By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

Norton prep football coach Lucas Melvin and Wichita-Collegiate coach Bill Messamore are each impressed with the Bluejays' strong defense. Norton's defense has picked off 23 passes, tied for second-most among Kansas 11-man teams, forced 39 turnovers and collected 25 sacks, the most in Melvin's four seasons as head coach.

"We feel like we have some guys that have done a very good job in the pass rush," Melvin said. "It's not just them. It's the whole defense doing their job. The defensive backs have been doing a pretty good job in coverage. Makes the quarterback hold it a little longer which helps the defense out, too."

Norton has permitted 140 points this season, including 49 points in three playoff games. Last week, the Bluejays held Hutchinson-Trinity's high-scoring, passing offense in check, forcing five turnovers in a 17-7 win.

"It's the sum of the parts," Messamore said.

"I really believe they have some great athletes on their team, but I think it is the way they are playing together. Coach Melvin has got them playing hard every single snap and they run around and they hit you. They are aggressive."

The victory propelled Norton (9-3) into the Class 3A sub-state championship game on Saturday against Collegiate (12-0). Kickoff is 2 p.m. at Norton's Travis Field.

"Our defensive line and our linebackers have gotten to the quarterback and the ball carrier," said junior middle linebacker Kaid McKenna, the team leader with 128 tackles. "Putting pressure on them and making them throw it up so our DBs can make plays on it."

It's the first sub-state title contest for Norton since 1989; the Bluejays won state titles in 1985 and 1986. Collegiate was runner-up in 1993 and won championships in 1994 and 2000.

For the third straight week, Norton will have a home game. Playing contests at Travis Field has helped, especially in the postseason. In the last three years, Norton is 16-2 at home, 9-7 on the road. The Bluejays, who had struggled in road playoff contests in recent seasons, defeated Beloit at home in the second round of the playoffs -- the first time Norton had made the third round since 2003. Then, they defeated Hutchinson-Trinity last Saturday. This week, Collegiate will make the trip from Wichita and Norton. They were to stop off in Hays today and practice at Fort Hays State University.

"It's huge to get to play at home," Melvin said. "Not only do we like to play here, but the support at home is obviously a big plus for us."

Collegiate, 20-2 in the past two seasons, has outscored opponents 536-124 behind the state's top passing offense. Senior quarterback Blake Jablonski is 214-of-330 passing for 3,365 yards with 43 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Senior wideout Brett LeMaster has 51 catches for 1,088 yards. LeMaster was ejected in last week's game against Scott City, but can play Saturday. LeMaster retaliated to a Scott City player's late hit, but not with a closed fist.

"The officials that threw the flag on the opposite side of him thought it was a closed hand and thought the penalty was late," Messamore said. "I never disagreed with the penalty itself, but as far as suspending him for something like that, that would have been ridiculous. He did write an apology to Scott City. He has apologized to the team and he has done some extra conditioning for it. That's part of our rules. It was not flagrant."

Wideout Tre Bailey, a 6-foot-6 senior, has 48 catches for 684 yards. Last season, Bailey and Jablonski switched off at quarterback, but this year, it's been just Jablonski at quarterback.

"He stands there at the inside and he controls the middle of the defense," Messamore said. "I think really Blake's success this year is really a direct correlation to Tre going in and making that move."

Norton's offense has multiple threats, including junior running back Terrell Lane. Hampered by an ankle injury in the first part of the season, Lane still has 956 yards rushing, while senior quarterback Connor Pfannenstiel has passed for 10 TDs and senior running back Zane Perez has picked up 670 yards rushing. Many teams have made Lane the focus, but Messamore won't.

"Their quarterback is a very good runner," he said. "Their fullback is a very good runner and they have a couple good wide receivers, I think it would be a mistake to solely try to shut down Lane."

Norton's defense also has contained multiple opponents, especially in the postseason. In the first five playoff games of Melvin's tenure, Norton has allowed 24.2 points per game. This season, it's dropped to 16.3.

"No matter what happens that play, you always make the next play better," McKenna said.

This year, Norton has the best scoring defense, most sacks, interceptions and fumbles in the Melvin tenure. Senior Ashton Draper has six interceptions, while senior Landon Hamel has picked off five passes. Juniors Jeremy Sproul and Justin Griffith and senior Tyler Cook all have four sacks; they combined for one last season. McKenna took over for Zac Dreher, a three-year all-conference pick and 2009 Shrine Bowl selection.

"The biggest thing that we emphasize is to play together," Melvin said.

"Learn to do your job, trust your teammates to do their job. Play hard. We talk about being aggressive and being hitters and these guys have bought into that and they do a good job of it."