FOOTBALL: Class B No. 7 Waverly Rallies Twice To Beat No. 9 Norris

FIRTH–(KLMS Oct. 22)–In typical rivalry fashion, neither the Waverly or Norris football teams wanted to quit or give up in their Class B showdown Friday night.

The Class B No. 7 Vikings proved they still had determination left when they were down by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and stormed back to force overtime, but it was Devin Moore’s 18-yard field goal that gave Waverly a 52-49 victory in three overtimes against the No. 9 Titans.

With both teams playoff bound, not only were their bragging rights on the line but playoff seeding implications were also a factor in the game’s outcome.

Waverly (6-3) scored on the game’s opening drive of 74-yards when quarterback Cole Murray sneaked the ball into the end zone for an early 7-0 advantage. Then Norris dominated for much of the game from that point.

The Titans got a one-yard touchdown run from running back Blake Macklin to tie the game late in the first quarter. Macklin would score two more times in the first half, including a 48-yard run with 6:52 left in the second quarter. After Eli Holt intercepted a Murray pass and returned it 46-yards for a touchdown, Norris scored again when Macklin scored of a 27-yard run with 56 seconds left before halftime to push the Titans ahead 28-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, Waverly’s Preston Harms broke free for an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 28-14 at halftime.

The Vikings then trimmed the Titan lead to 28-21 with 1:52 left in the third quarter, when Murray again scored on a short 2-yard run. Norris responded with 9:21 left in regulation when quarterback Cooper Hausmann threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Macklin to extend the lead to 35-21.

The Titans would later punt the ball with 5:04 left in the game to the Viking 15-yard line. A few plays later, Murray threw an 81-yard touchdown pass to Harms, who bobbled teh ball about the Waverly 45-yard line before catching it and racing down the field to pull the Vikings to within a score, 35-28. Murray would tie the game at 35 with 2:23 to play, off a short run into the end zone that was set up by a 45-yard pass reception from Riley Marsh.

Norris later recovered a Waverly fumble with 1:06 left in the game, but the drive stalled as time ran out in regulation.

The Titans got first possession in overtime and scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Colton Wahlstrom, then the Vikings countered with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Ruelas. Waverly got the ball to start the second overtime and Noah Maahs caught an 11-yard toss into the end zone to give the Vikings their first lead since the first quarter, 49-42.

Facing pressure from the Waverly defense, Hausmann then found Kale Consbruck on a 10-yard touchdown pass as Norris tied the game at 49 and forced a third overtime. The Titans came up empty on their possession and a series of run plays put Waverly at the Norris one-yard line, which then set up Moore’s game-winning field goal.

Norris finishes the regular season at 4-5 and will head to the playoffs.