A new era of KNIA/KRLS football coverage begins tonight with the premiere of the KNIA Area Game of the Week. Tonight’s matchup features the newest school to our coverage as Norwalk makes the short road trip to Carlisle for a Warren County showdown. The War-Cat Trophy is on the line tonight in a battle of teams along the Highway 5 bypass. Norwalk has won two straight and four of five in a series that has been played every year since 2006. Head Coach Paul Patterson says that his team knows what to expect from Carlisle, and it’s just a matter of how well his team defends the option.

“We know what we’re going to get from Coach Hoekstra and the Wildcats over there, we’re going to get option. And that’s a tough bill to prepare for when you don’t see option any other time. So I think that’s a key piece for us, is how well we defend the option. Can they do what they did to us last year, which is, they might have had the football for 42 minutes. They did a really good job of controlling the clock and controlling the game from an offensive standpoint. Can we get off the field on third down is going to be a key piece.”

While the teams have played for several years in a row, this will be the first-ever season opener between the teams. Norwalk has replaced a lot of talent, but boasts a talented trio of receivers with plenty of playing experience under their belts, and will likely be responsible for a large portion of this year’s offense.

Tonight’s game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. from Carlisle High School. Jon Mohwinkle and Chris Larson will have the call on the KNIA3 stream at KNIAKRLS.com with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30.