by Streetsboro, Ohio – The Norton Panthers took over first place in the Metro Conference with a 23-13 win over Streetsboro at Quinn Field Friday evening.
Streetsboro got the ball to start the game off, but the Norton defense forced a punt after a three-and-out. The Panthers would march down the field, getting to the Rocket 5 yard line, before a Dallas Morris interception gave Streetsboro the ball back.
The Rockets took advantage as junior tailback Marcus Council ran for a 67-yard touchdown to jump ahead, 7-0, with 4:44 left in the first quarter.
Norton responded with a scoring drive of their own, as Trey Kersten found Buddy Willig for a nine-yard touchdown toss. After a successful point-after, the score was even at 7 less than two minutes into the second quarter.
Streetsboro drove down the field, getting the bulk of their yards from a long Janiere Cook run to move into Norton territory. However, they would come away empty handed due to a missed field goal.
Late in the first half, Norton drove down the field, looking to take the lead going into halftime. But the Streetsboro defense came up with a huge pass breakup on fourth down, getting the ball back on downs.
Streetsboro would then come up with a huge pass play to get into the red zone with less than 40 seconds remaining. The Rockets would try another field goal, this one from 31 yards out. However, the Panthers partially blocked the kick, keeping the score tied at the half.
Norton’s defense came up with another big play in the third quarter.
After forcing a Streetsboro three-and-out, Norton junior linebacker Jack Terzik broke through the line, blocking the punt attempt. The ball rolled into the back of the end zone for a safety, giving the Panthers a 9-7 lead with 7:17 left in the third quarter.
Now with momentum on their side, the Panthers would add to their lead, thanks to their ground game. Senior Marcus Brown was a key factor on the offensive drive, capping things off with a two-yard touchdown run. Norton’s lead would stand at 16-7 with 4:14 left in the third quarter.
After forcing a turnover on downs on the ensuing Streetsboro possession, Norton increased their lead once again.
This time, it was junior tailback Jason Beverly running it in from four yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter, increasing the Norton lead to 23-7.
But Streetsboro wasn’t out of it yet. The Rockets would block a punt of their own, and Janiere Cook scooped up the loose ball for the touchdown. Their ensuing two-point try failed, but cut the Panther lead to 23-13 with 6:38 left.
Norton would eat up nearly four minutes of clock with their ground-and-pound offense, forcing Streetsboro to use all three of its timeouts. The Rockets would get the ball back after forcing a Norton turnover on downs. Norton would force a turnover on downs of their own to ice the game.
Norton remains unbeaten at 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Metro Conference. They will host Cloverleaf next Friday, October 3rd, to continue conference play.
Streetsboro drops to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the Metro Conference. They will travel to Woodridge next Friday, October 3rd, to continue conference play.
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