April 19, 2024

Area Football: Newton opens playoffs against Grinnell

By Newton News

Newton's football team opens the Class 3A postseason at Grinnell on Friday. The two teams met earlier this season with the Tigers winning at H.A. Lynn Stadium. Every area team will be on the road to start the postseason. Colfax-Mingo goes to Woodward-Granger in 1A, Lynnville-Sully heads to Belle Plaine in Class A and Baxter faces Iowa Valley in Marengo in 8-man. Class 2A No. 3 PCM has a first-round bye. (Troy Hyde)

There will be a rematch in the opening round of the playoffs for the Newton Cardinals.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association released football pairings for all classes today and Newton will travel to district foe Grinnell on Friday night.

No area school who plays in the first round will be at home. Colfax-Mingo (0-7) goes to Woodward-Granger, Lynnville-Sully (1-4) plays at Belle Plaine and Baxter (3-4) travels to Iowa Valley.

If the Cardinals (0-7) can upset Grinnell (5-2) in the first round, they would face either Knoxville or Fort Madison in Round 2 as those four teams were grouped into Pod 11 in Class 3A.

In 2A, third-ranked PCM got a first-round bye as the District 8 champion. The Mustangs will face either Clarke (1-6) or Saydel (3-4) in Round 2 as part of Pod 14. Those games are rematches as all three schools in the same district.

If Colfax-Mingo can pull the upset over Woodward-Granger (5-2), it gets either seventh-ranked Underwood or West Central Valley in Round 2 as part of Pod 15 in 1A.

L-S will get either Highland or Alburnett if it can knock off favored Belle Plaine in the opening round. Those four teams were grouped into Pod 11 in Class A.

Baxter, which goes into the playoffs with two straight wins, faces either eighth-ranked Gladbrook-Reinbeck (7-0) or West Central Maynard in Round 2 if it can get past Iowa Valley in Round 1. Those four teams are part of Pod 8 in 8-man.

Note: Varsity Bound's website was down at the time this article was posted to newtondailynews.com so records of every team involved in these pods were not available.