The matchup between Gretna and Norris on Friday hardly resembled the 19-3 effort from their previous meeting. The Gretna Dragons walked away with a 52-45 victory over the Norris Titans. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Dragons also won the last time the pair played back in August of 2017.
A big part of the win came down to the chemistry between Michael Knudsen and his top target Bryce Lakers. Knudsen threw for 514 yards and six touchdowns while completing 72.4% of his passes while Lakers picked up 312 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Lakers torched the secondary when he pulled down a catch that went for 85 yards. Drew Boltz did his part for the team as well, scoring a TD off of 68 receiving yards.
Gretna wouldn't let Norris keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Gretna can thank Ike Jarzynka and Clay Gathye for forcing both of them. Gretna got some further help from Breckin Sliva: he made 14 total tackles (0.5 for loss) and snagging an interception.
When it comes to explaining why Norris lost, don't look at Markus Nelson. Despite the final result, he rushed for 235 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. Jarrett Behrends was another key player, having thrown for 280 yards and two touchdowns.
The victory made it two in a row for Gretna and bumps their season record up to 2-0. As for Norris, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 0-2.
Gretna will challenge Blair at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Norris, they will take on Lincoln Northwest at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
