Highlighted by a career night from senior running back Dominic Tigner, the Norwalk football team outlasted Glenwood 29-26 in Friday’s regular-season finale at Mineart Field. The Week 9 contest was streamed live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3).

Unofficially, Tigner carried the ball 36 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns as the Warriors won their fifth straight game since starting the season 1-3. They improved to 6-3 overall and finished 5-0 as the champion of Class 4A, District 6.

Glenwood, which ended their season 3-6 overall and 2-3 in district play, scored 14 unanswered points during a two-minute span to take a 26-21 lead with 9:27 remaining. Norwalk responded with a 65-yard scoring drive, including Tigner’s 57-yard run on a third-and-long audible call. Tigner scored from a yard out with 6:47 left in the game, and Eli Robbins’ throwback pass to quarterback James Hatlevig on a two-point conversion made it 29-26.

The Warriors got the ball back on Robbins’ second interception of the second half and Tigner converted on fourth down to help run out the clock. Norwalk coach Paul Patterson tells KNIA/KRLS Sports that Friday’s outcome was an example of the team’s growth. Patterson says the Warriors would have struggled to win this type of game during the first half of the season.

“It’s been tremendous to watch this group grow,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to say that this was our best game of the year, but from a fight and an adversity standpoint it was pretty good, and pretty big for us as far as getting ready for what we’re going to see here in the next week.”

According to Patterson, Tigner is likely the Warriors’ first single-game 200-yard rusher since Dante Manuel against Carlisle in 2019. Defensively, Norwalk allowed some big plays on the night but came up with four takeaways: two INTs by Robbins, one for Kadan Borcherding-Johnson and a fumble recovery by Hayden Demaray.

Hatlevig opened the scoring with a three-yard touchdown pass to Tim Koerselman and the Warriors led 14-0 after one quarter before Glenwood outscored them 26-7 during the middle portion of the game. Rams’ senior quarterback Cole Staudt ran for two touchdowns and also connected with Kaden Crouch on a 39-yard TD pass.

Norwalk, which clinched the District 6 title with last week’s 21-7 win at Lewis Central, will host a 4A first round playoff game next Friday night. Their opponent will be announced on Saturday.