Newton County football coach Bobby Bass said the season really doesn’t begin until division play begins.
But that “pre-season” schedule is nothing to sneeze at.
“Those non-division games are really preseason for us,” Bass said. “That’s what we tell our kids. Those division games are what matters. The whole point is when you are playing good teams, you are able to identify weakness and hopefully you can fix those by the time you get to division play. Playing weak teams isn’t going to help you in the long run.”
After playing Lake in a pre-season jamboree, the Cougars will open the regular season with rival West Lauderdale, a team that beat them 32-16 last year.
“They lost the really good running back but have the quarterback back,” Bass said. “And they had a three-star offensive lineman move in from Kentucky. I don’t really know what to expect, but I suspect they will be good on the offensive and defensive fronts.”
On Sept. 2, the Cougars will have their home opener against Raleigh. The two teams did not play last year because the Lions were in quarantine.
“They might have the top recruit in the state,” Bass said. “He’s being recruited at safety but plays everything for them. He can really fly. But they have a lot of team speed, that’s for sure. They are another team that will test us.”
The following week, the Cougars will make the short trip to Scott Central to take on the defending Class 2A champions, a team that beat them 36-13 last year.
“We have played them in 7-on-7 this summer and they are good,” Bass said. “They have some really good athletes. They have a quarterback who can really spin it. They lost one of the big receivers from last year but still have a lot of playmakers.”
In week four, the Cougars will host county rival Union, a team they beat 28-6 last year.
“It’s a rivalry game and I don’t really know what to expect,” Bass said. “They relied on Kenyon (Clay) a lot last year and he was hurt against us. I’ll be honest, I really don’t know what to expect from them.”
The Cougars will finish out the non-division schedule as they travel to Sumrall.
“I think they lost a lot,” Bass said. “They lost the quarterback who is going to East Central. I think they will be spread against but with coach (Shannon) White, they could be in anything from the wing-T to the spread.”
On Sept. 30, the Cougars will host Richland to open Division 5-4A play.
“They are another team that is hard to say,” Bass said. “We play them at home so that’s a good thing. I’m pretty sure they had a lot of seniors last year. It’s a big game because is the first division game and we put a lot of emphasis on that first district game.”
The Cougars will then open October with Mendenhall, a team that beat them 35-28 last year.
“They will be athletic every year,” Bass said. “They have a lot coming back. They lost the quarterback who moved to St. Martin and I heard they moved the running back there. It’s just going to be another athlete back there.”
On Oct. 14, the Cougars will host Northeast Jones, a team they beat 28-21 last year.
“It was a tough game and a lot of things went on,” Bass said. “It shouldn’t have been that close. We play them at home which is good. I think this is their third year of running the wing-T so they should be a lot better at it.”
The Cougars finish the regular season on Oct. 21 as they travel to Quitman, a team they beat 51-28 last year.
“I expect them to be a lot better,” Bass said. “They have some good skill people and will have some big linemen. They are another school that will have more athletes than we have.”
The Cougars will then have a bye week to finish out the regular season.
2022 Newton County football schedule
