By Patrick Newell
Sun Sports Editor
SIDNEY – Sidney coach Jeff Matthews achieved a coaching milestone Friday night against Norwich, and was quick to distribute credit elsewhere.
Meanwhile, his Warriors improved to 2-0 on the season turning back the Tornado’s second-half surge in a 28-19 triumph.
Matthews took over the Sidney program in 1996, and the previous season Sidney did not have a football program due to budget constraints. In just one decade and a state title already in the hopper, Matthews has established his school as one of the burgeoning programs. He is also perched atop the victory list in school history.
“It’s longevity, and not a lot of guys have stayed in this position very long,” Matthews said. “My name is on the list, but for me to take credit for it is ridiculous. It’s the kids, and we’ve assembled a great coaching staff.”
Career win number 54 was by no means a cake walk for Matthews and his talented Sidney club, even though the host club did not punt in the game and held a total yardage advantage of 420-259.
Norwich, down 14-0 within the game's first 10 minutes, rallied to close to within 21-19 after completing a 20-play, 84-yard drive that consumed more than 10 minutes of the third quarter. On a third-down pass, Robert Martin tossed his first TD pass of the season connecting from seven yards to sophomore Tyler Slater. The two-point try to tie the game was off the mark leaving Norwich a pair of points short.
To preface Norwich's score, Sidney was poised to add to its halftime advantage rather quickly. Chase Mott rushed 59 yards to Norwich's 11 on the first play of the second half. On the subsequent play, Norwich forced a fumble that was recovered by Marco Knuth. An opportunistic NHS defense forced two key fumbles to halt Sidney drives, but when push came to shove, Sidney had the final answer early in the fourth quarter.
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