Top-Ranked Newton Cruises to 69-14 Rout of Troup
NACOGDOCHES – The Newton Eagles took flight right from the start, leading to a runaway, 69-14 win over Troup in a Class 3A Division II regional semifinal at Homer Bryce Stadium on Friday night.
Newton (12-0) advances to play Daingerfield (9-3), a 62-0, winner over Corrigan-Camden in the quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday from Lufkin’s Abe Martin Stadium.
TCU-commit Darwin Barlow ran for three first-half scores, and 144 yards in the first half alone, as the Eagles added four second-quarter TD’s in two-minutes, which staked Newton to a 62-7 halftime advantage.
Barlow touched the ball seven times and had scoring runs of 35, 25, and 57 yards. Newton quarterback Josh Foster was just as deadly, running for 82 yards and scoring runs of 8, 38, and 5 yards in one half.
Foster added another 84 yards through the air on 4 of 5 completions to give the Eagles a 468-155 edge in total yards in two quarters of play.
Troup (10-3) answered the second Eagles score with a 14-play drive that was highlighted by a huge fourth-down completion of 21 yards from Weslee Ross to Desmond Deason. Three plays later, Ross rumbled in from 3 yards away to make it a 13-7.
The speedy Eagles then reeled off a huge 43-point second quarter, including long end-around runs by Zach Gulley (86 yards), and Tamauzia Brown from 23 yards.
Ross had back-to-back interceptions that led to quick Newton points.
James Sylvester made a pick-six from 28 yards out, and Gulley set up another TD with his return to the Tigers’ 20-yard line.
Two plays later, Foster scored his third tally, and the Caleb Colon PAT kick made the 62-7 halftime lead.
The clock kept rolling in the second half, but the high-rolling offenses were done.
Troup scored on the first drive of the third quarter as Trent Allen bulleddin for the final 5 yards.
Newton added one final third-quarter TD from Valdarion Fowler on an 18-yard run.
Ross finished 13 of 28 for 155 yards, and ran for another 14-yards and one score. Allen added 98 yards in 19 tries, and his 5-yard TD. Deason made five catches for 27 yards.