Norwich and Hodgeman County squared off in some playoff action on Thursday, but Norwich had to settle for second. They fell to the Hodgeman County Longhorns 44-38. While the Eagles didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Longhorns 8-6 in the first quarter.
When it comes to explaining why Norwich lost, don't look at Kyler Murphy. Despite the final result, he rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns, and also threw for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Murphy was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 65 yards. Norwich also got a significant boost from Easton Schroeder, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 80 yards.
Even though they lost, Norwich was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hodgeman County only rushed for 198.
Hodgeman County got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Hazen Rydquist out in front who rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 126 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 passes. The dominant performance gave Rydquist a new career-high in rushing yards. Another player making a difference was Garrett Nuss, who rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns.
This is the second loss in a row for Norwich and nudges their season record down to 3-6. As for Hodgeman County, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.
Norwich does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Hodgeman County, they will challenge Bucklin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bucklin will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something Hodgeman County surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
