Cardinals still looking for first victory

VAN HORNE — Work is the solution. Working in practices and games to make the younger players better is what it is going to take to reverse the fortunes of Newton High’s football in 2015.

“We have younger players, who will be good football players, but they’ve been thrown into situations we hadn’t planned for them. Because of injuries, we don’t have personnel options at the running back positions,” Newton head coach Ed Ergenbright said in reflection of his team’s 26-20 loss Friday night against Benton.

The loss put the Cardinals in an 0-2 hole in Class 3A District 6. They are 0-4 on the season.

“It’s about consistency and confidence. We haven’t been able to build on momentum during a game. We make mental mistakes which put us in tough situations,” Ergenbright said.

The Cardinals began and ended Friday’s game scoring a touchdown. Unfortunately, Benton’s Bobcats scored six more points to claim a 26-20 win.

The Cardinals and Bobcats had to take on miserable playing conditions — driving rain and a strong north wind — from beginning to end.

It didn’t effect Newton senior running back Joseph Banfield on the opening kickoff. Banfield fielded the football, followed his blockers and broke into the open to race past the Bobcats for the 86-yard return for a touchdown. Josh Gulling kicked the extra point.

Newton was up 7-0. It was the only time the Cardinals led in the contest. The lead held up for three minutes, which was all Benton junior quarterback Riley Pfiffner needed to march the Bobcats to a tying score — a 30-yard touchdown run by Pfiffner.

There was a strange ending to the game.

Time expired with Benton at the Newton 4-yard line, the teams shook hands, players and fans began leaving the stadium, but wait ... Apparently, the Benton head coach convinced the officials he called a timeout before time expired, and the teams were called back onto the field for one final play.

With 3 seconds on the clock, Benton attempted a field goal to get to a 13-plus point winning margin. The snap was muffed by the Bobcats, and Newton’s Dalton Nevels scooped up the football and raced 85 yards for a touchdown. There was no PAT attempt, leaving the final score at 26-20.

“That play should never have happened. We tackled their guy and time ran out. The head official held the ball up in the air, signaling the end of the game. The teams shake hands, and Benton’s players were already going into their locker room when the head official came to me and said they were granting Benton the timeout, and we had to go back on the field,” Ergenbright said. “It’s the strangest end of a game I’ve seen.”

Newton’s first offensive drive of the game moved into Benton territory but stalled at the 44. Punting into the teeth of a strong north wind and rain, Garrett Sturtz’s first punt only went four yards.

Benton used a nine-play drive capped by a 19-yard touchdown run right up the middle by Hunter Semelroth with 38.5 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Cardinals had a big 17-yard run by Nevels to open the second quarter. They couldn’t move past the 50-yard line and punted again.

“It was not a passing game for either team because of the weather,” Ergenbright said. “Even with the wind, you couldn’t pass it.”

Sturtz was 4-of-7 passing for Newton for 26 yards but three were shovel passes to running backs. Sturtz connected with Banfield for 19 yards late in the game. Pfiffner was 1-of-8 for two yards.

Newton’s defense stiffened in the second and third quarters. The Cardinals forced the Bobcats into a punting situation with 3:42 left in the first half. Duncan Lee and Nevels put pressure on Bobcat punter Tucker Schroeder, who was trying to handle a low snap. Nevels recovered the ball for Newton at the Benton 34.

Sturtz opened the drive with a 17-yard run up the middle. Banfield had two runs for five yards, then Sturtz made a shovel pass to Jordan Norvell for four yards. Sturtz ran for six yards on a fourth-and-one play to get the ball to the Benton 2-yard line.

Banfield bulled his way over the goal line from one yard out. Gulling’s kick tied the game at 14-all with 56.4 seconds before halftime.

Semelroth returned the ensuing kickoff to the Newton 33. The Cardinals made a goal-line stand keeping the Bobcats out of the end zone. Gulling sacked Pfiffner on the final play of the half to end the scoring threat.

“We felt pretty good about where we were at halftime. We had some momentum with the touchdown and defensive stand,” Ergenbright said. “We wanted to contain Pfiffner in the third quarter and we did that.”

There was no scoring in the third quarter. Newton had the football as time wound down in the third period and faced a fourth-and-one.

“That play was on me. It was so wet that I couldn’t read my play sheets, which are laminated. Everything was soaked. We had to run a play before the end of the quarter, and we were going to for it on fourth-and-one. I just didn’t get the play called in time, and we took a delay of game penalty. We had to punt,” Ergenbright said.

It turned out to be a pivotal time in the game. Sturtz had to punt into the wind again, and it was another short one. Benton had the ball at the Newton 47-yard line to start the fourth period.

Newton had bottled up Pfiffner throughout the second and third quarters. The Bobcat quarterback, who finished with 260 yards rushing on 37 carries, popped loose on the first play of the final quarter for a 47-yard touchdown run.

The Cardinals’ Bryce Tish came through and blocked the extra-point attempt following a five-yard penalty against Benton. It was 20-14 with 11:48 left in the game.

Sturtz fumbled the football on the first play from scrimmage at the Newton 36 on the next possession. Five runs by Pfiffner put the Bobcats into the end zone — a 1-yard plunge by Pfiffner — but a two-point conversion play was denied by the Cardinals.

Newton mounted a march down the field with seven minutes remaining. Banfield picked up six yards on a key fourth-down-play at midfield. Sturtz found Banfield for a 19-yard pass play to the Benton 29. Three plays later, Benton’s Brady Kraus intercepted a Sturtz pass, and returned it to the Newton 31.

Then came the strange ending to the game.

“The key in the game was I felt we were dominated up front by their offensive and defensive linemen. We have the young backs who don’t know how to block well so we can’t run the rocket sweeps effectively,” Ergenbright said. “As players, our kids need to develop the confidence to seize momentum when we have it and build on it.”

Newton had 115 yards rushing led by Banfield’s 39 yards on 17 carries. Sturtz had 36 yards on six carries. The Cardinals had 141 yards of total offense compared to Benton’s 387 yards of offense.

Sophomore defensive end Ryan Constant racked up six solo tackles and one assisted tackle while Tish had six solo stops and two assisted tackles for the Newton defense. Lee had four solo tackles and six assisted tackles. Austin James and Brady Smith each had four unassisted tackles and five assisted tackles apiece.

Nevels had two fumble recoveries and Gulling had the lone quarterback sack of the game.

Newton hosts Gilbert in district play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at H.A. Lynn Stadium. It is the Cardinals’ Homecoming game.

Newton   7-7-0-6—20

Benton   14-0-0-12—26

Newton — Banfield 86 yd kickoff return (Gulling kick)

Benton — Pfiffner 30 yd run (Bartlelt kick)

Benton — Semelroth 19 yd run (Bartlelt kick)

Newton — Banfield 1 yd run (Gulling kick)

Benton — Pfiffner 47 yd run (kick blocked)

Benton — Pfiffner 2 yd run (pass failed)

Newton — Nevels 85 yd fumble return (no PAT)

Newton   Benton

8   First Downs   13

34-115   Rushes-Yds   50-385

26   Passing Yds   2

141 Total Offense   387

4-7-1   Passing   1-8-0

2-1   Fumbles/lost   4-2

1-5   Penalties/yds   4-20

5-23   Punts/Avg.   2-33

Individual Leaders

Rushing: Newton-Banfield 17-39, Nevels 7-21, Norvell 4-19, Sturtz 6-36. Benton-Pfiffner 37-260, Cooper 3-29, Maresh 3-10, Semelroth 6-47, Michaels 1-9.

Passing: Newton-Sturtz 4-7-26-1. Benton-Pfiffner 1-8-2-0.

Receiving: Newton- Banfield 2-20, Norvell 1-4, Nevels 1-2. Benton-Semelroth 1-2.

Punting: Newton-Sturtz 5-114 (23 yd avg.). Benton-Schroeder 2-66 (33 yd avg.)

Newton Defense

Tackles (solo/unassisted): Constant 6/1; Tish 6/2; Lee 4/6; James 4/5: Smith 4/5: Kite 3/1; Nevels 3/1; Combs 2/2; Gulling 1/2; Weiland 1/1; McKinney 1/0; Miller 0/3; Ja. Roush 0/1; Schuster 0/1; Ergenbright 0/1.

Quarterback sacks: Gulling 1.

Fumbles (forced/recovered): Nevels 0/1.

Interceptions: None.

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