by Article by Sydney Hampton
The Normandy Invaders are 4-1, yes, I’ll say it again, the Normandy Invaders are 4-1! Who saw that coming to start the season?
On Thursday night, the Normandy Invaders hosted the visiting Lakewood Rangers at Byers Field at 7 o’clock. Before the game, Normandy sat on a 3-1 record while Lakewood broke even at 2-2.
After a 20-14 victory for the Invaders over the Rangers, they move to 4-1 and 2-3 respectively.
Lakewood played without Gabe Constantine, a focal aspect of their offensive and defensive line, resulting in Normandy’s defensive ability to easily access the Lakewood quarterback. Even after numerous injuries for Symons, he continued to show up for his team making big plays running the football.
In the first quarter of play, the Invaders marched downfield and put 7 points on the board with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Quarterback Elijah Gray to Curtis Starks. Gray took over for Normandy in the second quarter. He pushed the Invaders into the endzone with his own 2-yard touchdown. This time, the Rangers were able to answer with a touchdown by Quarterback Alex Symons. At the end of the first half, the score was 14-7 in favor of Normandy.
To start the second half, Lakewood had the ball. Alex Symons gained a few yards downfield including a 29-yard carry but penalties by the Ranger’s offense resulted in a turnover on downs. Normandy took control of the ball but a fumble recovery by Garrett Shweter resulted in a 93-yard touchdown for the Rangers. The score was now all tied up at 14-14! This did not last long as Elijah Gray led his team downfield again.
This time for a 28-yard touchdown pass to Austin Konicki. The score was 20-14 to start the final quarter of play. An interception by Don Mikuluk of Lakewood, gave the Rangers the initial momentum in the fourth quarter. With Alex Symons as the ball carrier, they were able to make it to the one-yard line but the suffocating defense by the Invaders on 4th down resulted in a fumble recovery for Normandy. This sealed the Invader’s victory with a final score of 20-14.
The player of the game goes out to Normandy quarterback, Elijah Gray. Gray was unstoppable making plays in every aspect of the Invader offense. As the main ball carrier, his relentlessness, crafty athleticism, and crucial gains in the ladder half of the game played a pivotal role in the victory for Normandy.
Next week, Lakewood takes on Holy Name on Thursday at 7 o’clock while Normandy returns to Byers Field to face the Valley Forge Patriots.
