The opponent this week for Norwich (1-1) tonight is longtime rival Chenango Forks (2-1), a school the Purple Tornado have not beaten since the 1999 Class B championship team routed the Blue Devils. The focus, though, isn’t just preparing for the Blue Devils, but restoring the physical brand of play for which NHS is known. Sidney consistently beat Norwich at the line of scrimmage last week in a 12-6 win over Norwich, and the NHS coaching staff took notice.

“It came down to the basics: We didn’t block or tackle well last week,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “We saw that as coaches, and it was something we had to work on. We want to be more physical up front in running our base offense, and everyone needs to take personal accountability. We’ve had a good week of practice, and I expect the kids will play hard.”

Chenango Forks is no longer a rival to Norwich in the Class B ranks, but it is the marquis program in Section IV over the past 10 years “They have a fantastic program, and we’ve had a difficult time beating them,” Martinson said “Forks doesn’t rebuild, they reload (every year). They are tough in the red zone and play great defense.”