looking at common opponents, Chrystie feels the Blackhawks have had the tougher road through six games, believing Oxford’s division is a bit deeper. “They do a lot of different stuff, and they’re good enough of a team that they could move the ball easily,” Chrystie said. “Candor deserves its record, but if we play our game, they are bearable.”
Highlights on the Blackhawks’ side is a notable connection between sophomore quarterback John Wonka and junior receiver Jeremy Nelson. The duo hooked up on two TD passes over 70 yards last week, and are a growing threat to defenses. “We knew it might take a while for the passing game to develop, but eventually it would click,” Chrystie said.

B-G (4-2) at Unatego (3-3)
The road does not get any easier for Unatego, whose three losses have come to Oneonta, and unbeatens Walton and Greene – the latter two among the best Class C and D schools in New York. “Last week’s score against Greene (38-13) was not indicative of the type of team they have,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “They very quick, athletic and physical. Their defensive ends, Kyle Ray and Chet Davis, are the best we’ve seen.”
Unatego contained Greene’s running game to the tune of just 85 yards. Evan Kiss led the Spartans’ running game with 92 yards and a 49-yard TD dash. Quarterback Cody Renwick is not called up to throw much, but is an accurate passer. “They run a lot of what we run on offense. The only difference is that they will throw in some option,” Mattingly said. “It’s a tough test and we have to maintain our focus.”
B-G was unable to stop Delhi a week ago giving up a season-high 406 yards – 363 on the ground. “We have to get back to basics and play our type of football,” Mattingly said.

Sherburne-Earlville (3-3) at Ilion (1-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
Ilion has dropped five straight since an opening win over Sauquoit Valley. A rash of injuries, said S-E coach Mickey James, plagued the Golden Bombers in the middle of the season. “They are starting to get healthy, and we aren’t,” James said. In recent weeks, Ilion has shown improved play losing by three points to Little Falls and by two points to Herkimer. In the latter contest, a game-winning field goal attempt was blocked.
Mike Soullas threw for 170 yards last week in Ilion’s defeat, and the week prior, Jeff Sullivan topped the rushing attack against Little Falls gaining 142 yards.
The Marauders suffered untimely mistakes in the late stages of last week’s 13-6 loss to Canastota. Driving for a touchdown, a missed assignment on the line of scrimmage led to a fumble. Canastota then drove for the winning score aided by 40 yards of S-E penalties.

Greene (6-0) at UV-Edmeston (0-6), Friday, 7 p.m.
Two clubs at opposite ends of the spectrum this season. The Storm are coming off one of the worst defeats in school history losing to Sidney, 61-0. Meanwhile, the Trojans clinched a playoff spot for the third straight season as well as the school’s second division championship in three years.
Greene is Section IV’s second leading scoring team and has not scored less than 36 points in any of its six contests.