North Olmsted Eagles Glide Into a 28-13 Win Over Normandy Invaders

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Cover photo credit goes to –

Nuna Nayyef Photography

Parma, Ohio – The Normandy Invaders hosted the North Olmsted Eagles at Byers Field for a conference game showdown. The Eagles hatched their first win on the year with a 28-13 victory over the Invaders on the road.

Normandy started the game with the ball on the 50-yard line from a great kick return. Their drive was halted short after the Eagles snatched the ball on an interception in their territory. North Olmsted had an explosive first drive with a 73-yard air strike from quarterback Tommy Horsfall to Michael Passafiume to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 8:33 remaining in the first quarter.

On the next drive, the Eagles defense stood their ground and forced an Invaders punt. Returning the favor, the Invaders forced an Eagles punt, setting them up on their own 37-yard line. North Olmsted forced yet another Invaders punt with a few minutes remaining in the first quarter. Normandy pinned the Eagles on their own 7-yard line on an outstanding punt. The Eagles went down the field and ended the quarter in good field position around the Invaders 20-yard line. 

The second quarter started with the Eagles missing a 35-yard field goal due to a botched snap. Normandy had great control on the ground game strategy, but yet again was forced to punt and set the Eagles up on their own 38-yard line. North Olmsted kept a mix of ground and screen-pass plays moving on this drive, but the cannons went off as quarterback Tommy Horsfall broke free for a 52-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Eagles a 14-0 lead. Normandy started their next drive on the 50-yard line on a good return.

This gave the Invaders the confidence to march down the field, resulting in a 29-yard Elijah Gray rushing touchdown with 5:34 left in the first half. Normandy went to kick the extra point, which was botched, and Elijah Gray intended to throw the ball to his receiver, but it resulted in an incompletion, giving the Eagles a 14-6 lead. On their next drive, North Olmsted yet again had some deep ball magic in their back pocket. Tommy Horsfall connected with Michael Passafiume again on a 63-yard dart to give the Eagles a 21-6 lead with 3:53 remaining in the first half. Normandy then got the ball back, keeping the ground game intact, but the Eagles defense was too much, resulting in yet another punt. The Eagles marched down the field and attempted a late field goal attempt, which went wide right and ended the first half.  

North Olmsted started the second half with the ball on Normandy’s 20-yard line. The Eagles put up an impressive drive but was ultimately halted in the Invaders redzone after failing to convert on a 4th down conversion. This set the Invaders up on their own 26-yard line. Normandy’s Elijah Gray was a warrior on the ground, moving the Invaders play after play into Eagles territory.

After about 6 consecutive rush attempts, the Invaders decided to attempt a pass, which was picked off by the Eagles secondary, setting them up on their own 33-yard line. North Olmsted then took almost the remainder of the quarter to put up a 6-yard rushing touchdown, scored by running back Matthew Chalkwater, which gave the Eagles a 28-6 lead with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter. Normandy then contained the ball for the rest of the third quarter.

Going into the fourth quarter, Normandy had some momentum, which resulted in an Elijah Gray 8-yard rushing touchdown to get the Invaders back in the game down 28-13 with 10:39 remaining in the game. North Olmsted started their drive in good field position on their own 46-yard line, but the momentum and energy from the Invaders defense was too much for the Eagles, resulting in a punt to give the Invaders the ball back with over 6 minutes to go.

Normandy had a promising drive ahead of them, but it was cut short on a heart-breaking interception that gave the Eagles the ball back. North Olmsted controlled the clock for the remainder of the game and took a knee to secure their first win on the season. Both teams had so much grit and great run games and should keep their heads high after an amazing contest.

Next Week

The Normandy Invaders (2-3) look to rebound after a close loss, as they host conference rivals, Rocky River Pirates, at Byers Field; Kickoff at 7 PM on Friday, September 27th.

The North Olmsted Eagles (1-4) look to stay hot after their first win, as they host conference rivals, Lakewood Rangers, at North Olmsted High School Stadium; Kickoff at 7 PM on Friday, September 27th.

Player of the Game:

Matthew Chalkwater (RB)- North Olmsted: 

16 carries, 134 rush yards, 1 rush touchdown

Top Performers

North Olmsted Eagles

Matthew Chalkwater: 16 carries, 134 rush yards, 1 rush touchdown

Normandy Invaders

Elijah Gray: 32 carries, 197 rush yards, 2 rush touchdowns

Scoring Summary 

1st Quarter

North Olmsted  8:33 – Tommy Horsfall to Michael Passafiume, 73 yards (kick good)  (7-0 North Olmsted)

2nd Quarter

North Olmsted  9:13 – Tommy Horsfall, 52-yard run (kick good)  (14-0 North Olmsted)

Normandy  5:34 – Elijah Gray, 29-yard run (2-pt no good)  (14-6 North Olmsted)

North Olmsted  3:53 – Tommy Horsfall to Michael Passafiume, 63 yards (kick good)  (21-6 North Olmsted)

3rd Quarter

North Olmsted  1:45 – Matthew Chalkwater, 6-yard run (kick good)  (28-6 North Olmsted)

4th Quarter

Normandy  10:39 – Elijah Gray, 8-yard run (kick good)  (28-13 North Olmsted)

Re-watch the KEE On Sports Game of the Week here:   North Olmsted @ Normandy