March 19, 2024

Newton, CMB, PCM, Colfax-Mingo are playoff bound; Lynnville-Sully wins finale

Four of the five area high school football teams will play another week. Newton, Collins-Maxwell/Baxter and Colfax-Mingo had big wins in the final week of the regular season as did Lynnville-Sully. Prairie City-Monroe lost, but moves into the playoffs.

The first round of the Iowa playoffs is Wednesday. CMB will host a game while Newton, PCM and Colfax-Mingo will travel.

Here’s the Week 9 area football roundup:

Newton 56, Nevada 30

NEVADA — All they could control going into the final regular-season game was their game. Newton High’s Cardinals took care of business Friday night in Class 3A District 6 play, beating Nevada 56-30. The Cardinals rolled to a 49-10 halftime lead.

Winning the contest put the Cardinals in position to earn a 3A playoff spot for the first time since 2012. Not until their game was over did the Cardinals know if they got into the playoffs.

Ballard pushed Grinnell out of the playoffs with a 31-28 overtime win at Grinnell, which sends Newton into the No 4 seed out of District 6.

“We knew we had to come in and play well tonight. We had to win,” said senior defensive back Jeff Stanton, who recovered a fumble to set up a second-quarter touchdown for Newton. “We went to the playoffs as sophomores and that was great, but going as seniors is really special.”

It was a scoop-and-score fumble return by senior Michael Barr to get Newton on the scoreboard. Nevada had taken the opening kickoff down the field to go up 7-0. Barr picked up the loose football following a bad snap to the Cub punter and scored with 8:08 left in the first quarter.

After that, the Cardinals took full control. Senior running back Deonne Harris and senior quarterback Tyler Wood each scored three touchdowns in the first half. After Nevada scored two touchdowns against Newton reserves in the second half, the Cardinal starting offense went back in and Joseph Banfield capped a scoring drive with a TD run.

Now, the wait to see where the Cardinals land in the first round of the 3A playoffs, which will be played Wednesday night.

Newton's freshmen lost their finale game, 14-12, to Nevada when a two-point conversion came up short of tying the game with 31 seconds left in the game.

CMB 37, Centerville 0

MAXWELL — History was made under the Friday Night Lights at Maxwell. CMB’s Raiders recorded the first-ever undefeated regular-season in the team’s history with its 37-0 win over Centerville’s Big Reds.

The Raiders led 14-0 at halftime, then scored 16 points — two coming on a safety by the defense — in the third quarter. They added a touchdown in the fourth period.

"The first half wasn't our strongest. It might of actually been one of our worst starts of the season. With halftime break we got our stuff together. We started going back, and basically gave it our all, got inspired, pumped up and did what we could to get more points on the board,” said senior Jon Engle.

"I've never been in the playoffs in my four years. I've watched a few. It's just a giant thing of emotions and feelings. It just feels awesome."

Senior Bryce Kemp got CMB rolling quick with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Kemp would have touchdown catch in the game. Hunter McWhiter, who was 13-of-20 passing for 186 yards, also had a touchdown pass to Hunter Gunderson.

Blake Coughenour and Clayton Weltha each and a touchdown run. Weltha had eight solo tackles and one assisted tackle to lead the Raider defense.

The Raiders piled up 534 yards of total offense while holding Centerville to just 82 yards of offense.

CMB will host a Class 2A playoff game Wednesday night.

North Polk 42, PCM 20

ALLEMAN — PCM’s Mustangs are in the Class 2A playoffs, but after losing to North Polk 42-20, Friday night the Mustangs will be a No. 4 seed. North Polk and PCM went into Friday’s regular-season finale tied (3-2) in Class 2A District 7 action behind CMB (6-0) and Albia (5-1).

PCM will be on the road in the first round of play Wednesday night.

There was no report from the PCM coach to the Newton Daily News by late Friday night.

Colfax-Mingo 49, GMG 0

COLFAX — With the victory at home in the regular-season finale Friday, Colfax-Mingo’s Tigerhawks claimed a spot in the Class A playoffs Wednesday. It’s the first time into the playoffs for the Tigerhawks since 2003.

“We got three quick scores in the first quarter and that set the tone for the game. The kids just kept it going,” said Jeff Lietz, Colfax-Mingo head coach. “Jared Myers played well and made plays for us. We had three touchdown passes and our rushing touchdowns.”

Brady DeJoode kicked seven extra points. Lietz said the Tigerhawk defense intercepted three GMG passes in the shutout win.

Myers connected with Colin Lourens, Gabe Simpson and Blake Summy for scoring passes, plus had a rushing touchdown. Jake Lietz, who had been sidelined with an injury, scored twice on the ground and Jake Buehrer had a rushing TD.

The Tigerhawks are the No. 4 seed out of Class A District 7, knocking Lynnville-Sully out of the playoff picture.

Lynnville-Sully 36, Belle Plaine 6

BELLLE PLAINE — “Our kids went out the right way tonight,” said Mike Parkinson, Lynnville-Sully head coach. “We went out and controlled the game from the opening kickoff. This was a huge win for us.”

Going into the Class A District 7 game, the Hawks had a chance to get into the playoffs. Things had to fall right in other district contests, but they had to win The upended Belle Plaine, which was 4-2 in district play, 36-6.

Lynnville-Sully, Belle Plaine and Colfax-Mingo all tied in district games, 4-3. The tiebreaks went against the Hawks.

“We could’t worry about that tonight. It was about finishing the right way no matter what,” Parkinson said.

On the first possession of the game, Kobe Fisk intercepted a Belle Plaine pass and returned it two the 2-yard line. Sage Ehresman, who rushed for 210 yards on 24 carries, scored the first of his four touchdowns of the night.

Ehresman’s night was a good one. The junior went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.