Newman clinches playoff berth with win over Hall

STERLING – The Newman Comets defeated the Hall Red Devils 28-7 on Saturday afternoon at Roscoe Eades Stadium.

Here are the takeaways from the Week 7 game:

Newman overcomes early turnovers

The Comets offense got off to a rocky start, committing three turnovers in the first half, but the defense made up for it, creating three takeaways of its own.

Newman (6-1) took a 7-0 lead barely four minutes into the game with a 7-play, 74-yard opening drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown run by quarterback Evan Bushman. That set the tone for the rest of the game.

“That was the drive that established everything,” senior running back and defensive lineman Brady Grennan said. “We knew were going to win from that drive forward.”

Newman safety Carter Rude nabbed his first of two interceptions on the ensuing Hall possession. The Comets defense created pressure all game long, and a quick pressure on a mid-first-quarter play caused quarterback Gianni Guerrini to underthrow a deep pass into the waiting arms of Rude. Newman came up empty on the extra possession that began at the Hall 34, but rebounded midway through the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead.

A Briar Ivey fumble recovery gave Newman short field at the Hall 8. A few plays later, Bushman threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ivey with 7:22 to play in the half.

Newman fumbled the ball away on a handoff in the last three minutes, and Braden Curran picked off an underthrown deep pass intended for Cody McBride with 1:35 to play to stall a Comets’ drive into Red Devils’ territory. But Hall (3-4) couldn’t capitalize on either opportunity.

Newman outgained Hall 155 yards to -15 yards in the first half. The Red Devils’ longest gain in the first half was a 3-yard pass play.

Comets senior Brady Grennan rushed for 67 of his 73 yards before halftime.

Newman keeps foot on the gas in second half

Newman took advantage of short field again early in third quarter for its third touchdown of the game. An Ivey sack brought up a fourth-and-29 from the Hall 6. After the 8-yard punt, Newman took possession at the Red Devils’ 14. Three plays later, Grennan powered up the middle for a 4-yard touchdown run and a 21-0 lead with 8:42 to play.

Hall had another mishap late in the third quarter as a snap sailed high over Guerrini’s head on fourth-and-1 from the Newman 13. Defensive lineman Caleb Donna scooped the loose ball and returned it about 25 yards to the Newman 42 with 1:59 to play. The Comets scored just over two minutes later, as Rude shrugged off a tackle on a run to the right, then cut it up the field for a 23-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 11:40 remaining in the game.

Nate Lankford, playing in place of an injured Guerrini at quarterback, gave Hall a spark in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late. The junior completed his first two passes to tight ends Evan Stefaniak and Max Bryant for gains of 28 and 23 yards. A Donna sack ended the drive without a score, but Lankford found paydirt on the next and final Hall possession.

On fourth-and-6, Lankford scrambled to his right for a 16-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left.

Donna finished with 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery; Grennan rushed 14 times for 73 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for 29 yards; and Rude rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown on six carries to go with two interceptions.

Rude credited the fearsome pass rush and his position on the field for his two takeaways.

“No. 1, just sitting in the middle, I was already in pretty good position when the play started, and then pass rush comes, he doesn’t know what to do, he throws it up,” Rude said. “I was just in good position because of our d-line.”

Newman had an efficient game running the ball, totaling 189 yards on 34 carries (5.6 yards per carry). That was without two offensive line starters, including center Chris Accardi, who exited the game about halfway through with an apparent ankle injury.

“[The offensive line] did great, especially not having two of our starters,” Rude said. “Also, our receivers blocking in space. I know they were working on it all week at practice, and they did really well.”

Grennan has seen his confidence in the offensive line grow with each passing week.

“I’m impressed, because you can obviously tell that we’ve improved a lot on the offensive line,” Grennan said. “Beginning of the year, I didn’t have as much faith in them, but now I can confidently say that I would run behind them again next year.”

Bushman finished 6-for-12 passing for 98 yards with one touchdown and one interception and rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Partington had 42 receiving yards on two catches for Newman.

Hall finished with 121 total yards. Lankford went 2-for-4 passing for 51 yards and Joseph Bacidore netted 32 rushing yards with a long run of 39 yards.