Newton’s regular season opener didn’t go exactly as planned.
After the Tigers had their original opponent, Hazlehurst, canceled due to a coronavirus outbreak at their school, the Tigers scheduled 4A opponent Raymond.
The visitors took advantage of two second-quarter turnovers to build a 14-6 lead and carried the momentum to a 28-12 win on Friday night at Newton’s Morgan Field.
Newton coach Zack Grady said some of the issues came from not having enough practice time after they had to stop practice due to switching to virtual school, but he doesn’t want his team to lose perspective on the season.
“But see, that's the thing I was talking to the guys about. Don't lose perspective,” Grady said. “That team played well. You played a good football team and you lost, but I want a good season. Let's focus on the things we need to do get better — the execution and all of that, the mental and all that stuff.”
The Tigers got off to a great start driving 76 yards in eight plays. The scoring play was capped off by Kaleb Traxler’s 51-yard touchdown reception from Tyreke Snow. The extra point failed, but the Tigers led 6-0 late in the first quarter.
Newton’s Jalee Bolton gave the ball right back to the Tigers on a fumble recovery on the next Raymond play.
Isaiah Johnson caught a 31-yard pass from Snow to move the ball to the Raymond 27. Then a pass interference penalty moved it to the Raymond 12. However, the Tigers could get no further as the drive ended on downs after the referees ruled Johnson’s foot was out of bounds in the back of the end zone on a Snow pass.
Neither team could do much until a muffed punt set up Raymond for a 47-yard touchdown drive. A 41-yard run set up a 3-yard touchdown run. D’Anthony Darby blocked the PAT to keep the score tied at 6-6 with 4 minutes left before the half.
With 2:41 left until halftime, another fumble gave Raymond a short field, driving 46 yards in four plays aided by an personal foul penalty for another touchdown with 1:41 left in the first half. The 2-point conversion made it 14-6.
Newton didn’t give up before the half. A 19-yard completion between Snow and Johnson set the Tigers up near midfield. Then the two connected for a 41-yard completion to move the ball to the Raymond 9 as time was running out on the clocks with no timeouts.
But the half ended on a sack, as Raymond preserved the 14-6 advantage.
Raymond then added to their lead on the opening kickoff of the second half, returning it 70 yards for the score. The extra point made it 21-6 14 seconds into the third quarter.
Neither team could move the ball until late in the third quarter. The teams exchanged punts thanks to sacks on both sides. Brandon Shepard had one of those sacks for Newton. when Raymond seized the momentum following a scuffle on the Newton sidelines. The drive took more than 7 minutes off the clock, and the touchdown with 8:53 put the game out of reach for the Tigers late in the third quarter.
The Tigers didn’t quit, as they drove down the field for one more score. Snow connected with Johnson on a 40-yard touchdown pass with 3:27 to play in the game. The 2-point failed, making the final score 28-12.
The Tigers will now travel to Forest, who defeated Leake County 42-0.
