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NORTON - The defense was on the field for nearly 16 minutes of the first half and hadn't surrendered a point.

The offense drove 57 yards and 52 yards on its first two series of the first and second halves respectively.

And just when it seemed the bottom just very might drop out on the Norton High football team Friday night at Adams Field, Adam Doucette deflected away a conversion pass, maintaining a 10-point, two-possession game for the Lancers with two minutes remaining in the Tri-Valley League game.

The Lancers just did enough, blanking the Mohawks through three quarters on defense and producing 133 yards of offense and, more importantly, seven first downs during the second half to secure a 22-12 victory over Millis.

Lancer senior quarterback Brendan St. Germaine rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown, while completing six passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns as Norton won its fifth game of the season. Senior fullback Steve Gilmore bulldozed for 71 yards rushing, Jon Sicard snared a pair of passes for 56 yards and Brendan Curtin produced 10 points with the go-ahead touchdown in the first quarter and a pair of conversions.

But, it required more than a yeoman's fourth-quarter effort on defense by the Lancers to try to corral Millis senior quarterback John Duffy, who, operating out of a shotgun formation, rushed for 62 yards and threw the ball 33 times, producing 244 yards through the air for the Mohawks.

"We made some mistakes here and there, but I think that we played great defense in the first half and again in that third quarter," said Norton coach Ted Currle.

Duffy directed Millis on 67-yard and 81-yard fourth-quarter scoring drives, throwing 23- and 13-yard touchdown passes, but both of his conversion passes fell incomplete, allowing Norton a measure of relief.

Wouldn't you know it? A pair of back-to-back defensive gems, quarterback sacks by Gilmore (for four lost yards) and Ryan Fleming (for six lost yards) on consecutive second and third down plays by Millis, which had just crossed midfield, not only prevented Millis from scoring for a seventh straight series, those stops resulted in Norton producing its third touchdown and a 22-0 lead with just over a minute left in the third quarter.

Seizing possession of the ball at the Millis 33-yard line, Norton needed just three plays to score - that being a 27-yard pass from St. Germaine to Sicard, wide open and untouched over the middle of the field.

The Lancers had taken a 16-0 lead three minutes into the second half with St. Germaine scrambling for 39 yards to the Millis three-yard line, setting up his own touchdown behind Gilmore's blocking guidance.

The Lancers appeared to be en route for a rout, scoring on its first offensive series, a seven-play march with St. Germaine completing a 29-yard pass to Sicard (advancing the ball to the Millis 28); with St. Germaine converting a fourth down and one-yard play; with St. Germaine completing a 12-yard pass to Curtin.

But, then all sorts of funk went into the Norton offense, which had the ball for just 17 plays and 92 net yards of offense in the first half. Millis crossed midfield three times in the first half, conducted 31 offensive plays and owned 15:49 possession time of the clock.

Duffy was tantalizing, the Lancers never anticipating him to throw the ball as often (6-for-16 in the first half, 10-for-17 in the second half) as he did. "On film, they were more run-oriented," said Currle, the Lancers' defensive front of Colin Ahern and Fleming at the ends, Jason Platt and Shawn Ferrini inside doing a nice job against the run (just 34 first half yards), but not being able to create more of a pass rush with the Mohawks sending three receivers wide. However, Norton, time and again, neutralized Duffy with big stops on big plays - like Gilmore dropping Duffy for a two-yard loss at the Lancer 35 forcing a third down and 10-yard play; like junior cornerback Joe Wilkes coming up with a pass interception at the Norton 12-yard line to end Millis' second series; like Ferrini making a nice tackle for only a two-yard Millis gain on a pass play, forcing a fourth down and three-yard punting situation; like sophomore Nick Jenkins dropping Duffy for a seven-yard sack on a third down play at the Norton 31 with single digits left on the first half clock.

The Lancers contributed to their offensive funk in the first half with a fumble inside Millis territory, two plays into their third offensive series; suffering a QB sack inside Millis soil on a third down play on their second series of the second half; then having two consecutive early fourth quarter series, both venturing onto Mohawk soil, also deconstruct.

"It seemed like they had the ball the entire first half, but we'll take it, it's a win," sighed Currle, he and the Lancers traveling to Medway Friday for their next TVL game.