Newman’s smash tops Mendota’s flash in tight TRAC Mississippi contest

STERLING ­– With the Newman Comets in playoff mode the past three weeks of the regular season, it puts an extra onus on just about every down.

Facing a long third-down play with just over two minutes left in Friday’s game against Mendota, the pressure was on. Even with a lead, the Comets couldn’t afford to give the ball back to a suddenly high-flying Trojans team.

The ball was snapped into the hands of quarterback JJ Castle, and he never let go, rumbling for 14 yards and a first down. A moment later, Hunter Luyando broke free for 35 yards, and the Comets were able to run out the clock for a 30-27 win.

[ Photos from Newman vs. Mendota football ]

“Going into that last drive, we were just trying to keep our hands on the ball because we knew they were going to try and strip the ball out,” Castle said. “We knew Mendota was hitting us hard all night, and we were just trying to drive on them and finish them out.”

The second half turned into a battle of the Trojans’ flash versus the Comets’ smash. Newman led 16-7 at the break, and after the teams traded scoreless possessions, Mendota took over on the Newman 39 after a short punt. First down turned into an 11-yard loss when Newman’s Gabe Padilla sacked Mendota quarterback Justin Randolph.

After gaining back most of the lost yardage on the next two plays, the Trojans faced fourth-and-11. Randolph dropped back and hit Braiden Freeman in the flat, and looked to be tackled well short of the first down when he pitched the ball backward to Issac Smith in perfect execution of the hook-and-ladder. Smith broke down the sideline for a 41-yard touchdown.

“Give them credit, that was a well-designed and executed play,” Newman coach Mike LeMay said. “You think you have the guy down for a short gain, and then all of a sudden the momentum completely shifts. It gave them some spark.”

Newman answered with a 13-play, 57-yard touchdown drive that ate the last 7:45 of the third quarter. Luyando capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge to put the Comets up 23-14. Luyando had 149 rushing yards on 20 carries.

“Our offense executed very well tonight,” LeMay said. “Our offensive line did a great job of creating angles for our backs, and this was the hardest that our running backs have run all season.”

Mendota needed only two plays to answer: an 8-yard pass to Anthony Childs and a 56-yard touchdown pass to Freeman. Randolph finished 15 of 23 for 297 passing yards.

“The unfortunate part is that teams are going to see this on tape, and we are going to keep seeing teams trying to throw on us,” LeMay said. “It was similar to the St. Bede game.”

Newman returned the favor with Castle showing some his own arm strength on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Ayden Batten with 8:37 left in the game.

“They were able to hit a lot of big plays,” Castle said, “But I thought we did a good job of answering them, and we were able to hit a few big pass plays of our own.”

The win improves Newman’s record to 5-3, the fifth win making them playoff-eligible.

“Like we said last week, our playoffs have already started,” Castle said. “Each week is just going to get harder, and we have to keep on fighting.”

After trading possessions, Mendota made it interesting by driving 64 yards on five plays – all passes – and scoring on a 4-yard pass to Ryne Strouss with 2:59 left in the game. The score brought Mendota within three points at 30-27. The Comets, however, were able to get the pivotal first down to run out the clock.

The Comets started the game with a promising drive that included runs of 10 yards by Hunter Luyando and 17 yards by Castle. The drive stalled at the 8-yard line, and Dylan Garland put Newman on the board with a 25-yard field goal.

Mendota wasted little time answering, as a 44-yard pass from Randolph to Strouss gave the Trojans the ball inside the Newman 5. Anthony Childs scored two plays later to give Mendota the 7-3 lead.

The Comets responded with a quick drive. Luyando broke into the open for a 26-yard run. Then, after three short gains, Nolan Britt gave Newman the lead with a 27-yard touchdown run. After Mendota turned the ball over on downs after a failed fake punt, Castle hit Mac Hanrahan on a 32-yard pass to the Mendota 20-yard line. A player later, Castle set up an inside screen to Jaesen Johns, who fought his way 19-yards to give Newman the 16-7 lead.