Senior quarterback Landon Hochstein threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more Friday night, racking up nearly 400 all-purpose yards as the Norwalk football team outscored Dallas Center-Grimes 42-28 to spoil the Mustangs’ 2022 Homecoming. The game was streamed live on KNIA3 via kniakrls.com.
The Class 4A ninth-ranked Warriors improved to 3-1 overall, overcoming an early 7-0 deficit and outscoring DC-G 21-7 in the second half following a 21-all tie at the break. The Mustangs dropped to 0-4 on the year, with all four losses coming against teams ranked in the top 10 of their respective class.
Hochstein passed for 175 yards in the first half, including TD passes of 13 and 18 yards to Braeden Carlson. He capped the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Dillon Ranck with 8:30 remaining and finished 16-of-24 for 206 yards with one interception. Carlson was the top receiver with five catches for 113 yards – all in the first half.
Hochstein also made his mark running the football, scoring touchdowns from six and 16 yards in the third quarter. He ended the night with 26 carries for 192 yards.
Norwalk coach Paul Patterson credits Hochstein for making smart decisions, especially in the second half, when reading DC-G’s defense.
“He did a fantastic job,” Patterson said. “Once he got settled in and we made a few adjustments up front, he was lights-out good. (He) made really good choices running the football as far as when to slide, when to get out of bounds, when to take a hit and when to get us some extra yards.”
Patterson added that Norwalk’s offensive line did an excellent job of protecting Hochstein and made blocking adjustments in the second half to keep DC-G’s linebackers from disrupting the run. He also praised the Warrior defensive front for putting pressure on Mustang quarterback Ty Mikkelsen, which helped lead to three interceptions.
At least three of Norwalk’s four takeaways in the game led directly to an offensive scoring drive.
“That’s the name of the game… taking advantage of the things that your defense creates for you,” Patterson said. “That was really big for us.”
Mikkelsen put together an impressive first half for Dallas Center-Grimes, completing 20-of-26 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns – two for Trevor Hamil and one for Hudson Ehlert. He finished the night with four TD passes and three interceptions.
Two negatives for Norwalk on the night were a pair of first-half turnovers and 12 penalties for well over 100 yards – something the Warriors will try to clean up as they open district play next Friday. Norwalk will host Boone on Homecoming night, with varsity kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.