Norwalk Scores and Standings: Aug 31

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1. Redd top rushing threat for Penn State

Former King Low Heywood & Thomas standout Silas Redd is listed as Penn State's No. 1 running back on the Nittany Lions' depth chart heading into Saturday's season opener against Indiana State.

The 5-10, 210-pound tailback could be ready for a breakout campaign after a solid freshman season a year ago.

Last season, Redd was the Nittany Lions' second-leading rusher with 437 yards while scoring a pair of touchdowns.

Redd recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game with 131 yards on only 11 carries (11.9 average) in Penn State's 35-21 come-from-behind win against Northwestern.

Evan Royster rushed for 134 yards, marking only the fourth time in the program's storied history that two running backs surpassed 130 yards in the same game.

Penn State hadn't accomplished the feat since September 25, 1971, when Nittany Lion legends Lydell Mitchell (211) and Franco Harris (145) blitzed Iowa.

Known for his explosive speed, Redd is expected to get the bulk of the carries this season following the graduation of Royster, Penn State's all-time leading rusher.

Many observers, in fact, feel that the Norwalk native is on a fast track to the NFL.

Redd and sophomore linebacker Khairi Fortt, who hails from Stamford, are returning Nittany Lions from Connecticut. They first met at Penn State's summer football camp and forged a friendship that would bring both of them to Happy Valley in January 2010.

2. Andrew Johnson competing in World Rowing Championship

Greenwich's Andrew Johnson, who competes for Norwalk River Rowing, helped lead the United States' legs/trunk/arms mixed four team into the semifinal Tuesday at the World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovakia. The team also includes coxswain Alex Stein of Stamford.

Racing against Brazil, Russia, Estonia and Belarus, the U.S. crew jumped into the lead in the first 500 meters and then held steady through the second half to win and advance to the semifinal Saturday.

The quartet finished in 3:35.28, more than four seconds ahead of second-place Brazil.

A graduate of Greenwich High School, the 21-year-old Johnson competes for Norwalk River Rowing. He is set to graduate from Connecticut College in 2012.

Johnson is in his third year on the U.S. Senior national team. He finished sixth in the adaptive four with coxswain at last year's world rowing championships and eighth in the 2009 championships.

On Wednesday, Norwalk's Dan Walsh will be in action as the men’s eight crew looks to reach the final.

Three boats advance to the final. The U.S. drew the defending world champion Germans, along with The Netherlands and New Zealand, who finished fourth and fifth at 2010 World Rowing Championships, respectively. Poland and Ukraine are also in the race.

A 1996 graduate of McMahon High School, Walsh earned an undergraduate degree in sports medicine from Northeastern University in 2002.

Walsh finishes sixth in the men's eight at the 2010 World Rowing Championships and won a bronze medal in the event at the 2008 Olympic Games.

3. Norwalk's Madaffari wins Lightfoot Summer Series race

Norwalk's Chris Madaffari, who will be a senior on the McMahon cross country team this fall, won the the 34th annual Norwalk Lightfoot Summer Series 11-mile race on Sunday.

Madaffari completed the course in a time 1:06.46, which was more than two minutes ahead of runner-up Jeff Zarrilli of Darien (1:08.55) Norwalk's Yee-Ning Cheng finished third in 1:12.38.

Norwalk's Julie Heaphy was the first women across the finish line, posting a time of 1:12.56.

Kathernine Katz of Arlington, Va., finished second (1:16.59), followed by Greenwich's Meredith Kalish (1:22.17). Heaphy won four of the five races in the series.

The Lightfoot Summer series concludes with a half marathon on Sept. 10 at Fox Run School.

3. Football scrimmages

Here is this week's scrimmage schedule for Norwalk, which is beginning its first season under coach Sean Ireland:

Wednesday -- West Haven at Norwalk, 6 p.m.

Saturday -- Norwalk at Wilton Jamboree, 9 a.m.