Newton stays hot
Eagles net second straight win over Class 3A school
By FRED DAVIS The Enterprise

Newsboy file photo NEWTON'S JUSTIN MCLEMORE cuts upfield.

NEWTON - Perhaps it's time for someone to try running the ball against Newton.

For the second week in a row, Newton took its ground game toe-totoe with a dominant passing team - this time the Silsbee Tigers - but once again, the Eagles' ground game was too much, outlasting Silsbee 41-21 Friday night.

The Eagles were led again in the rush game by senior running back Justin McLemore, who took 19 carries for 120 yards, leading a Newton team that finished with a staggering 319 rush yards.

Couple that with 67 passing yards, and the Eagles finished with 386 yards of total offense - not bad for a team that didn't play as well as last week against Jasper.

"We didn't play with the same intensity as we played with last week," said Newton coach Curtis Barbay, "but I thought we played pretty good and made some big plays."

The Eagles did make some plays against the Silsbee Tigers, who behind sophomore quarterback Jeremy Johnson, threw for 256 yards on 10-20 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

But it was some key drops by Silsbee wideouts - three of Johnson's first four incompletions were in the first half - that wasted potential first downs and possible scores.

"We had our chances there to make this thing really close," said Silsbee coach Bobby McGallion, "but we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot, and you can't do that against good football teams."

The Tigers found themselves down 25-7 at halftime following a tremendous first half by McLemore, who ran for 93 yards and a touchdown in the first two quarters alone.

Then after a third-quarter field goal made it 28-7 Newton, both offenses came alive in the fourth, with each team matching the other team's scoring.

Silsbee started the affair after an interception return put them at their own 33. Johnson then dumped a screen to Chris Barnes, who hustled 68 yards to the end zone, making it a 28-15 game following a twopoint conversion.

Unfortunately for Silsbee, Newton needed only three plays on its next drive before Stephen Alfred punished would-be tacklers as he took a handoff 26 yards around the left side for six points.

Silsbee, not to be deterred, went to the air again a few drives later. Johnson connected for his third touchdown pass when he found senior Mikel Willis for 46 yards.

Willis finished with four catches for 128 yards and two scores.

Yet on Newton's next drive, trying to run out the clock, junior running back Carlton Twine found a seam, split it and was in the end zone 68 yards later, capping a wild fourth quarter.

All in all, Barbay said he likes where his team is with a game to go before District 23-2A play begins.

"I think we're playing good," he said, "It's hard to play after you have a big emotional game like the Jasper game, to come back and play good ... but I figured we'd play good, and I thought Silsbee played real good. They played their best ballgame tonight."