MEDFIELD — The harsh elements didn’t change Medfield’s offensive game plan against Norton on Thursday night.
Getting the ball in the hands of senior star running back Brady McCormack is weatherproof.
McCormack yet again ran wild for the Warriors, piling up 219 yards rushing on 16 carries with three total touchdowns in a 30-12 victory over the Lancers at Calvin George Fisher Field. The win gave undefeated Medfield (8-0) at least a share of the Tri-Valley League Small title for the first time since 2007 and the Warriors can take the crown outright with a win over Dover-Sherborn on Thanksgiving.
“This is very, very special what they’ve accomplished,” Medfield head coach Erik Ormberg said. “We told them time and time again, ’Some teams are remembered and some are remembered forever.’ And they get to put a number on that banner in the gym and that means a lot to a lot of people.”
Medfield held Norton (4-4), which came into the contest averaging 36.8 points per game, to no first downs in the second quarter to lead 14-0 at halftime, but the Lancers showed their big-play ability on just the second play of the third quarter.
Norton quarterback Jacoby Flynn (13-for-21, 161 yards) broke several tackles on his way to a 56-yard touchdown run to give the Lancers a spark and trim the deficit to 14-6.
But then McCormack turned in his biggest play of the game, and it came on special teams. McCormack first bobbled the ensuing kickoff before bolting up the middle for a 96-yard touchdown run. The Warriors converted the two-point try thanks to a pass from Owen Sokolowski to Owen Graber to seize back full control with a 22-6 lead.
“Obviously didn’t really want to fumble it,” McCormack said. “I was just getting ready to scan the field, I saw the hole and I hit it. I knew I had to make something happen after we got that long touchdown scored on us. I just wanted to respond and get the momentum back.”
McCormack, who got off to a slow start but got things going midway through the second quarter by turning on his jets with a 79-yard touchdown run, found the end zone again on Medfield’s next possession on an 11-yard run to give the Warriors a commanding 30-6 lead with 5:19 left in the third quarter.
The rain and the wind forced Medfield to keep the ball on the ground for the entirety of the game and the Warriors struck first with 3:05 left in the first quarter by going to its secondary rushing options with Norton keying in on McCormack. Sokolowski faked an inside handoff and kept it himself for a 25-yard touchdown run. McCormack ran in the two-point try to give the Warriors an 8-0 lead.
“I’m not the only one who has legs on this team,” McCormack said. “We can definitely get it rolling other ways.”…
