QB Jack Salopek, Norwin defense lead shutout of Butler

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 28, 2018 | 10:36 PM

Norwin quarterback Jack Salopek looked like he was being protected by the Secret Service on Friday. His passes flew like Air Force One to his intended targets. And the Knights made quick work of the Golden Tornado, carving up Butler’s secondary with ease in a 42-0 victory in Class 6A Section 1.

Salopek’s performance — 239 passing yards and three touchdowns — was the kind of display Norwin (3-3, 2-2) hoped to have against Butler (0-6, 0-4). Salopek added a 4-yard touchdown run

Norwin struck in the first quarter when Salopek threw into double coverage to receiver Gianni Rizzo, who made a circus catch in the corner of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown. Rizzo also scored on a 57-yard run in the second half.

The Knights scored through the air twice in the second quarter when Salopek connected on a 52-yard pass to Billy Kerston and on a 9-yard pass to Sean Pavlik.

“Jack Salopek is a special player for us, and he has the ability to make nice plays,” Norwin coach Dave Brozeski said. “He got some help from his receivers today, the offensive line and the running backs, too. It’s a great team win, and Jack is definitely our general on our offense and a leader on our team.”

Butler showed promise with four scoring opportunities in the first half but failed to break the shutout. The Golden Tornado ran 40 plays compared to the Knights 14 entering halftime, and quarterback Kyler Callihan had 122 of his 152 rushing yards in the first half.

Two first-half Golden Tornado drives into the red zone were stopped because of errant snaps, one resulting in a 20-yard sack and the other a turnover. A third drive to the Knights 27-yard line, which was set up by a Bryan Presco interception, was stalled after a holding penalty. A fourth drive into Norwin territory was stopped by less than a yard on a failed fourth-down attempt.

Butler crossed midfield twice in the second half but turned the ball over on a fumble and lost 16 yards on another bad snap.

Butler coach Eric Christy said his team could take away positives on offense after rushing for more than 200 yards.

“We can’t make the small mistakes, but we can use some of this to build up our confidence and keep going,” Christy said. “The teams don’t get any easier, but we were able to move the ball a lot tonight and that’s exciting. Once we get inside the 20-yard line, we just have to keep going.”

Norwin scored a defensive touchdown in the second quarter when Ethan Nelson recovered a fumble and returned it 20 yards.

“We saw some of our run (defense) was off, and we weren’t disciplined in some of our fits,” Brozeski said. “Butler was able to make some plays and move the ball, and that’s something we have to work on. Overall, I’m proud of the way the defense played, because they were opportunistic with forcing turnovers, and anytime you get a shutout it’s a great thing for the defense.”

Shawn Annarelli is a freelance writer.

Tags: Butler, Norwin