With the 2024 season opener less than two weeks away, Norwalk football coach Paul Patterson says that his players are dialed in and fighting for their respective spots on the field.

The Warriors return several key pieces from last year’s 5-5 campaign, which included a 2-3 record and fourth-place finish in Class 4A, District 6. Norwalk secured an at-large playoff berth and lost to Glenwood 21-0 in the first round. From an attitude and effort standpoint, Patterson tells KNIA Sports that he is excited about the way things have looked during preseason camp and the first week of practice.

“The two things that I’ve been most excited about for us as a collective football program – one, is our energy,” he said. “I just think that that’s been good. That includes effort. Those things have been really good. And then, for me, the coachability piece has been significant for us this year. Taking what it is that somebody is correcting you on and then working really hard to make that correction has been really fun to watch.”

Some of Norwalk’s returning starters this year include linemen Kolton Borcherding-Johnson and Carter Eden, receivers Eli Robbins and Tim Koerselman, tight end Luke Brewer, running back Dominic Tigner, linebackers Harrison Tripp and Tyler Stanford, and kicker Tyden Eng.

The Warriors will scrimmage Waukee Northwest on Friday night in Norwalk. The season opener is Friday, August 30 – a home game against Carlisle.