Newman can’t keep up with Rockridge in 2A first-round playoff loss

EDINGTON – Newman was eight yards away from potentially tying the game with just a minute left before halftime when it fumbled.

Rockridge recovered, and Peyton Locke made sure the Comets never had that chance again.

The senior running back stormed 92 yards down the right sideline to put Rockridge ahead by two possessions at the half, then a strong second half sealed the Rockets’ 42-12 victory over Newman on Saturday in the opening round of the Class 2A playoffs.

[ Photos from Newman vs. Rockridge in 2A first-round playoff game ]

“If we don’t get that turnover, you never know what happens if it’s tied at halftime,” Rockridge coach Sam Graves said. “You just never know, so great job there, and then Peyton is just a kid that you have to put the ball in his hands. He’s a game-changer whether he’s at receiver or halfback. He just has to have the ball.”

“We were driving, the offense started clicking today, and it was really, really nice,” Newman coach Mike LeMay said. “We got down inside the 10, first-and-goal from the 8, then the next play we fumbled. The play right after that, we had a chance at a pick but dropped it, then the next play they go 92 yards for a touchdown and it shifted the whole deal.”

Locke ended the game with 170 yards and four touchdowns. He had a team-high 12 carries and also had two receptions for 24 yards. Locke also grabbed an interception on defense in the fourth quarter.

“I just wanted to do what I could for the team, and the fact that they gave me the ball showed they trusted me,” Locke said. “The line was amazing and the outside receivers who blocked were fantastic. I’m very happy. I wasn’t expecting that many rushing yards.”

The Rockets relied on Locke for a majority of the 348 yards it gained on the ground, but quarterback Connor Deem and back Alex Zarlatanes also had their share.

Deem began the second half with a 66-yard scamper to make it 28-6 just a minute into the third quarter. He finished with 92 rushing yards. Zarlatanes added 82 more on 11 carries.

“The first time we played [Newman], we started really slow,” Graves said. “We felt like we dominated, but were only up 6-0 at half. They had us confused up front, but we worked on that at practice and our guys were able to roll right away. Credit to those guys up front because they were the ones who set the tone for the game.”

Rockridge began anything but slow to start the game. The Rockets went up 14-0 in the first quarter after forcing a three-and-out on the Comets’ first drive.

Locke went for 24 yards on the Rockets’ first offensive play, and Deem followed that by hitting Kameron Bohnsack on a back-shoulder pass for 32 yards that put Rockridge inside the 10-yard line. Locke punched it in from a yard out two plays later to make it 7-0 with 8:51 left in the first.

Newman got inside Rockridge territory on the next possession, but the Rockets’ Reese Finch tackled Comet quarterback JJ Castle for a 5-yard loss to force a turnover on downs.

Rockridge took advantage of the stop after Locke began the following possession with another 24-yard run. Locke ran it in from 3 yards to make it 14-0 after the first quarter later in the drive.

“When we were able to stop and score [to open the game], we knew we had a good feeling,” Graves said. “That was big to jump up.”

The Comets responded with a touchdown pass from Castle to Isaiah Williams on a slant route from 13 yards out to cut the lead to 14-6 with 5:18 before half, and followed that by forcing Rockridge’s first punt.

Newman was inside the Rockridge 10-yard line after Ayden Batten caught a tipped pass and tumbled 34 yards, but the Comets fumbled at the 8-yard line and Rockridge recovered with just over a minute remaining before halftime.

Locke flipped the momentum on one play with the 92-yard touchdown run to give the Rockets a two-possession lead at the break.

Rockridge outscored Newman 21-6 in the second half.

“We came out more energetic,” Locke said. “We dominated them the whole first half for the most part, and so [the turnover before half] flipped a switch in the locker room.”

Locke got his third touchdown of the day with 5:21 left in the third with a 1-yard run to make it 35-6.

Newman’s best play of the game was tossing it to Ayden Batten. The senior receiver had five catches for 170 yards and hauled in a 69-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to cut the Rockets lead to 35-12. Quarterback JJ Castle threw for 194 yards.

However, Rockridge drove right back down and Deem found Bohnsack wide-open in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 10:45 left in the fourth to reach the final score.

“The second half, the kids kept fighting, gave a lot of effort throughout the entire game, and I was pleased to see that,” LeMay said. “It’s never easy when your season ends in the first round after fighting to make the playoffs, but that’s how the playoffs roll. Being on that side of it is hard, especially when it really did feel like the Blue Machine was starting to move, but that’s just how it went.”