Cardinals ready to roll with new wave of players

Next man up.

Newton High’s football team lost key players to graduation, but Cardinal head coach Ed Ergenbright expects returning players to step up. The 2015 Cardinals are in the “next man up” mode.

“There’s no doubt we lost some familiar faces to our program. There were many of those seniors who were three-year starters,” Ergenbright said.

“But, I really like the players we have this year. They’ve been waiting in the wings, and it’s there chance to shine. We will feature what we do have in personnel this season. We have the same type of speed and ability among the players we have on the team.”

Newton stays with the gun-rocket offense. Ergenbright said the Cardinal offense can be easily adapted to personnel changes.

“We have a new wave of guys and some of the schemes in the gun-rocket offense will change. I really like the passing game out of it, and it allows us to show people different looks. We can add to it to make us more diversified offensively,” Ergenbright said. “It has been good to us so far.”

Newton was in the fray for the Class 3A District 6 championship right to the end a year ago. The Cardinals finished in a three-way tie for second at 4-2. Ballard was the district champion at 5-1.

The Cardinals earned the No. 4 seed out of the district, making the 3A playoffs for the first time since 2012. They narrowly missed the playoffs in 2013. They claimed a big win over Clear Creek-Amana in the first round of the 2014 playoffs to reach the second round for the first time since 2007.

Newton’s ride was over the next week in a loss to eventual 3A champion and undefeated Pella.

“Our district is as wide open as it has been for awhile. Gilbert and Ballard have good teams coming back while Grinnell, Bondurant-Farrar, Benton and Nevada will be much improved,” Ergenbright said. “The district is balanced, and we’ll be competitive with any team in the district.”

Newton has two strong leaders — senior running back Joseph Banfield and senior defensive back Bryce Tish — to anchor the Cardinals on both sides of the football. They are joined by the rest of the seniors on the team as captains this season.

Banfield and Tish received district honorable mention honors last year.

Banfield, who is 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, was Newton’s third-leading rusher with 519 yards on 89 carries, which was 11th best in District 6. Banfield had seven rushing touchdowns. He led the district in yards per kickoff return at 35.4 and had one kickoff return of 82 yards for a touchdown.

Tish is a three-year starter as free safety for the Cardinals. He ranked 18th in tackles (53.5) in District 6. Tish, who is 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, was third in tackles for the team. He had 41 unassisted tackles, 12.5 assisted tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a half of quarterback sack. Tish made two interceptions.

There are some whole-sale changes in the backfield and receiving corps for 2015. Ergenbright said the skill positions such as running back and receiver are still the strength of the team.

“Joe Banfield was having a huge year for us running the ball before he broke his finger in week four, which slowed him down. Joe is our top running back returning and we really like what we see from him,” Ergenbright said.

“Reese Rosenquist and Dalton Nevels are back. Reese got in varsity games last year and showed he is a dangerous ball carrier. He runs hard. Dalton did a good job in junior varsity games last year, and has made strides with his work in the weight room.”

Rosenquist is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior who rushed for 201 yards on 26 carries with four touchdowns last year. Nevels, a 5-foot-9, 160-pound senior, had three carries for 52 yards.

Providing depth at wingback and tailback are 6-foot, 175-pound senior Jwan Roush and sophomores Jace Lukefahr (5-foot-11, 185) and Tristin Langmaid (5-foot-11, 170), who were the big rushers for a successful freshman team a year ago.

Roush was not out for football last year. Ergenbright said Roush is an exceptional athlete with good speed and leaping ability. He said Roush proved this summer he can catch the football. Lukefahr is Banfield’s back up at tailback. Langmaid is physical enough as a player to make the step up to varsity level, Ergenbright said.

Finding a new starting quarterback is a factor for the Cardinals this year. Ergenbright said three players — senior Parker Schuster, junior Reagan Maple and sophomore Garrett Sturtz — are vying for that role. He said each one brings something different to the table in the quarterback spot.

Schuster and Maple were junior varsity quarterbacks last year, and Schuster was the backup varsity quarterback. Sturtz guided the offense for the freshman team.

“We feel comfortable with anyone of them as the varsity quarterback. They all know the offense and have been rotating in to work with the first unit during practices. Once we get the pads on and get into contact practice, we’ll evaluate the three and develop a depth chart,” Ergenbright said. “All three can play defense for us also.”

Tish and senior Jake Bennett have seen most of their playing time on the defensive side of the football. This season they will be leading the receiving corps. Senior Andrew Weiland put in the work over the summer to prove he can play tight end, moving from offensive tackle. Two others are working at the tight end spot in junior Josh Gulling and sophomore Ryan Constant.

Ergenbright said the tight end spot is a key blocking position for the Cardinal offensive scheme. He said all three have proven they can block well.

“How far we go this year, I believe, will be determined how our top five offensive linemen and a mix of other players on the line will take us,” Ergenbright said. “We believe this line can be every bit as good as last year’s offensive line, maybe a little more physical. We’re more balanced across the board up front.”

Seniors Duncan Lee and Jacob Smith are anchors along the line. Lee returns as a 5-foot-11, 205-pound guard while Smith, 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, steps into the starting center job. Sophomore Caden Manning (6-foot-2, 265) moves from center to tackle while junior Caleb Kite (6-foot-1, 215) is the other tackle. Alex Miller (5-foot-9, 220) has being working a guard.

Other players expected to provide depth at the offensive and defensive line spots are juniors Lucas Montgomery and Trenton Brady and sophomores Benny Cheng, Landon Hansen and Evan Walker.

Look for Miller, Manning, Hansen, Gulling and Constant along the defensive line. Ergenbright said it would be defensive line by committee as players rotate in to keep fresh people up front.

Lee and Rosenquist lead the Cardinals linebackers. Lee has established himself as one of the better defensive players in the district as a middle linebacker. He had 25 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles, three quarterback sacks and two fumble recoveries last year. Rosenquist is a strong outside linebacker, racking up 25 solo tackles, 13 assisted tackles, one quarterback sack, a fumble recovery and an interception.

“We have to put Duncan in position to make plays, allow him to work in the middle. Reese plays the edge well,” Ergenbright said.

Junior Brady Smith, Lukefahr and Maple are expected to work as middle linebackers. Bennett moves from defensive back to outside linebacker along with senior Clay Hansen and Banfield.

“It is comforting to know you have a two-year starter in Bryce Tish returning in the defensive backfield to calling the coverages and getting us lined up right,” Ergenbright said. “Our top cornerbacks are senior Cole Peters and Jwan Roush. Cole is back from a knee injury while Jwan and some younger kids are learning the position.”

Those younger players are junior Keith Steinbach and sophomores Trevor Ergenbright and Matt Karsten. Senior Michael McKinney moved into the defensive back field this season. Sophomores Grayson Graham and Zach Combs will provide depth at the defensive back spots.

Newton has a void to fill in the kicking game. Combs and Gulling will be handling the placekicking duties while Sturtz and Rosenquist are vying for the punter spot. Ergenbright said he was pleased four players — Jacob Smith, Walker, Kite and Landon Hansen — have proven to be candidates for the NHS long snapper.

“We have a nucleus of senior players this season who have been through the battles. They’ve stepped up and being great leaders in the off-season and preseason,” Ergenbright. “I believe a big key to success is strong leadership and good team chemistry.

“The kids have worked hard since practices began, and before that, so I’m pleased with where we are at. We’re focused on being competitive and successful, which means we can’t turn the ball over, we have to score when we have opportunities and we have to play good defense.”

Newton opens the season Friday at Knoxville.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com