Football Preview: Norwalk Bears vs. Ludlowe Falcons
Norwalk has been away from home for two games now, but on Friday they'll finally make their return. They will welcome the Ludlowe Falcons at 7:00 p.m. Both are at an even 4-4 against one another since October of 2014, but likely not for long.
Norwalk's defense heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Warde 42-0. The matchup marked the Bears' most dominant victory of the season.
Norwalk's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mason Riina, who threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.5 yards per attempt. Ethan Hudson helped Riina out on the ground, rushing for 74 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a touchdown.
Norwalk didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Yancy Braxton and Nick Monteiro. Braxton also made five total tackles, which is notable because Norwalk is 2-1 when he posts at least four total tackles, but 1-4 otherwise.
Meanwhile, Ludlowe hadn't done well against Wilton recently (they were 0-5 in their previous five matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Ludlowe walked away with a 21-14 victory over Wilton. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Falcons.
Ludlowe's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Liam Bond led the charge by rushing for 159 yards. Those 159 rushing yards gave Bond a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Tompkins, who rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Ludlowe's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In fact, those sacks all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Lleyton Dethomas. He has been hot recently, having also posted seven or more total tackles the last four times he's played.
Ludlowe was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 244 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Ludlowe's win bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Norwalk, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-5.
Norwalk was dealt a bruising 49-6 loss at the hands of Ludlowe in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Thankfully for Norwalk, Christopher Bellantoni (who threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns while completing 76.9% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
