RGR | Newton captures third straight with 42-6 win over Haysville-Campus: Recap and analysis
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RGR | Newton captures third straight with 42-6 win over Haysville-Campus: Recap and analysis
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HAYSVILLE — There aren’t many coaches in the state of Kansas that are more familiar with Campus Colt Stadium than first-year Newton (3-4) head coach Greg Slade, and he made himself right at home on Friday night as his Railers defeated Haysville-Campus (1-6) to win their third straight contest, 42-6.
“At the end of the day, we knew [Campus] were gonna get some yardage,” Slade said. “I thought we should’ve mixed it up a little bit more [offensively], but you can’t ever complain about points.”
The victory marks the second in Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail League Division 1 action for Newton and bumps the Railers up to the 10th seed in 5A West. If the playoffs started next week, Slade’s group would be on the road to seventh-seeded Hutchinson.
“The kids feel really good about themselves right now,” Slade said. “And it would’ve been really easy for them — when we started out 0-4 — to lay down and they haven’t. That shows a lot of character and pride.”
Newton was out of the gates fast and early, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter behind rushing touchdowns from quarterback Colby Gomez and wide receiver Camden Carr. The Colts would answer with their only score of the night, a powerful nine-yard run by fullback Remey Buckles.
From there, it was all Railers. Running back James Hulse would tote the first of his two touchdowns on the evening in the second quarter to give Newton a 21-6 lead — and all the momentum — at halftime. “I was just trying to not get tired,” Hulse said. “I wanted to be [on the field] as much as possible because I knew I could succeed.”
The only scoring in the third quarter was a 51-yard strike from Gomez to Carr down the sideline that put away any hope of a Campus comeback. The Railers would tack on two more scores in the fourth quarter, with Hulse and Claussen tallying a rushing touchdown each to capitalize on a pair of costly Colt turnovers.
By the time the final whistle blew, Campus had committed five turnovers to Newton’s one. Hulse led the Railer offense with 114 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Buckles led the Colts with 131 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Newton had four different players score touchdowns.
Analysis
Newton started fast and never looked back.
The key play you likely forgot:
Midway through the first quarter, almost immediately following Newton’s opening touchdown, Dellen Claassen picked off a Drake McPherson pass and gave the Railers possession at the Campus 42-yard line. Just a few plays later, Newton capitalized to take a quick two-possession lead. This rapid turn of events was lost in the midst of a scoring frenzy, but it visibly rattled the Colts on their senior night and set the tone for the rout that would ensure in favor of the Railers.
The turning point:
As satirical as it may sound, Campus electing to receive after winning the coin toss would end up being a thorn in its side as Newton — already ahead 21-6 — received the second-half kickoff and would score on a 51-yard shot from Gomez to Carr just a few plays into the opening drive. Had the Colts gotten the ball first to start the third quarter and put together a scoring drive, the fourth quarter would’ve been far more intriguing.
The positives:
Hulse rushed for over 100 yards for the second time this season and has eclipsed 95 or more yards for the third straight outing. The junior has undoubtedly benefitted the greatest from Newton’s shift in offensive philosophy and still continues to play both ways as a cornerback on defense. He’s quickly become a go-to player for the Railers and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Newton secondary forced two interceptions with the defense forcing five turnovers altogether. When searching for a common denominator in the Railers’ three wins this season, it’s impossible to ignore the turnover differential. They’ll need to continue that trend with a trip to Derby up next, followed by postseason action.
The area of concern:
At the end of the first half, Newton regained possession after an interception at the Campus 27-yard line with under a minute left. The Railers were unable to turn the opportunity into points with three failed pass attempts, one of them a flat-out miss by Gomez to Claassen in the end zone. On a night when everything seemed to go right for Newton, that lone possession sticks out like a sore thumb.
Full offensive stats:
To see full offensive stats from this game, click/tap the button below.
Looking ahead
Newton is back on the road for a season-ending bout with 6A West’s fourth-seeded Derby. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. next Friday at Panther Stadium. The Panthers are 5-2 and coming off a 55-7 win over Maize South.
Brett is a Communication Arts major at Bethel College, Editor-in-Chief of the Bethel Collegian, and Newton (KS) High School football beat writer. You can reach him via email or on Twitter.