Hail Varsity was on the scene in Waverly on a chilly night. That was the the site of a top-5 matchup to finish out the regular season in Class B between the Waverly Vikings and the Norris Titans. The Vikings took the game, 24-0, to move to 7-2 on the season. They were physical all evening long which powered their victory. Norris drops to 7-2 with the loss.
Here are five thoughts on the game.
Bring Your Lunch Pail
From the start of the game, Waverly came out attacking and fired up. It seemed like the Vikings wanted to establish a physical style of play right away and that worked for the team all game. There was no bigger example of the energy that the Vikings played with all game than the goal line stand they had to close out the first half. The Vikings controlled the line of scrimmage all game. It was a cold and windy game but that didn’t seem to affect Waverly much.
Norris Skill Guys
Even though the offense struggled, you can see the talent on Norris’ offense. Tight end James Carnie is the headliner but there are other guys for defenses to worry about. Nebraska baseball commit CJ Hood is a good receiver for the team. Senior Trey Deveaux is another good tight end option for the Titans as well. Quarterback Cooper Hausmann was up and down through this game but had some nice flashes too.
Impressed with Waverly Defense
The Vikings defense was swarming all game long. Senior linebacker Evan Canoyer and junior defensive back Riley Marsh were the leaders. Both were all over the field as well but it was a great team effort. Norris is one of the most prolific offenses in Class B. It’s pretty impressive that the Waverly defense shut them out.
Carnie Gave it a Go
Carnie was tough and is playing through an undisclosed injury. Just like the entire team though, Carnie just couldn’t get going in this game. It’s not wise to making sweeping judgements on prospects off one game, especially when they are nicked up like Carnie is. Hopefully he is healthy and ready to roll for the playoff run.
Class B Playoffs Will be Wild
As we start turning our attention to the playoffs, it’s looking like we are in for a wild ride in the Class B playoffs. The top 10 in the class has been pretty consistent all season. Its been the same group of teams but the teams keep jumping each other and shuffling around. Omaha Skutt could end up being a six or seven seed which would really make them a dangerous team. Things are wide open in the Class B playoffs. That should make for an unpredictable run to the state championship.