Newton football in must-win situation against Clear Creek-Amana

With one week left in the regular season, there’s still a lot to play for in Class 4A District 4.

Class 1A No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier has the district title locked up, but four other programs are still battling for remaining playoff spots in 4A.

Two of those teams are Newton and Clear Creek-Amana and they face off at H.A. Lynn Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The loser will no doubt be eliminated from the postseason.

“Our kids are excited for this opportunity,” Newton football coach Andy Swedenhjelm said. “Being in a position to qualify for the playoffs is a fun spot to be in. Our key is to not make the moment bigger than it is.”

The winner is not guaranteed a playoff spot, but CCA is currently 14th in the RPI, while Newton is 17th.

There are four at-large berths available in 4A. Pella will grab the second automatic berth out of 4A District 4 if its defeats Cedar Rapids Washington on Friday. If Washington wins, it creates a three-way tie for second place.

Pella begins the day ranked 13th in the RPI, while Washington is 18th.

For Newton and CCA, both teams are 5-3 overall. They are 1-1 against each other since 2014, but the Clippers won last year’s game 41-14 in Newton.

“We need to understand that the work we have put in throughout the offseason and during the season has prepared us for this moment,” Swedenhjelm said. “There is no need to be too tense or afraid to make mistakes. As long as we play our football game we feel good about what we can do on Friday.”

CCA is led by Ben Swails, Gage Freeman and Harrison Rosenberg.

Wails has thrown for 1,326 yards, 12 touchdown and two picks and has gained 289 yards on the ground with four scores.

“CCA’s offense runs through their QB. He is a dual threat that can run the ball or pass it,” Swedenhjelm said. “They do a really good job of attacking the perimeter and making you defend the entire width of the field.”

Freeman leads the rushing attack with 578 yards and eight TDs, but he also has 16 catches for 229 yards and one TD.

Freeman is averaging 7.2 yards per carry and leads the defense with 55 1/2 tackles, one sack, 6 1/2 tackles for loss and a defensive TD.

“Freeman is a tough, hard-nosed player,” Swedenhjelm said. “He is someone we need to know where he is at. Sometimes they will put him out at receiver, sometimes they will motion him around. They try to get him the ball in a variety of ways.

“Defensively, he is an outside linebacker who wants to blitz a bunch. We have a few things in store offensively to help control the edge.”

Rosenberg leads the CCA receivers with 37 catches, 689 yards and nine scores.

“They will try to threaten with quick passes and jet sweeps to the perimeter to try to open up their inside running game,” Swedenhjelm said. “I think if we can shut down the run, that will force them to try to air it out.”

The Clippers’ offense is as balanced as it gets. They have 1,326 passing yards and 1,189 rushing yards. CCA averages 4.8 yards per carry.

The CCA defense has four defensive TDs, nine fumble recoveries, six interceptions, 7 1/2 sacks and 34 1/2 tackles for loss.

“It’s important we do a good job at protecting the football,” Swedenhjelm said. “For a vast majority of the season, we have been leading the district in turnover margin. However, the last few weeks we have been a little sloppy with the ball and making too many mistakes to be successful.

“A lot of that comes from trying to do too much with the ball. We have talked about that this week, made sure our kids are feeling confident, and are prepared to execute well Friday.”

The Clippers season is similar to Newton’s. Both teams started 5-1 and have lost two straight. CCA defeated Washington 21-20.

Highland at Lynnville-Sully, 7 p.m.

Lynnville-Sully’s football team takes a seven-game win streak into a first round playoff match with Highland on Friday night.

And the Hawks will take a No. 9 ranking with them, too.

Lynnville-Sully won the district title in Class A District 6. Highland was the fourth place team in District 5.

Highland (3-5) has lost three of its last four games. The Huskies have rushed for 1,459 yards and average 6.5 yards per carry.

Connor Grinstead leads the offense with 460 passing yards, 690 rushing yards and 16 combined touchdowns. He’s averaging seven yards per carry.

Brenton Bonebrake has rushed for 613 yards and five scores and Logan Bonebrake is the leading receiver with 13 catches for 324 yards and five scores.

Grinstead is the team’s leading tackler, too, with 44. The Highland defense has registered just two sacks and nine tackles for loss this season but has seven interceptions.

The Huskies 10 fumble recoveries rank tied for fourth in Class A.

Lynnville-Sully’s offense ranks seventh in Class A with 2,320 rushing yards and averages 7.7 yards per carry.

The Hawk defense ranks eighth with 11 interceptions and ninth with 48 tackles for loss.

Baxter at Fremont-Mills, 7 p.m.

Baxter’s football team finished 7-1 this season but because of its point differential in district games only, the Bolts will travel three hours to open the postseason against Fremont-Mills.

The Knights are 5-3 but all three losses came against state-ranked teams. They started 1-2 after losses to No. 1 CAM and No. 6 Audubon. F-M’s only district loss came in overtime to No. 8 Lenox.

Baxter and Fremont-Mills both were the runners-up out of Class 8-man District 7 and 8, respectively.

The Knights are led by the trio of Jake Malcolm, Braxton Blackburn and Payten Van Houten.

Malcolm has 844 passing yards and 404 rushing yards. He has 26 total TDs and five picks. Defensively, Malcolm has five interceptions and two defensive scores.

Blackburn leads the rushing attack with 738 yards and eight TDs. He’s registered 59 1/2 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 9 1/2 sacks.

Van Houten has gained 524 yards on the ground with nine TDs. Defensively, he’s got 62 1/2 tackles, two picks and a fumble recovery.

The Knights’ offense has rushed for 1,975 yards and averages 7.2 yards per carry. The defense has compiled 14 sacks, 43 1/2 tackles, five fumble recoveries and 15 interceptions.

Taylor Reed has hauled in 17 catches for 357 yards and seven TDs. He’s also got five picks on defense.

PCM at Clarinda, 7 p.m.

The Mustangs won three of their final four games to clinch a playoff berth for the 14th straight season and were rewarded with a near three-hour road trip to Clarinda.

PCM and the Cardinals will square off in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs. Clarinda started 0-3 and 1-4 but has since won three straight games all by double digits.

The Cardinals were the runner-up in 2A District 8 and PCM was the third-place finisher in 2A District 7.

Tadyn Brown highlights the Clarinda offense with 987 rushing yards and 15 TDs. He averages 8.4 yards per carry, 31.5 yards per kickoff return and 30 yards per punt return. He has one kickoff return TD.

Wyatt Schmitt has thrown for 590 yards and rushed for 327. He’s got nine total TDs and eight picks.

The Cardinals have rushed for 1,718 yards and average 6.3 yards per carry. The leading receiver is Isaac Jones, who has 30 catches for 397 yards and six touchdowns.

Clarinda’s defense is led by Drew Brown and Jase Wilmes. Brown has 39 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, five tackles for loss and one fumble recovery. Wilmes has 36 1/2 tackles, two sacks, 10 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

The Cardinals’ defense has accounted for 18 sacks, 59 tackles for loss, five fumble recoveries and six picks.

Colfax-Mingo at Central Decatur, 7 p.m.

The Tigerhawks and Cardinals did not make the postseason in their respective classes this fall but will square off for a Week 9 matchup in Leon on Friday night.

Colfax-Mingo was 3-5 in Class A and Central Decatur finished 4-4 in 1A.

Central Decatur has lost two straight games to a pair of ranked teams and were outscored 79-16 in those outings.

Matthew Boothe leads the Cardinals’ offense with 1,388 passing yards and 300 rushing yards. He has 13 total TDs and but has tossed 11 interceptions.

Central Decatur is averaging only 3.7 yards per carry. The top two receivers are Trey Hullinger (32-600 and three TDs) and Tyke Hullinger (25-280 and three scores).

Defensively, Kale Rockhold has 47 tackles and one pick, while Evahn Wallace has registered 40 tackles, two sacks, six tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and a defensive TD. He’s also returned a kickoff for a score. Boothe and Trey Hullinger each have three interceptions.

Central Decatur has collected 17 sacks, eight fumble recoveries and nine interceptions this fall.