NORWICH – If you could bet on high school sports, Norwich was considered the underdog in their match up against the visiting Spartans of Maine-Endwell. The Purple Tornado took down the former powerhouse Spartans in dramatic fashion, winning 13-12.
Norwich started the game with a quick three-and-out, giving the ball to Spartans early in the game. Immediately, M-E threatened with the first drive as ball carrier Josh Chandler ran for 23 yards up the middle. Chandler picked up another first down for the Spartans to play later on another play up the middle, getting the ball deep into the Tornado territory.
Maine-Endwell tried to run it outside for the next few plays but Norwich had the outside contained, forcing the Spartans to their first third down of the game. They called on their quarterback, Joe Mancini, to throw the ball. The third down chance would break down as Norwich’s Grant Wessels and Ty Rifanburg put pressure on Mancini, bringing him down at the original line of scrimmage.
M-E went for it on fourth, again calling on Mancini to throw the ball. This time, Tornado Michael Carson picked off the attempt, running it back 36 yards and giving Norwich good field position to start their next drive.
Norwich’s quarterback Zack Race connected with running back Eric Conant 13 yards down field, giving the Tornado their first first-down of the game. Conant ran for 14 yards later in the drive to give them another first down.
Two plays later, Race’s pass that was intended for Ty Rifanburg was intercepted by Maine-Endwell’s Ryan Brozovic. Brozovic ran the interception back into Norwich’s half of the field, setting the Spartans up with great field position to start their next possession.
Nothing came from the great field position for the Spartans as the drive stalled when going for it on fourth-and-ten. Norwich’s Brennan Slater tackled Mancini for a loss of 8 yards, creating the turnover on downs for the Spartans.
The Purple’s next drive resulted in a Rifanburg punt, giving the ball to M-E at their own 32.
Maine-Endwell’s ensuing possession looked very similar to their first of the game, calling on Chandler to run up the middle and gain chunks of yards. Again the Spartans went away from what was working, allowing the Tornado to take over after Conant to record a sack on Mancini as he dropped back for the pass.
Again, Norwich’s drive after a big defensive stop resulted in a three-and-out as they couldn’t get the offense running.
The Spartans took over after Rifanburg’s punt, starting at their own 26 yard line with 3:02 left in the half. M-E gained two huge runs from Chandler and Jon Honnick-Panye, each over 20 yards. Four plays later, Mancini ran it in from nine yards out, giving the Spartans the 6-0 lead with :55 on the clock for the half. Chandler’s point after attempt was no good, keeping the score 6-0.
Norwich’s J.T. Vinal took Chandlers kick-off 18 yards, setting up the Tornado’s next drive at the 30 yard line. With 70 yards and only 50 seconds left, the Purple had work in front of them. However, they were up for the challenge as they took it 69 yards on the back of Race. Wessels punched it up the middle, crossing the goal-line, allowing Norwich to tie up the ball game 6-6. Tornado kicker Mike Trevisani came out onto the field for his first extra point try of the game. He continued his season streak, making this extra point and giving Norwich the lead 7-6 to go into the intermission.
Maine-Endwell received the ball to start the second half. It looked like a ping-pong match as both teams had two drives a piece but resulted in punts or turn over on downs.
In Norwich’s first drive of the second half, Race was tackled from behind awkwardly and he wouldn’t get up, grabbing his knee. Needing help off the field, Race’s night was done. He led the team in rushing with 39 yards. The Tornado called on back-up quarterback Thomas Parrella to take the snaps for the rest of the game.
The Spartans put together the first scoring drive of the half, as Mancini recored his second score of the night after five plays. However, M-E was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, setting up a kick-off to Norwich from the 25 yard line instead of the traditional 40. Conant returned the ball to near midfield, giving the fans hope they could match the Maine-Endwell’s score.
The drive was stalled after Parrella’s incomplete pass on fourth down, giving the Spartans a midfield starting point on their next drive.
Norwich forced M-E to a three-and-out as Chandler punted the ball to the Tornado 30. The Spartans defense did the same to the Purple offense. Rifanburg punted the ball away to Maine-Endwell’s Lucus Messemer. Messemer looked to take off from his own 35 but was immediately met by Vinal, giving him no return.
A possession of five minutes and thirteen seconds, M-E was knocking on the door for another touchdown. The Spartans ran down the field to place the ball as far as the Tornado three yard line. Trying to draw Norwich offsides on fourth-and-one, Maine-Endwell only fooled themselves, pushing back five yard false start penalty. Now fourth-and-six, the Spartans called Mancini’s number but he was stopped in the back field by Wessels. Wessels forced Mancini to cough up the ball on the turf, stopping the Spartans drive short of the first down.
Norwich took over after the turnover on downs, desperately needing to find the end zone. The first and only play of the drive was a Parrella pass meant for his target Carson. Carson made the catch and took off for a 78 yard touchdown, tying the score 12-12. The Tornado would rely on their so-far perfect kicker Trevisani to give them the lead on the extra point attempt. His kick would go through the uprights giving Norwich the 13-12 with 3:51 left in the game.
Maine-Endwell started their drive at their own 18 yard line. Norwich’s defense allowed the Spartans to get the ball to near midfield after five plays. However, Norwich shut down the Spartans in the next four to force the turnover on downs. Parrella and his teammates lined up in victory formation three times, allowing the clock to hit 0:00 and giving the Tornado a 3-0 start to the season.
Norwich recorded only 188 yards total offense as they had the numbers of Conant and Drew Walsh from a game before. The Purple defense hammered down as they were bent pretty hard but never broken. Conant led the way with 11.5 tackles and one sack for the game. Drew Walsh was just two shy with 9.5 tackles. Slater followed with six tackles, ending his night with a solid performance and Carson recored his third interception in just as many games on the season.
“I thought our kids were extremely poised in a crazy environment against a great team,” said Norwich Head Coach Mike Chrystie. “M-E has been the standard for football in this area and get a win versus a program like that is huge for Norwich football. This was a true team win.”
“We are not overly big, so we rely on our toughness and strength up front. Three out of our five rotating defensive linemen squat over 400 lbs. I have coached very good defensive lineman over the years. I try to think of a word that defines each group, no doubt this group of defensive linemen are rat corner tough,” said Norwich line coach Tom Stoddard.
Norwich travels to Susquehanna Valley next Saturday, September 23, where they will be tested yet again this season. Just a week ago, M-E and the Sabers met with the Spartans coming out on top in overtime, 7-6. Kick-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
 
M-E: 0 6 0 6 – 12
NHS: 0 7 0 6 – 13