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(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Newcastle Bobcats defense lines up against an opposing offense in a game earlier this season. The Bobcats defeated the Bryson Cowboys 54-6 in their last regular season game and advanced to the playoffs.
Newcastle’s playoff hopes seemed a bit precarious heading into last Friday’s regular season finale against Bryson. Put simply, the Bobcats needed to win in order to keep their season alive.
The Bobcats did more than just win as they went on to defeat the Cowboys 54-6 in a game that ended in the third quarter thanks to Newcastle’s offensive prowess.
With the victory, Newcastle finished second place in District 6-1A to advance to the postseason. The Bobcats finished just behind Knox City in the district standings, with the top two teams in 1A football moving on to the playoffs.
The defeat of Bryson helped the Bobcats finish their regular season 6-4 overall with a 3-1 record in district play. Newcastle’s only loss was to district champion Knox City by a mere two points.
Throughout the district schedule, Newcastle led all teams in points scored and were second in points allowed. The Bobcats were tested early in the season with the non-district schedule, and those hardships paid off in the games that mattered most.
When the Bobcats welcomed the Cowboys to town Friday, Nov. 8, Newcastle was more than ready for them. The home team racked up 414 yards of total offense, with a majority of it coming in the run game — 293 yards rushing and 121 yards passing.
Newcastle had three players combine for the total of their rushing yards. Mikey Soito, London Martinez and Tristan Clemons carried the ball 20 times between them, led by Soito who finished with 109 yards. Martinez carried the ball seven times for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Clemons rushed six times for 87 yards and a touchdown.
While Newcastle gained more yardage on the ground, the bulk of the team’s scoring came in the passing game. Martinez and Keyton Newland completed 5-of-9 passes and threw five touchdowns between the two of them.
Jacob Omundi led all receivers with 49 yards on two catches, both of which went for touchdowns. Lucas Owen caught one pass for 27 yards and a touchdown, Newland had one reception for 23 yards and a touchdown and Jayden Hemby recorded a single catch for eight yards and a touchdown.
It seemed most of Newcastle’s success came with the run game getting the team in position to score, followed by the quarterbacks and receivers cashing in for the scores to boost the lead over Bryson all night.
The Bobcats also wreaked havoc on the Cowboys’ offense with a few big plays mixed in. Soito intercepted a pass and returned it all the way for a touchdown while Omundi recovered two fumbles in the game.
Clemons led the team in tackles with 11 followed by Rylan Hinojosa with nine. Soito and Omundi each recorded six tackles, Newland had five, Martinez ended with three and Leighton Gowens had one.
It was a big game to end the regular season for Newcastle, but a big challenge awaits them in their bi-district match-up. The Bobcats will compete at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 against the undefeated Spur Bulldogs at neutral site Munday High School.
