Newton coach Zack Grady wanted to get off to a good start against Morton.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, they had a hard time holding on the football in the first half. Three first-half turnovers led to 15 points, as the Panthers built a 23-6 halftime lead en route to a 30-14 win at E.L. Morgan Field in Newton Friday night.
Grady said those turnovers, one of which led to a fumble recovery touchdown, were what killed them in the game.
“It’s just the little things,” Grady said. “There’s just a lot of little things we’ve got to clean up. We’re playing with a freshman quarterback. And he’s going to get better.”
Grady said freshman quarterback Tyreke Snow had first-game jitters starting out but began to settle in as the quarterback throughout the game.
“He was nervous, but you expect that from a young guy,” Grady said. “And he’s going to get better. He’s going to grow. He just needs to work… For the first one, I think that was a C minus. If we can get him up to a B by next week, he’s going to be a future star.”
After both teams traded fumbles, a Newton interception set up Morton’s first score, a one-yard touchdown by James Johnson. The extra point gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead with 7:58 left in the first quarter.
After Newton’s defense held the Panthers scoreless and then the Tigers recovered a muffed punt, Newton finally got on the board. The key play was a 47-yard pass from Snow to Avante Flowers that set up Snow’s 18-yard touchdown strike to Kaleb Traxler. The extra point failed leaving the Panthers with a 7-6 lead.
Disaster struck on the next Newton possession, as a snap went over the quarterback’s head and into the end zone. Robert Jennings recovered for the Morton touchdown. Johnson scored the two-point conversion to make it 15-7.
Morton then added another score on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Joe Laster. The Brandon White conversion made the halftime score 23-7.
Newton came out and showed fire in the second half, holding then Panther defense to a three-and-out and then scored on a 35-yard touchdown run by Flowers. Desmond Moore added the two-point conversion.
However, the Panthers answered immediately on a five-play drive ending with a Johnson 10-yard touchdown run.
After Newton intercepted Morton in the fourth quarter, it appeared that Snow found Kaleb Traxler on a 59-yard touchdown pass, but the referees called it back for a questionable blindside block penalty thrown along the Morton sideline. That drive eventually ended on downs late in the fourth quarter and was Newton’s last chance to get back in the game.
Flowers finished with 56 yards on 14 carries and three catches for 47 yards. Snow completed 12 of 24 passes for 113 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Derrek Alford led Newton 9 tackles. J’Alex Hardy had two interceptions for Newton.
