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(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Mikey Soito runs away from defenders for the Newcastle Bobcats. Soito is a veteran presence for the Bobcats as a senior on the team.
The Newcastle Bobcats have had a hot start to the season, but finally felt the brakes cool a little bit in their loss to the May Tigers. This marks the team’s first loss on the season.
The matchup took place Friday, Sept. 19, and while the Bobcats had moments to take advantage of things, they ultimately couldn’t get the job done losing to the Tigers 60-42.
Bobcats head coach Isiah Archer pointed to some specific pieces of emphasis throughout the contest that ultimately led to the team’s undoing.
“We had a few turnovers on downs, we had a few times we could have capitalized on turnovers on them,” Archer said. “We had a lot of penalties for holding and false starts, ball control was a big thing. We let a few possessions get away from us.”
Despite the negatives, there were also positives for the team to build off of.
Keegen Voyles was once again an impact player with multiple receiving touchdowns as well as a kickoff return touchdown.
Keyton Newland also had a strong impact at the quarterback position passing for multiple touchdowns on the evening.
London Martinez and Mikey Soito were also big players to watch throughout the competition. However, despite their efforts, it wasn’t enough.
Overall, this was an outcome that Archer said the main culprit for was a lack of discipline. The team had too many mistakes with giveaways and penalties.
Archer also said that the Bobcats may have been a little overwhelmed mentally being that it was a big game. However, this was a useful experience for the Bobcats as they head into district play.
This is because the team will be more sound when they are on a big stage, and less prone to self-inflicted wounds as they attempt to have a strong run in the district and potentially the postseason.
The Bobcats pick things up Friday, Sept. 26, on the road against Wichita Falls Christian at 7:30 p.m.
