Cardinals receive Class 3A District 6 honors

Newton High’s Cardinals had the leading rusher in Class 3A District 6 in 2015. They had one of the top tacklers in the district.

Despite a 1-6 run in district play and a 1-8 overall mark, Newton’s players were recognized by 3A District 6 football coaches. Seniors Joseph Banfield, Duncan Lee, Bryce Tish and Dalton Nevels were named to the 2015 3A District 6 All-District Football Team.

Seniors Jake Bennett, Andrew Weiland and Austin James and junior Caden Manning received district honorable mention honors.

District 3 champion Gilbert had nine players named to the all-district team and Bondurant-Farrar had seven players on the elite team. Gilbert junior Cody Dvorak was the District 6 offensive MVP while Ballard’s senior Easton Moody was the District 6 defensive MVP. Benton’s Kal Goodchild was voted District 6 coach of the year.

Banfield earned first-team horns as running back while Lee received honors as linebacker. Tish and Nevels were named to the first team as defensive backs. Manning and Weiland were put on the honorable mention list as offensive linemen, and defensive honorable mention went to James as a linebacker and Bennett as a defensive back.

Banfield, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound running back, finished his senior season with 1,115 yards on 205 carries and had 14 touchdowns. He was the top rusher in District 6 and second in scoring with 94 points. The last Newton player to rush for more than 1,000 yards was Zach Roskilly in 2011. Roskilly had 1,099 yards on 175 yards.

Banfield caught 10 passes for 59 yards. He had 403 yards on 16 kick returns, which included an 86-yard return for a touchdown against Benton. Banfield scored two two-point conversions. On defense, Banfield recorded six solo tackles and one assisted tackle. He had two tackles for loss and a quarterback sack.

Lee led District 6 with 61 solo tackles. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker had 32 assisted tackles for the Cardinals. He had 11.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks. Lee recovered a fumble, returning it 48 yards for a touchdown.

Lee played on the offensive line early in the season. Lee made the switch to fullback when the Cardinals changed to a two-back offensive set.

Tish was a three-year starter in the defensive backfield for the Cardinals. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound defensive back had 25 unassisted tackles and 19 assisted tackles. He had one tackle for loss, one interception, three pass breakups and one forced fumble

Tish also played as a receiver for the Newton offense. He caught 12 passes for 130 yards and had all three touchdowns scored by the Newton passing game.

Nevels recorded 25 solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles. He also had one interception, three fumble recoveries and three pass breakups. The 5-foot-7, 155-pound defensive back made 7.5 tackles for loss, had one quarterback sack and blocked one kick.

Nevels was Newton’s second-leading rusher as a running back on offense. He rushed for 669 yards on 101 carries and scored seven touchdowns. He made five catches for 39 yards and had 160 yards on nine kickoff returns.

Manning was a 6-foot, 240-pound junior offensive lineman and Weiland was a 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior offensive lineman. They were part of the reason Newton was third in the district in rushing offense — 2,315 yards on 454 yards and 24 touchdowns.

James was a 6-foot, 170-pound linebacker with 30 solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles. James had f.5 tackles for loss, one quarterback sack and two forced fumbles.

Bennett was a 6-foot, 165-pound defensive back with eight unassisted tackles, six assisted tackles and one tackle for loss.

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