Big plays send Newman past Hope Academy into second round

STERLING – Newman threw the first punch in Saturday’s Class 1A first-round playoff game at Roscoe Eades Stadium, and every time Chicago Hope Academy counterpunched, the Comets had the answer.

Newman scored on nine of its 14 possessions in a 50-22 victory over the Eagles, earning the first playoff victory in three trips under third-year head coach Mike LeMay. Next up is a road game in the second round at 2 p.m. Saturday against Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley.

[ Football photos from 1A first-round playoff game, Newman vs. Chicago Hope Academy ]

“It feels really nice to win, not be one-and-done like we were the past two years,” junior George Jungerman said. “We know all the games are tough in the playoffs, so it’s great that we came out on top, and it gives us some confidence and momentum.”

The Comets (8-2) did not start a drive inside their own 40-yard line in the game, and took advantage of that great field position. They scored touchdowns on five of their first six possessions, taking leads of 12-0, 24-8, and 30-16. An Ayden Gutierrez 32-yard field goal in the final 10 seconds sent Newman into halftime up 33-16.

“It’s really nice to see only half a field to go,” Jungerman said. “It give us the momentum, and it wears them down when we only have to go that far to score.”

Big plays were the name of the game. The Comets had a 28-yard punt return by Cody McBride to set up their first score, a 1-yard run by Briar Ivey, then Ivey broke off a 37-yard scoring run on a misdirection play on their second possession.

Hope (5-5) answered with a 69-yard touchdown pass from freshman QB D’Angelo Garner to Justin Houston, then forced a Newman three-and-out. But Daniel Kelly scooped up a Hope fumble and returned it to the 16-yard line, and Evan Bushman hit John Rowzee with a touchdown pass on the next play for an 18-8 lead.

A turnover on downs gave Newman the ball at the Hope 45, and Brady Williamson ran a nearly identical misdirection play 25 yards for a touchdown.

“I think being physical is a key part of our defense, that and playing fast. I think no one’s really seen our speed on defense,” Kelly said. “And also being physical on offense, that’s just Newman football, what we’re known for. Being physical is our bread and butter.”

A 39-yard pass from Garner to Aaron Green set up Hope’s second score, a 4-yard run by Houston, but Newman responded with an eight-play, 54-yard scoring drive, capped by a 6-yard TD run by Ivey.

“Our line was blocking really well, and that starts everything. The backs were hitting the holes hard and finding the cutback,” Ivey said. “We knew we had high-octane offenses here, and we knew we just had to keep scoring, and that’s what we did.”

Newman opened the second half with a 58-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by Kelly’s 51-yard run to the 5-yard line.

The Eagles turned to the passing game, as Garner went 4 for 4 on the ensuing drive, including a 38-yard pass to Green down to the Newman 7-yard line, then a 5-yard scoring strike to Josh Hallom to make it 40-22.

“My philosophy is I’m going to keep firing until I’m out of bullets, and we did that,” Hope coach Chris Mallette said. “That’s a good team, it’s a great program, and the coach and kids have a lot of class over there. Our guys fought; all I ask them to do is fight as hard as they can for as long as they can, and I think they did that.”

Jungerman stopped the next Hope drive with an interception, setting up his own 1-yard TD run. The teams then traded interceptions: Ivey picked off Garner, then Carmen Cox intercepted Newman QB Evan Bushman – only for Ivey to intercept Garner on the very next play and return it 47 yards to the Hope 28.

Gutierrez capped that series with a 29-yard field goal to put the Comets at 50 points.

“Those turnovers keep them off the field, and it just kills their morale,” Ivey said. “And it lets us stay on the field and keep the clock running, so those were huge for us, big momentum shifters.”

Ivey (18 carries, 103 yards) and Kelly (13 carries, 100 yards) both hit the century mark on the ground for the Comets, who held the Eagles to 34 rushing yards on 14 carries and forced four turnovers while also stopping three fourth-down conversion attempts.

“Once we stopped their two main plays – a lead and a zone – I think that kind of demoralized them. We made them do things they didn’t want to do,” Kelly said. “Obviously, they have a lot of athletes, but we just wanted to make them sustain a drive, and they couldn’t do it. We let up some big plays, but four takeaways, that’s big for keeping them off the field, which keeps them from scoring.”

Garner finished 16-for-30 passing for 267 yards and two TDs, with three interceptions. Green caught nine passes for 140 yards, and Houston had four catches for 91 yards and a TD. Penalties hurt Hope, as it finished with 14 of them for 100 yards.

“This was a tough season for us. We were looking at 1-4, had to win every game to get in the playoffs, and we did it – and we just ran out of gas,” Mallette said. “I thought we’d have a little bit more, but we didn’t; you can’t make the mistakes that we made and expect to win a football game. But I love these kids dearly, I’m so proud of them. I’m proud of our senior class; they helped build our program to where it is now.”