Grafton picks it up after Norton goes down

The Grafton High School football team saw enough flukes go their opponents’ way in the first six quarters on their home turf and, despite losing a star to injury, they weren’t going to let a second straight game slip away.

Down, 12-7, at halftime to Woodland Conference foe Wisconsin Lutheran last Friday, the Black Hawks outscored the Vikings, 21-0, in the second half to pull out a 28-12 win.

The Vikings found success early on quick running plays up the middle to a couple of different backs with the offensive line always pushing forward, usually for a few yards and sometimes for big gains.

In the second half, the Hawks stuffed those plays and held the Vikings to less than 70 yards of offense.

“When we went into halftime, coaches said we gotta stop them. Our biggest goal was to stop that dive back and it succeeded. Then we were able to move on and stop their pass and really shut them down after that,” outside linebacker Dalton Reindl said.

“In the second half, it was we need to want it more. We need to want it every play and bring it every play, and that’s what we did and we delivered,” outside linebacker Jackson Heinle said.

The Hawks only had three possessions in the first half, but in the second its running game broke open for large chunks of yardage for the first time this season. Hearts stopped, however, when Chase Norton injured his arm after stumbling on an 18-yard run to the 3-yard line. Norton, the Woodland Conference Back of the Year last season after rushing for 1,441 yards and 14 touchdowns, was carted off the field.

In came junior Tommy Lutz, who wasn’t going to let a 14-12 lead and the momentum disappear.

Lutz finished the drive in the end zone on the next play, and the entire offense turned and pointed to where Norton left the stadium.

The defense followed suit. Mason Lempke blanketed a Viking receiver on fourth and seven, and the Hawks went back to work on Wisconsin Lutheran’s 35-yard line up, 21-12, with six minutes left.

Lutz scored on a one-yard plunge 11 plays later for the game’s final touchdown.

“We’re all praying for Chase. That last part of the game was for Chase for sure,” offensive guard and defensive tackle Josh Lee-O’Bryant said. “That’s our guy. Imagine he comes out, he gets injured, then we lose. He’s already hurt, and then he’s gotta worry about us losing, so we had to step it up for him.”

“Everyone was down. The game was close, but it wasn’t over,” Lutz said of the mood when Norton got hurt. “Everyone stepped up. I stepped up, our O-line stepped up, definitely. We got a push and sealed the game.”

Norton rushed 18 times for 76 yards and a score. Lutz ran 11 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Vince Cameranesi went 7-for-17 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions. Jaeden Tiegs caught five balls for 69 yards, including a 10-yard slant for a touchdown in the second quarter. He stretched the ball out just enough before the Vikings smothered him.

“I honestly did not think I was that close. I caught the ball, turned one yard away and was falling down and did a little reach,” Tiegs said.

Inside linebacker Ben Birch picked off a pass in the first half as Ben Dobberfuhl was pulling Viking Johnny Guo to the ground, but on the next play a Cameranesi pass was batted into the air at the line and picked off. Cameranesi also threw an interception on a slant that a Viking stuck his hands up to catch.

“We talked as coaches. We had some demons to kill out here,” coach Jim Norris said.

“This team doesn’t flinch. We’re going stand up there, we’ll take one to the chin, and you bet we’re going to pop you right back.”

Grafton’s defense has allowed seven points in the final two quarters of every game combined this season. Port Washington last week scored on a Ben Fritsch 59-yard run in the third quarter, and the game-changing score was a fumble return in a 22-21 win.

Against the Vikings, Birch and Lee-O’Bryant each had eight tackles. Reindl, Itaza Manzoor, Garrett Bonk and Nathan Krause each had six. Heinle had five and Max Aria had four.

“It seems to be a common theme. Defense continues to come through in the second half,” Norris said.

Birch said a formation change helped.

“We put Josh, who is our best D-lineman, on the weak side, which they were running on. That worked really well. They couldn’t stop that,” he said.

 On offense, Norris was comfortable with Lutz filling in for Norton.

“He’s a hell of a back. We’ve known that from the beginning, and he’s even a better kid,” Norris said.

“The one thing with this group is that you find adversity, you face adversity, they are accountable. They don’t point fingers and they find ways to get better.”

The Hawks, 2-1, play at Whitnall (0-3) on Friday.