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Unlike the intermittent rain showers, Norfolk Catholic was relentless Thursday night.
The Class C1 #1 Knights (9-0) kept pounding away at Boone Central/Newman Grove with a combination of size, power, speed and quickness in a showdown for the C1-3 District title at Norfolk’s Veterans Memorial Field.
That relentless drive resulted in a 21-point burst in the final three minutes of the first half that propelled a dominant 42-14 victory.
“Well, we got outperformed in all phases, from game plan to offense, defense and special teams,” said Cardinal Coach Mark Hudson. “They made more plays than we did the entire first half.”
Although both of these C1 titans – longtime Mid-State Conference rivals – are always prepared for this matchup, Norfolk Catholic may have had just a touch of extra incentive, having lost twice to the Cardinals in each of the past two seasons.
Whatever the motivation, Knight Coach Jeff Bellar felt the performance might have been his team’s highlight of the season to date.
“I thought we played a really good first half. We played really good defense. Overall, that might be the most complete game we’ve played all year,” Bellar praised. “Boone Central (Newman Grove) is a good football team. That’s not a team anyone can take lightly. They can beat anybody on any given night.
“We just played extremely well.”
The key to Norfolk Catholic’s ninth straight win appeared in large part the Knight’s ability to control the line of scrimmage. Catholic rushed for 275 yards in the contest, while limiting BC/NG to just 74 yards on the ground.
“They’re a great football team across the board, and they played better and had more success across the front,” Cardinal Coach Mark Hudson told media following the game. “I think we’re still a great football team across the front – they’re outstanding.”
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