When a high school football team is 2-4, the idea of making the playoffs is usually something of an afterthought.
 

But it's certainly on the minds of the 2-4 Cardinals.
While things haven't gone the way Newton or its fans would have liked so far through six games, the team still is very much alive in the playoff picture with two district games remaining. The Cardinals' 17-7 win over Dallas Center-Grimes last Friday evened their Class 3A District 4 record at 2-2, which is the only record that matters in terms of whose season ends on Oct. 19 and who gets to keep playing at least one more week.
 

Newton's first two games — a 42-12 loss to Norwalk and 12-6 loss to Knoxville — certainly weren't pretty to watch, but they have no bearing on the team's postseason hopes.