Football: Newman outlasts Rockridge for TRAC Rock win

STERLING – Despite holding a 70-yard advantage in total offense going into halftime Friday night, Newman trailed Three Rivers Rock rival Rockridge by a touchdown.

Using the juice that came with holding the Rockets to 58 total yards in the first half, the Comets controlled the second half, then stepped up on both sides of the ball in overtime to pull out a 15-7 victory at Roscoe Eades Stadium.

“It goes back to the team meeting we had yesterday, and coach [Todd] Messer gave a speech and he was talking about the warrior Achilles, and how it always comes down to one thing: We just wanted it more,” senior running back Briar Ivey said. “We knew it was just one mistake [that gave them the lead], and we knew we were going to get it back. We’re notorious for playing a great second half, so we trusted in each other and got it done.”

The knock-down, drag-out battle came down to overtime. Rockridge (3-2, 2-1 TRAC Rock) won the coin toss and chose defense first, and Newman (4-1, 3-0) set the tone in its possession.

After drawing the Rockets offside to move the ball to the 5-yard line, Ivey took a handoff and ran untouched into the end zone through a huge hole off left tackle on the first play. Head coach Mike LeMay opted to go for the 2-point conversion, and senior fullback/linebacker Daniel Kelly rumbled in easily, again without being touched until he was in the end zone, for a 15-7 lead.

“We were super confident in overtime, and loved that Coach went for two,” Kelly said. “We love wishbone; it’s almost unstoppable, especially that late in the game. When everyone comes together, it’s really beautiful to see, and that’s what we did. It was all about hitting them in the mouth and running hard. Everyone blocked right there, and we just had to hit the hole.”

Rockridge started its possession with a 1-yard run by quarterback Cullen Schwigen, then threw a pass on second down. Schwigen was forced out of the pocket by Newman’s pass rush and rolled to his right, turning loose a pass intended for Baylen Leemans as he neared the Comets’ sideline.

But Newman sophomore linebacker Matthew Blackert undercut the crossing route and stepped in front of Leemans for a game-sealing interception.

“I saw the receiver come across, and I knew the quarterback was going to roll out and pass it into the front corner [of the end zone],” Blackert said. “I know he can really throw it, and I just jumped in front of it and caught the ball. I just wanted to do my job to help the team; it all happened at once.”

Rockridge took an early lead on Trevor Dye’s 75-yard interception return for a touchdown on Newman’s fifth play from scrimmage. But the rest of the first half was played between the 20-yard lines; the best scoring chance for either team came when the Rockets attempted a 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter, but Kelly broke through the line and blocked the kick.

Newman built on its defensive effort in the second half and allowed just 150 total yards of offense for the game, including a mere 29 yards on the ground, with three sacks and two tackles for loss.

“I think our defense is really solid, and when we play together as a team, that’s what happens,” Kelly said. “There were a few mishaps here and there, but when we stick together and play like we can – play fast, play physical – we can just put it on them. We played to our strengths and played with a chip on our shoulder, and that gave us a ton of momentum.”

The Comets tied the game on their second drive of the second half, driving 52 yards in six plays, capped by junior quarterback Evan Bushman’s 22-yard touchdown pass to senior Brady Williamson on fourth-and-6.

That drive almost ended before it began, as Bushman’s pass on the first play was picked off, but a roughing the passer penalty on Rockridge after a late hit on Bushman negated the interception and kept the ball with the Comets.

“I told our guys, right now the common theme when we play Newman is they are more disciplined and more physical than us, and that ends up winning at the end of the game,” Rockridge coach Sam Graves said. “When we make so many mistakes, mental mistakes, and then we were out-physicaled in some spots up front pretty bad tonight, it’s hard to win a football game that way.”

Ivey ran for 91 yards on 11 carries, including a 58-yard sprint on Newman’s first play of the game. Bushman was 10-for-18 passing for 116 yards, and Newman finished with 286 yards of total offense.

Schwigen was 9-for-22 passing for 121 yards, and also led the Rockets’ ground game with 24 yards on 13 carries.