The Norwalk football team didn’t win at Glenwood Friday night, but the Warriors are still headed to the Class 4A playoffs.

In a surprise outcome, Norwalk earned one of four at-large playoff berths in Class 4A despite finishing the regular season with a 5-4 record following a 53-35 loss to the Rams. The Warriors, who finished with the No. 14 RPI in 4A, will be one of 16 teams in the playoffs next Friday. The pairings will be announced on Saturday morning.

Norwalk held first-quarter leads of 7-0 and 14-7 at Glenwood, but the Rams scored the final 17 points of the first half to lead 24-14 and used a third-quarter scoring drive to go up 31-14. The Warriors pulled within 31-28 early in the fourth, but turned the ball over three times in the final stanza, capped by Preston Longchaya’s scoop-and-score TD off a strip-sack with 1:10 left in the game.

Norwalk quarterback Aidan Harder threw four touchdown passes in defeat, including a 65-yarder to Brady Schmitz on the third play from scrimmage. Keilor Rodman had two TD catches and Eli Robbins scored two touchdowns as well.

The Warriors were unable to stop Glenwood’s rushing attack on the night. Trent Patton scored on first-half runs of 57 and 27 yards for the Rams while Kellen Scott ran for three scores in the second half.

Norwalk, which finished 2-3 in District 6, will play an opponent to be determined on Friday, October 27, at 7:00 p.m.