March 28, 2024

Cardinals can’t catch Clippers

Sophomore Jake Ingle returned the opening kickoff to the Clear Creek-Amana 16-yard line.

But Newton’s football team couldn’t score on three plays from inside the 10-yard line and then the drive ended with a missed field goal.

Unfortunately for Newton, it would be the final scoring threat the offense got in the first half.

The Clippers, who piled up 477 total yards of offense, led 28-0 at halftime and cruised past the Cardinals 41-14 on Newton’s Homecoming on Friday night.

“We need to get better at the fundamentals. And tonight was a regression in that category,” Newton head football coach Andy Swedenhjelm said. “We lost our way a little bit.”

Ryan Navara threw for 159 yards and rushed for 95 yards on three carries and had four total TDs for the visitors in the Class 3A District 6 contest.

CCA (3-2 overall, 2-1 in district play) used big plays to gain an advantage in the first half and then turned the Cardinals over three times in the second half.

“We can put together good sequences and do some really nice things, but we haven’t learned mentally how to win a situation,” Swedenhjelm said.

Ingle’s return on the opening kickoff gave the Cardinals a boost early.

Senior A.J. Holdefer gained 15 yards on the first play from scrimmage, but Newton went backwards on three straight plays before senior Josh Meyer missed a 29-yard field goal.

CCA turned it over on its first play from scrimmage, but the Cardinals gave it right back to the Clippers with a fumble of their own.

“That was a huge swing,” Swedenhjelm said.

“When we get the ball down to the 1-yard line like that, the coaches’ expectations are that we have to punch it in. But I don’t think that was their expectation.”

The Clippers then went 59 yards in seven plays and scored on a 15-yard TD run by Navara.

After a Newton punt, Gage Freeman capped the Clippers’ next drive with a 43-yard TD run with no time left in the clock in the first quarter. That scoring drive covered 84 yards in six plays.

After forcing the Cardinals into another punt, CCA scored in one play when it went 53 yards to paydirt on a hook and ladder play.

Alex Figueroa caught the lateral on a perfectly executed play and cruised down the home sideline to put the Clippers up 21-0.

Newton’s best drive of the first half came on the ensuing possession. The drive started on the Cardinals’ 9-yard line. Newton went 12 plays but had to punt.

Junior Zay Arguello caught a 12-yard pass, threw for 24 yards and rushed for 10 yards on the drive. The final four plays of the drive were a false start, incomplete pass and two runs of seven yards.

“We put together some nice sequences,” Swedenhjelm said. “We just haven’t had the mental toughness to be able to finish drives. That’s on us to develop that.”

CCA’s next drive went 83 yards in eight plays, capped by Navara’s 20-yard TD run. The Clippers led 28-0 at halftime.

“We need to be better,” Swedenhjelm said. “We communicated our expectations with the kids at halftime. We expect better from all of them.”

The Cardinals’ defense forced the Clippers into a three and out on their first possession but Newton also went three and out on its first drive.

Navara added a 60-yard TD run in the third quarter to put the Clippers up 35-0. The scoring drive covered 79 yards in three plays.

“They hit on a bunch of their big plays. They executed them well and you just tip your hat to them. Our guys are still inexperienced, too,” Swedenhjelm said. “We had a few plays where we were in perfect position to make tackles and just missed. Those are things we need to get better at.”

The Cardinals got on the board late in the third frame. Arguello set up the TD with a 33-yard run. He capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to senior Ethan Machin.

The Clippers helped the Cardinals on the drive with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and senior Gavin Urias picked up another first down on a 10-yard run.

Arguello had 46 passing yards, 14 receiving yards and 103 rushing yards to lead Newton (0-5, 0-3) in the loss. He also threw two interceptions.

“Some of it was just him trying to force things that weren’t there,” Swedenhjelm said. “That’s growing pains. Zay is a fantastic athlete, but he’s still learning how to play quarterback. It’s been a big point of emphasis and he’s getting better at it, but we are still learning, too.”

With 1:34 to play, senior Cade Cupples sprinted 37 yards down the home sideline for a final touchdown of the game.

Cupples rushed for 71 yards on four carries. He also completed one pass for 11 yards.

Urias rushed for 50 yards on 13 carries and Holdefer added 36 rushing yards on seven carries and 11 receiving yards on two catches.

Junior Keith Moko had 34 yards on three catches on offense and five tackles on defense.

Junior Braydon Chance finished with seven tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Senior Owen Sanger and junior Reese Hammons each finished with three tackles.

Ingle returned three kickoffs for Newton and averaged 48 yards per return.

Notes: Cupples booted a 69-yard punt at the end of the first half that ran the final 15 seconds off the clock. He averaged 39 yards on his five punts ... Meyer missed a first-quarter field goal attempt but was 2-for-2 in extra points and two of his three kickoffs went for touchbacks ... Former Newton Cardinal Tyler Wood was roaming the sidelines with a headset on Friday night. He's doing an internship with the football team this fall for his sports management degree at William Penn. ... Newton's first Homecoming game was in 1927. Homecoming became an annual event for the Cardinals in 1945. ... The Cardinals' final home game will be against Benton (2-3) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at H.A. Lynn Stadium.