Newton football prepares for underdog role in playoffs

Newton’s football team has lost twice this season. Those defeats were by an average of 30 points.

Carlisle’s lone loss was a three-point setback to Class 4A No. 1 and defending state champion Council Bluffs Lewis Central.

And the fifth-ranked Wildcats earned double-digit victories in all seven of their contested wins this fall.

The Cardinals enter Friday’s playoff matchup as underdogs. BC Moore (http://ia.bcmoorerankings.com/) has Carlisle projected to win by 21 points.

“They are a senior-led team, and that helps them to be battle-tested,” Newton football coach Andy Swedenhjelm said. “They execute at a high level and do a nice job of playing the game on their terms.”

The winner between Newton and Carlisle faces either fourth-ranked Iowa City Liberty or ninth-ranked Webster City in the quarterfinals.

Carlisle’s schedule in 2022 has included four 4A programs — Lewis Central, Indianola, Norwalk and Bondurant-Farrar — which have been ranked at some point this season. The Wildcats are 3-1 in those games and the average margin in the wins was 19 points.

The Cardinals are the fifth team Carlisle will play that has had a 4A ranking this fall.

And if Newton wants to get a win in its first playoff game since 2014, the defense will have to stop the run.

The Wildcats rank fourth in 4A with 2,559 rushing yards and their 46 touchdowns are eighth.

“Carlisle runs a split back veer scheme offensively. They will do it out of some two tight end looks, and they will do it out of some wishbone looks,” Swedenhjelm said. “It’s kind of a throwback look that teams, especially in the bigger classes, don’t see a ton.

“It requires you to be fundamentally sound offensively, and they try to get a ton of bodies to the point of attack.”

Swedenhjelm does think one factor on the defensive side of the ball can help Newton on Friday night.

“Fortunately for us, we have some coaches on staff who have coached against that type of scheme before and ran similar schemes before,” Swedenhjelm said. “So I feel good with our plan going in.”

Carlisle’s best player is senior Jes Krcil. He’s rushed for a team-high 1,023 yards and 14 touchdowns and leads the defense with 76.5 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery and a defensive TD.

“He plays with great effort and intensity,” Swedenhjelm said. “He shows good range on the field and does a nice job chasing down the ball.”

Senior Jack Laughlin has 880 rushing yards and 14 TDs on offense and 40.5 tackles and one interception on defense.

The 14 rushing TDs from Krcil and Laughlin are tied for 10th in 4A.

Krcil’s 1,023 rushing yards rank 11th in 4A, the 76.5 tackles are third and the 5.5 sacks sit tied for fifth.

Carlisle’s quarterback is Joe Goodhue and he’s thrown for 596 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s gained 351 yards on the ground and scored eight rushing TDs.

One of the keys for Newton’s defense is to force Carlisle to pass.

“Defensively, you scheme to try to take someone’s favorite schemes away from them and make them do something different,” Swedenhjelm said. “With the option attack, it’s key that we are fundamentally sound.”

Carlisle runs a 4-3 defense that is structurally similar to Oskaloosa, according to Swedenhjelm. Newton also ran a similar-style defense the past couple of years.

“They are trying to control the interior of the line with their defensive line and make everything bounce out to the overhang players,” Swedenhjelm said. “We have seen this type of defense a bunch the past couple of years in games and practice so I feel like we have a pretty good idea on how to attack it.”

How the Cardinals attack the Carlisle defense will no doubt involve junior tailback Cody Klein, who ranks fifth in 4A with 1,200 rushing yards. Newton’s 1,897 yards on the ground is currently 10th in the class.

Newton relies heavily on its run game with Klein, quarterback Brody Bauer and others, but Bauer also has the ability to beat opposing defenses with his arm. Bauer’s 138.2 quarterback rating ranks seventh in 4A.

Carlisle’s defense has snagged seven interceptions, recovered seven fumbles, registered 12 sacks and collected 41 tackles for loss.

Newton’s defense is statistically better. The Cardinals’ 18 sacks rank tied for fourth in 4A, their 59.5 tackles for loss are eighth and their 14 interceptions rank second.

Nate Lampe has five of those 14 picks, which is tied for the most in 4A. Alex Thomason’s four interceptions are tied for third.

Nathan Milburn headlines the Cardinals’ defense. His 76 tackles rank fourth in the class and his 14 tackles for loss are tied for fourth.

Newton’s defense has been put in favorable situations often by the kickoff team. Christian Lawson’s school-record 34 touchbacks are second in 4A, but they have come on just 39 kickoffs.

“Carlisle tries to turn each game into a slugfest and see if a team can keep up,” Swedenhjelm said. “A lot of teams aren’t comfortable playing that type of football. I feel good about how we have prepared to this point as we have seen teams like that and try to have a similar mindset ourselves.”