Newton football routs Marion, wins first-ever outright district championship

With the No. 1 seed from Class 4A District 4 already in its pocket, the only thing left for the Newton football team was to do something that’s literally never been done before.

And a fast start against Marion on Friday night helped the Cardinals get there as they completed an undefeated run through the district and secured the outright district championship for the first time in school history following a 42-17 home win over the Wolves.

“When we set our goals at the beginning of the season, we talked about district title and hosting playoff games,” Newton head football coach Andy Swedenhjelm said. “The kids are sick of taking three-hour bus rides in the playoffs every single year. That’s how you control your own destiny. I’m really proud of how our kids responded. It’s been almost 20 years since we’ve hosted a playoff game so we’re just really excited about that.”

Newton will indeed host a playoff game for the first time since 2007. That was the last time the Cardinals won an outright title of any kind as they were conference champions as part of the Central Iowa Metropolitan League.

The fifth-ranked Cardinals finished sixth in the final 4A RPI standings. But a loss to North Polk in Week 2 drops Newton to seventh and moves the Comets into the sixth spot.

That sets up a first-round playoff matchup with No. 9 Fort Dodge at 7 p.m. on Friday at H.A. Lynn Stadium next week. The Dodgers were No. 10 in the final RPI standings.

“We don’t care who we play. I feel like we’re peaking pretty well,” Swedenhjelm said before knowing who the team’s opponent was. “I’m excited to have this opportunity and we control our destiny. We get a home playoff game next week, and it doesn’t really matter to me. Bring anyone on.”

Newton (8-1, 5-0 in the district) outscored Marion 28-0 in the first quarter on Senior Night. And all four touchdowns were scored by a different senior.

Nick Thomason broke the scoreboard with a 27-yard touchdown catch from Caden Klein not even 2 minutes into the game.

Zach Felten’s first career varsity touchdown was a 3-yard run with 7:09 to play in the first and Finn Martin joined the party with a 22-yard TD grab from Klein at the 4:42 mark.

Klein’s first rushing TD of the game came with 2:56 to play in the period. He scored from 12 yards out and then added a 16-yard TD run early in the second.

Isaiah Hansen was the first non-senior to score as he ran it in from 22 yards out and put Newton in front 42-0 with 6:53 to go in the first half.

“It wasn’t by design, but it’s awesome to be able to see that,” Swedenhjelm said about four seniors scoring the first four TDs of the game. “The kids played really hard, and it’s kind of nice to reward some of those guys.

“Felten has done a fantastic job this season so we’re glad to get him in the end zone. One of Coach (Trent) Powers’ favorite things to do is, when (Thomason) get the ball, he says ‘run fast, Nick,’ And he’s fast so when he gets to the edge he can go.”

The varsity did not play much in the second half, if at all for some of them. Marion (2-7, 1-4) got on the board with 2:40 to play in the third when Landon Tilkes booted a 30-yard field goal.

Ethan Cole also threw a pair of TD passes in the fourth to Lucas Sterns and Matthew Danninger, but it was too little, too late for the Wolves.

“It’s always nice to get those guys in the game,” Swedenhjelm said about the JV players. “One of the unfortunate things about Week 9 is there’s no JV game on Monday. So the kids get shortened that last game. You can’t do anything about it, but they got some time tonight, which we were glad to be able to do. They get some experience under the lights on a Friday night, and they can hopefully learn from that. Those might be the guys making plays next year.”

Newton held a 14-10 advantage in first downs, finished 3-of-4 on third down and out-gained the Wolves 288-170.

The Cardinals also punted just once, scored six TDs in their 11 possessions and rushed for 176 yards on 29 carries.

“The winning has been fun,” senior lineman Will Rawlins said. “We play hard every night, and it was great to get the other guys in the game, too. It’s one big family.”

The Wolves were limited to 68 rushing yards on 27 carries despite holding the ball for nearly 10 minutes more than the Cardinals.

Klein finished 5-of-7 through the air for 112 yards and two scores and rushed for 37 yards and two scores on five carries.

Hansen gained 74 yards and scored one TD on his seven carries and grabbed one pass for 5 yards, Thomason ran for 36 yards on two carries and had a 27-yard TD on his only catch and Martin hauled in three passes for 42 yards and one score.

“I just run my plays every day. I don’t touch the ball on all of them, but I just stay patient,” Thomason said about his limited opportunities. “I know what I’m doing is helping other players. As long as we’re winning, I’m fine with that. I just want to help the team as much as I can.”

Qhjuan Coley caught a 38-yard pass from Klein and rushed for 16 yards on four carries, Wyatt Sterling ran for 15 yards on his only carry and Jackson Price booted five touchbacks on his seven kickoffs. Gabe Otto also gained 37 yards on his only kickoff return.

Nine Newton players accounted for two tackles or more on defense. Nick Milburn had three tackles and one fumble recovery, while Asher Rhoads, Josh Lampe and Kyler Griffin all registered three tackles.

Marion was led by Tilkes and Danninger. Tilkes ran for 39 yards on 10 carries and Danninger caught six passes for 72 yards and one TD.

Cole completed all three of his passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns.

According to Swedenhjelm, the Cardinals are as healthy as they’ve been all season. They’ll take a seven-game win streak into the playoffs, too.

Their 8-1 record is the program’s best since finishing 9-2 in 2007. Newton’s last playoff win came in 2014 against Clear Creek-Amana.

The Cardinals are 17-9 against Fort Dodge (8-1) since 1968. They won the most recent meeting, 71-70, in 2017.

The Dodgers won in 2016 and 2009, but Newton claimed 12 straight before that.

“I’m confident in this team,” Thomason said. “I think we can play anyone. I don’t really care who we play.”

Notes: The Dodgers’ lone loss this season was a 38-0 setback against second-ranked Sergeant Bluff-Luton on Sept. 26. They defeated 3-6 Webster City, 7-6, and downed 5-4 LeMars, 9-3. ... The Cardinals wore all black uniforms for the game and had black helmets with a scripted Cards across the side. The team and fans also enjoyed a long fireworks display in and around the stadium after the game.