Pregame Outlook —

Defense has been solid for Newton High’s Cardinals in the first two games of the 2014 football season. The Cardinal defense has shutout opponents in the second half of each contest, winning both games.

“We’re not overlooking Grinnell (0-2) this week. This is the start of district play and you can’t take any opponent lightly,” said Ed Ergenbright, Newton head coach. “We have to continue to play good solid defense.”

A year ago, Newton held a 21-14 halftime led but the Tigers manhandled the Cardinals in the second half for a 60-35 win. Gone is the high flying passing game of the Tigers with the graduation of quarterback Eli Dunne, who plays for University of Northern Iowa this year.

“Grinnell had a major overhaul of personnel with graduation, but we noticed how much they improved from the opening game this year to the second game,” Ergenbright said. “Our kids have focused on Grinnell all week, expecting a battle on Friday.”

Kickoff for the Class 3A District 6 game is 7:30 p.m. at Grinnell.

Grinnell is led by sophomore quarterback Kade McKnight, who is 12-of-24 for 195 yards in the fist two games this season. Kenny Clark has caught five passes for 77 yards and Luke Honald has 59 yards on four catches. Both Clark and Honald are seniors.

Ethan Cline, a senior is the leading rusher for the Tigers with 82 yards on 29 carries. Sophomore Jake Simon has 15 carries for 43 yards.

Defensively, Grinnell is led by seniors Julie Sanchez, Jason Brau and juniors Tanner Hoffstetter and Scott Brunnell. The foursome lead the Tigers in tackles.

Grinnell lost 34-7 to South Tama in the first week of the season then dropped a 21-13 decision to Williamsburg last week.

Newton’s defense has nine takeaways — six fumble recoveries and three interceptions — in its two victories this season. The Cardinals have given up an average of 100 yards of rushing a game and 118 yards passing. The 27 points they’ve allowed, all came in the first half of the games.

“It’s always good to know that your defense has your offense’s back. Our coaches have done a nice job of making adjustments for us to control games with the defense,” Ergenbright said. “We can improve our defense, but our kids are playing aggressively. We are tackling better as a team this year.”

For the Cardinal offense, it is a matter of finishing drives. Ergenbright said the key Friday against Grinnell is getting off to a good start, finishing drives and putting points on the scoreboard. He said the Cardinals have moved the ball well in the first two games, but not finished drives at times.

“We are getting better. I’m happy with the progress of our run game. With our personnel, we are effective running on the edge. We are starting to be able to run inside, which is good,” Ergenbright said. “Our passing game is working pretty effectively also.”

Ergenbright said the Cardinals are taking one game at a time as usual, even heading into district play. Grinnell, Gilbert, Ballard, Nevada, Benton and Bondurant-Farrar are Newton’s Class 3A District 6 opponents.

Contact Sports Editor Jocelyn Sheets at (641) 792-3121 Ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com.