Next stop: UNI-Dome

GILBERT — Qhjuan Coley predicted it when he talked to a local media personality outside of Kwik Star one night in August.

But the Cardinal junior is not the only one who had expectations of reaching the state semifinals and advancing to the UNI-Dome this season.

The Newton football team went into its Class 4A quarterfinal matchup with second-ranked Gilbert with a ton of confidence, and the Cardinals’ high-octane offense scored six touchdowns in 33 plays during a 42-14 road victory over the Tigers on Friday night.

The Cardinals led 14-0 after one quarter, outscored Gilbert 21-7 in the second and cruised from there to clinch their first state semifinal appearance since 1992.

“From the very beginning, I knew we had a special team,” Newton senior Finn Martin said. “I knew we had the potential to make it, and we did it. As the season has gone on, we’ve just been getting better and better. Just look at the scores. You can see it.”

Martin provided a big punch on the offensive side of the ball. He became the program’s all-time leading receiver after grabbing three passes for 145 yards and two touchdown in the win.

Class 4A No. 4 Newton takes its nine-game winning streak into a semifinal matchup with top-ranked and undefeated Cedar Rapids Xavier at 7 p.m. on Thursday inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

“It’s fantastic. This is a dream come true for us,” Newton head football coach Andy Swedenhjelm said. “We’ll be very excited about the moment right now and then get back to work on Sunday.

“We’re just grateful for this opportunity. It’s something to cherish and hopefully we’re not done yet.”

Gilbert (10-1) ran 10 plays on its opening drive but failed to score. Cameron Cantonwine opened the game with a 27-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, and the Tigers picked up four more first downs before a holding penalty pushed them behind the chains.

The hosts got inside Newton’s 25-yard line, but an incomplete pass on fourth down turned the ball over to the Cardinals. The ball was deflected on the play by Caden Klein.

Martin provided an early blow with a 22-yard run and his 51-yard catch from Klein three plays later set up the Cardinals inside the Tigers’ 30-yard line.

Isaiah Hansen gained 7 yards on the ground on the next two plays before scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run three plays later.

Hansen, who has an offer from Iowa State and visited Iowa on Saturday, ranks fifth in 4A with 1,271 rushing yards.

“The offense just kept driving down the field with big plays, and the defense was coming up with big stops. It felt great,” Hansen said. “At the end of the day, I really just want to win the chip. It’s cool that we won this game, but we need to stay focused on the next one.”

Gilbert was stopped in four plays on its next drive. The Tigers went for it on fourth and two from their own 24-yard line but were denied by the Cardinals.

Swedenhjelm called timeout to force Gilbert to punt into the wind before the decision by the Tigers to go for it.

The Cardinals ended up taking advantage of the wind anyway as Klein’s 29-yard TD pass to Martin one play later extended the margin to 14-0.

Martin leads 4A with a school-record 1,078 yards and a school-record 14 receiving touchdowns. Those have come on only 42 catches.

“That’s huge because when you play a team like Gilbert, it’s important to get up by two scores,” Swedenhjelm said about the fast start. “If you can do that, it makes it a lot harder to milk the clock. That’s really important with us.”

The Tigers, who rushed for 257 yards on 51 carries, got a 22-yard run from Aidan Rash on the first play from scrimmage and then Ethan Rash picked up a pair of first downs on runs of 10 and 14 yards.

But Gilbert was denied again on fourth down after a fumbled pitch and back-to-back incomplete passes. Ethan Rash finished 3-of-16 through the air for 87 yards.

Newton’s explosive plays continued on its next possession. Klein ran for 7 yards on the first play from scrimmage and then Hansen sprinted 61 yards to pay dirt one play later to put the Cardinals in front 21-0.

Gilbert continued to have success on the ground, but Colton Northcutt forced a fumble and recovered the fumble on the Tigers’ next possession.

There was a bit of a discussion by the officials about whether or not the ball was indeed a fumble, but Northcutt knew he pulled the ball out before the ball carrier hit the ground.

“I knew which was it was going to go,” said Northcutt, who finished with a career-high 12 tackles. “We were confident in what we can do. We just had to play our gaps, play our zones and play football. That’s what it is at the end of the day.”

The turnover helped set up a 33-yard TD pass from Klein to Coley. Newton’s scoring drive went 44 yards in four plays and Klein finished 4-of-6 through the air for 178 yards and three scores.

“We relied on the explosive plays maybe too much last year,” Klein said. “This year, we’ve proven we can put together long drives. With the guys we have, and the weapons we have, the explosive plays are bound to happen, too.”

Coley made the catch in traffic. It was his only catch of the game.

“I had a weird type of go,” Coley said. “I turned around to see if the ball was coming. It wasn’t there yet so I kind of slowed down and then he threw it. It went over the defenders head and I was able to secure the catch. It felt so good.”

Gilbert cut into Newton’s 28-0 lead when Ethan Rash connected with Gabe Fierce on a 74-yard TD pass with 4:26 to play until halftime.

But that was plenty of time for Newton to answer right back. Another explosive play extended the lead back to 28 points. This time, Klein found a streaking Martin wide open down the middle of the field and Martin did the rest.

He now has 96 career receptions, which sets a new school record. The previous record of 95 was set by Collin Reynolds in 2011-12.

The two teams traded their only punts of the game on their next possessions, and the half ended after three straight incompletions by the Tigers.

Each team scored once in the second half. Newton swelled its advantage to 42-7 when an impressive run by Klein resulted in an 85-yard touchdown.

Klein gained 120 yards and scored the TD on only seven carries. He also had 10 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery on defense.

Klein leads 4A with 39 total touchdowns and ranks fourth with a school-record 20 passing TDs.

“Offensively and defensively, he’s a dude man,” Swedenhjelm said about Klein. “What can’t this kid do? It’s a testament to his work ethic. He’s the hardest working kid I’ve ever coached. I hope my kids are just like him. Athleticism is one thing, but off the field, I hope they’re just like him. He elevates everyone around him on the field, too.”

The Tigers’ second-half touchdown came after a 21-play, 80-yard drive. The longest plays on the possession were runs of 12 and 10 yards.

Gilbert picked up six first downs and Tayton Warg capped the drive with a 6-yard TD run. Warg finished with 96 yards on 17 carries.

Both teams lost two fumbles in the game. Newton turned it over twice in the second half, but Klein avenged his fumble when he took the ball away from Ethan Rash on a strip sack and recovered the fumble on Gilbert’s final possession of the game.

Klein then milked the clocked with a few kneeldowns and the Cardinals improved to 10-1 for the first time since 2006.

Gilbert had a 17-13 advantage in first downs and had the ball nearly twice as long as its visitors.

The Tigers also ran 67 plays, but Newton (10-1) scored 42 points in its 33 plays. The Cardinals out-gained Gilbert 417-344. They rushed for 234 yards on only 25 carries.

Newton’s offensive line has yet to allow a sack this season. The Cardinals also rank third in 4A with 2,737 rushing yards.

“They make us look really good. I think we have the best backfield in 4A,” senior offensive lineman Rylan Modlin said. “We’re just on a roll. No one can stop our skill guys. If we get a good push, they’re most likely gone. It makes it easy for us.”

The Cardinals were 5-of-6 on third down. Newton’s defense held Gilbert to 3-of-14 on third down, and the Tigers were 4-of-9 on fourth down.

Northcutt added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to his 12 tackles. Nick Milburn chipped in 8.5 tackles before leaving the game with an injury in the fourth quarter.

Josh Lampe totaled eight tackles, Zach Felten contributed 5.5 tackles, Koltt Ahn chipped in five tackles, Malachi Mosley tallied 3.5 tackles and Dawson Maki registered three tackles.

Coleby Revell finished with only one tackle but applied a lot of pressure from the middle of the defensive line to Ethan Rash on passing downs.

Revell will get to play in the state semifinals 33 years after his father Todd Revell played for the Cardinals on the 1992 squad.

“It feels amazing. Newton hasn’t made it this far since my Dad played,” Coleby Revell said. “We knew what we were getting into. Our scout team did a really good job. That’s what ultimately got us prepared. That’s what won us the game I feel like.”

Ethan Rash rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries and Fierce caught two passes for 74 yards and one touchdown.

Cantonwine totaled 51 yards on five carries, but he left the game in the first half with an injury and did not return.

Gilbert’s defense was led by Blake Bell, who finished with 4.5 tackles and one fumble recovery.

“It’s very tough to face (Gilbert’s offense), but I think our offense is really good, too,” Northcutt said. “We go against the best players in the state every day in practice, and our scout team prepared us well.”

Class 4A No. 3 Sergeant Bluff-Luton (10-1) faces sixth-ranked Pella (10-1) in the other semifinal at 4 p.m on Thursday in Cedar Falls.

The Cardinals’ semifinal opponent, Cedar Rapids Xavier, is the only remaining unbeaten team in 4A.

“It’s kind of surreal, but we expected this coming into the season,” Klein said. “We still have a ways to go. We’re happy about how we played but definitely have things we can still clean up. It’s exciting to make a few mistakes and still have a dominant performance.”

Notes: Milburn extended his school-record tackle total to 112 for the season. His 224 career tackles also are a school record. Swedenjhelm doesn’t expect the injury to be serious. … Gilbert is 3-2 against the Cardinals since 2014, but Newton’s margin of victory in its two wins is 23.5. … Swedenhjelm was only 5 years old the last time the Cardinals made the state semifinals. He never experienced the Dome as a player at Dowling Catholic either. “It’s a special experience,” Swedenhjelm said. “I was fortunate to watch teams play there. We won back-to-back titles my first two years but didn’t get back there my junior or senior year.” Newton junior Jackson Price booted five touchbacks on Friday. He now has a school-record 44 for the season and that total ranks second in 4A.