Landon Hochstein completed 20 of 24 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns, and added another 64 yards and one touchdown rushing on 15 carries as Norwalk opened the 2022 football season with a 44-20 victory over Pella in a game heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

The score was tied at 14 after a fast and furious first quarter that saw both teams score touchdowns on its first two drives. Hochstein started the scoring with a two yard run before Pella answered with a CJ Shetterly 12-yard catch from Beau Busch. Two plays later, Keilor Rodman made a one-handed catch and run for a 79-yard score, then two plays after that, Pella’s Kenson Fuller bolted 74 yards to pay dirt.

From that point forward, it was all Norwalk. Hochstein hit Dillon Ranck on a 20-yard strike to cap a 99-yard touchdown drive, then after the Warriors tackled Pella punter Luke Hardman in the end zone for a safety, Hochstein hit Braeden Carlson for a seven yard score right before halftime.

Norwalk coach Paul Patterson couldn’t have been more pleased with the way his offense executed the game plan last night.

“Landon running things for us is very, very intelligent. And then we’ve got some playmakers out on the edge for us. One of the biggest benefits for us is that if you’re going to try to match us up man, you’re going to run out of guys eventually. We’ve got four or five guys that we feel confident that can get out there and run and catch and make plays for us.”

It was 44-14 Warriors before the Dutch capped the scoring on a Trey Van Hauen 14-yard touchdown catch from Bush midway through the fourth quarter. He finished 17-of-24 for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Coach Jay McKinstrey gives Norwalk a ton of credit for controlling the game, and says that his team made too many mistakes when it mattered most.

“The margin for error in a game like this against a team like that is like a playoff game – a playoff game deep into the playoffs. When it was 14-14 and we had a penalty while we were driving in their territory, things like that hurt. It’s harder to overcome things like that in a game like this. You just can’t have those mistakes.”

Pella starts the season 0-1 and will travel to North Polk next Friday, while Norwalk is 1-0 and hosts Des Moines Lincoln in week two action.