Cardinals face Rams in 4A district play

Just like the five victories this season, Newton High’s Cardinals processed their first loss last Friday night then left it behind and went back to work Saturday morning.

“There was a lot of frustration among the kids and coaches Friday about the game against Fort Dodge. We learned a lot about ourselves, watched film on Saturday and got back to work,” Newton head coach Ed Ergenbright said.

Ergenbright and the Cardinals moved forward to prepare this week for Friday’s opponent, the Southeast Polk Rams. The Cardinals and Rams are both 1-1 in Class 4A District 4 play.

Newton (5-1) and Southeast Polk (2-3) kickoff off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at H.A. Lynn Stadium. A freshman game is at 4:45 p.m. Friday.

“You have to look at who Southeast Polk has played this season. You can’t be fooled by its record. We’re going to face a very good team Friday,” Ergenbright said. “These next two weeks we will be challenged by taking on teams from two of the larger 4A schools in the state.”

The Rams are coming off a 45-0 loss to 4A top-ranked West Des Moines Valley, which is Newton’s opponent Oct. 14. Southeast Polk’s district win was over Indianola, 34-14. The Rams have a win against Des Moines East and losses to 4A third-ranked Ankeny Centennial, Johnston and Iowa City West.

“We learn, get back to work and move forward,” senior linebacker Brady Smith said after Newton’s 43-21 loss at Fort Dodge last Friday.

Newton is still the top rushing offense in Class 4A District 4, and its running game is fifth best in 4A overall. The Cardinals have put up the seventh-best total offense in Class 4A.

The Cardinals have 1,742 yards on 272 carries. The Rams’ rushing offense has delivered the third-best numbers among District 4 teams — 1,060 yards on 238 carries.

“This week has been focused on fixing the mistakes we made both offensively and defensively last week. It’s about execution on both sides of the football,” Ergenbright said. “Our execution has to be at its best against a team like Southeast Polk.”

Southeast Polk is led by senior quarterback Jackson Cole, who is a dual threat quarterback. Cole has completed 75 of 121 passes for 707 yards and five touchdowns. He is second in the district in rushing with 427 yards on 80 carries.

Freshman running back Gavin Williams ranks sixth among district players with 339 yards on 73 carries for the Rams. Junior Al Durr has 155 yards on 31 yards.

“We have to contain their quarterback, but also their running back. He may be a freshman, but starting varsity at this level means he is pretty good,” Ergenbright said. “They have good receivers who can catch the ball.”

The Rams have nine receivers with five or more catches this season. Senior Adam Schwake leads the receiving corps with 19 receptions for 282 yards and four touchdowns. Williams had made 13 catches for 79 yards.

Newton’s offense is built around its personnel to run the football. Seniors Jordan Norvell and Reese Rosenquist are the top rushers after six games — 411 yard on 55 carries and 393 yards on 49 carries. Newton has depth in the backfield with juniors Jaron Roush and Josh Miravalles, sophomore Josh Miller and senior Logan Zibert along with junior quarterback Garrett Sturtz.

“We’re about getting on the edge and causing distress to defensive players trying to figure out where to lineup and defend us,” Ergenbright said. “If we establish our rocket sweep plays then it opens up our passing game and runs up the middle.”

The Rams have senior Cody Wonderlich, juniors Shane Starcevich and Josh Wade and senior Griffin Vesely leading the defensive charge. Junior Peyton Atzen has a 37-yard average punting for Southeast Polk and junior Luke Williams is 6-for-6 on field goals and 10-for-11 on PATs.

Ergenbright offered no excuses for the Cardinals’ breakdowns on defense against Fort Dodge, but did say Fort Dodge tossed in a running back who hadn’t played much until last week.

“We had game-planned one way against that team. We didn’t make in-game adjustments very well, and it hurt us,” Ergenbright said. “We just have to execute our defensive calls better and tackle at the point of attack.”

Rosenquist has 16 tackles-for-loss and six solo quarterback sacks along with his 29 solo tackles and five assisted tackles for the Cardinals. Smith leads the district in solo tackles with 42. Zach Combs is Newton’s third-best tackler with 28 solo stops and six assisted tackles.

Combs is 29-of-30 in kicking extra-points this season. He is 3-for-5 on field goals. Leading District 4 in punting is Sturtz with a 41-yard average on nine punts.

“The kids know the challenges which lie ahead of them and they are focused on taking on those challenges,” Ergenbright said. “We take one game at a time. They know Friday will be another dog-fight of a game against Southeast Polk.”

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