Newport’s Rodzion Thompson scored two touchdowns on Friday as Newport beat Holmes 27-0.
Thompson made his presence known early in this one with an 82-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter along with an 11-yard touchdown reception in the third.
It was all part of a night where Thompson ran for a game-high 102 rushing yards.
“Rod’s 100 percent energy, he’s an amazing runner and an amazing athlete” said Newport coach Paul Wiggins.
Aiden Stachel and Kay Sharp were also key offensive contributors for Newport. Stachel gave Newport a two possession lead with a four-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Sharp caught a 29-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. That’s when Newport quarterback Kyle Lee turned to his passing skills. Lee completed 11 of his 16 pass attempts for 163 yards.
Holmes struggled in various areas. They totaled 34 yards, all in the rushing department compared to Newport’s 322 total yards. The Bulldogs defense showed some flashes with a sack and a couple pass break ups and kept the Wildcats out of the end zone in the fourth.
Penalties were an issue on both sides, the two committing seven each and squandering opportunities at times.
As was the case regionally, Holmes and Newport had to adjust to this week’s heat. Both teams adjusted their practice schedules and routines. Kickoff time was also moved later in the day to 8 p.m. Holmes had the majority of their week’s practices indoors.
“We had the same weather as everybody else. We want to make sure our players are safe, so we went into the gym and still get enough work done to be able to play today,” said Bulldogs coach Ben Nevels.
Wildcats 27, Bulldogs 0
Newport–6-7-14-0–27
Holmes–0-0-0-0–0
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(N) Thompson 82-yard run (4:37) two-point conversion attempt unsuccessful
2nd Quarter
(N) Stachel four yard run (9:05) Rosario kick
3rd Quarter
(N) Lee 11-yard pass to Thompson (5:56) Rosario kick
(N) Lee 29-yard pass to Sharp (0:44) Rosario kick
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Holmes n/a, Newport 163 (Lee 11-16)
Rushing Yards: Holmes 34 (K.Johnson 6-(-20), Tillman 7-22, Dunaway 1-1, Mathes 14-31) Newport 159 (Thompson 6-102, Lee 7-1, Buck-Barber 3-4, Stachel 6-52)
Receiving: Holmes n/a, Newport (Thompson 3-35,
Roper 1-10, K. Sharp 4-76, Buck-Barber 1-16, Farrell 1-18, Stachel 1-8)
First Downs: Holmes 2, Newport 7
Turnovers: Holmes 0, Newport 0
Penalties: Holmes 7-35, Newport 7-54
Records: Holmes 1-1, Newport 2-0