March 28, 2024

Lack of execution plagues Newton football in playoff loss

GRINNELL — Newton’s football team took one step forward and then went two steps back against Grinnell during the early stages of Friday night’s playoff game.

Positive plays in the ground game would be followed up by penalties.

A pass play on a fake punt would have resulted in a first down but a penalty wiped it out.

Another conversion on fourth down was nullified because of a holding penalty.

It was the little things that put the Cardinals behind the sticks early, and a fast start by the Tigers propelled the hosts to a 44-23 victory.

“That’s the frustrating thing. We had things open all night but weren’t able to execute,” Newton head coach Andy Swedenhjelm said. “It’s what we have to work on as we turn to the offseason. We have to work on developing our kids’ skills and making sure they are ready to perform when the lights come on.”

The Cardinals held the state’s leading rusher Wyatt Hunter to well under his season average, but Cole McGriff threw for a season-high 232 yards and three touchdowns as Grinnell eliminated Newton from the Class 3A postseason.

McGriff also rushed for 107 yards and two scores at T.T. Cranny Field.

Grinnell won the first meeting earlier this fall 57-13 during district play at H.A. Lynn Stadium. Hunter had 246 rushing yards in that one but was held to 129 yards in the latest meeting.

Reese Hammons and Braydon Chance were all over the field defensively for the Cardinals.

Hammons finished with 12.5 tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery and Chance tallied six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

“We bottled him up a little bit. He still did some good stuff,” Swedenhjelm said about his team’s defense against Hunter.

“We decided Wyatt Hunter wasn’t going to be the guy who beat us and someone else would have to. Unfortunately, someone else did.”

Newton (0-8) trailed 16-0 after one quarter.

The Cardinals started the game with the ball but had two motion penalties on the first drive.

The next three Newton possessions ended after three plays and a punt.

In between, Grinnell scored twice and turned it over once. Hunter’s 44-yard run with 9 minutes left in the first quarter put the Tigers in front for good. He got loose outside and sprinted down the home sideline for the early score.

The Tigers fumbled inside the red zone on their next possession, but Newton didn’t gain a yard in three plays and punted from the its own end zone.

On Grinnell’s third possession, the Tigers went 43 yards in four plays. McGriff capped the drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Dillon.

McGriff added 12-yard and 9-yard TD runs to make it 28-0.

On the ensuing drive, Newton got a 13-yard run by Nate Maki. On fourth and one, Maki got the necessary yardage for a first down but the play was wiped out because of a holding penalty.

Adam Mattes put the Cardinals on the board when he booted a 30-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the second quarter.

The scoring drive started on the Grinnell 32-yard line. Zay Arguello found Jake Ingle for 18 yards on first down, but the drive stalled three plays later.

Grinnell (6-2) started the second half with a three-play, 71-yard scoring drive. On third and eight, McGriff connected with Cole Johnson for a 69-yard TD.

Two players from the Newton secondary were close to making a play on the ball, but it got through and Johnson had nothing but green grass in front of him.

The Cardinals answered with a TD drive of their own. A.J. Holdefer converted a fourth and 1 with a 9-yard run, Brody Bauer connected with Keith Moko for 10 yards on third and 10 and then Maki got loose for a 43-yard run.

Newton went backwards on the next two plays, but Bauer ended the drive with a 20-yard TD pass to Moko, who out-jumped the defender near the goal line. The scoring play came on third and goal.

The Tigers scored two more times before the fourth quarter to kick on the 35-point mercy rule continuous clock.

The Cardinals stopped the continuous clock when Maki scored on a 12-yard run midway through the fourth quarter. The TD was set up by a 44-yard run by Arguello.

Maki added a 20-yard TD catch from Bauer as time expired in the game.

Newton’s final drive covered 79 yards. Maki had runs of 11 and 13 yards to move the chains.

The final play of the game was a short pass by Bauer that was deflected. The ball bounced into the hands of Maki, who took it the rest of the way for another touchdown.

Maki missed a handful of games this season, including the final two of the regular season. Swedenhjelm was happy to have him back.

“Him and Zay make a really good 1-2 punch,” Swedenhjelm said. “Maki is fast and has some good moves. He ran well. I would have loved to have had him the past few games for sure.”

Maki rushed for a career-high 108 yards and a TD on 15 carries and had 38 yards and a TD on three catches.

Arguello added 18 passing yards, 14 receiving yards and 75 rushing yards on 11 carries. Bauer threw for 76 yards and two TDs.

The Cardinals rushed for 229 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Grinnell outgained Newton 519-323 in total yards though.

Defensively, Brendon West had five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss and Evan Grimm and Moko each added four tackles.

Notes: Newton senior Josh Meyer is now the all-time PAT efficiency record-holder at the school. Meyer made 73-of-75 PATs in his career. ... Grinnell was playing in the postseason for the first time since 2013 and Newton for the first time since 2014. ... Nelson Lopez had 3.5 tackles and Arguello, James Wenddt and William Muckler all chipped in three tackles for Newton. ... The Cardinals were flagged for eight penalties, while the Tigers had only two penalties.