Norton won the last time they faced Russell, and things went their way on Friday too. The Norton Bluejays were the clear victor by a 42-22 margin over the Russell Broncos. Considering the Bluejays have won five games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Tyler Backman continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 193 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries. Those 193 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Eli Jones was another major influence, as he rushed for 71 yards and ran in a TD.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Norton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 306 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Russell only rushed for 73.
Norton wouldn't let Russell keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Norton can thank Trevan Enfield and Jarrett Pfannenstiel for forcing both of them. Enfield also set a new season high mark in total tackles with six.
When it comes to explaining why Russell lost, don't look at Walker Middleton. Despite the final result, he picked up 182 receiving yards and a touchdown, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Middleton showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 66 yards. Mason Rohr was another key player, having thrown for 287 yards and onetouchdown.
Norton's win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0. As for Russell, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-4.
Norton will venture away from home to take on Phillipsburg at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Norton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 41.2 points per game this season. As for Russell, they will challenge Minneapolis at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
