It would take less time to walk from Bellevue’s football field to Newport’s than there were points scored between the two, and once someone did, that was all it took.
In a game where points came at a premium, Newport struck first and last with a single first-quarter touchdown to outlast Bellevue, 6-0, in a defensive battle with playoff seeding implications in Class 1A, District 3.
The win gives Newport a chance to grab the district’s No. 2 seed, while Bellevue missed an opportunity to set up a showdown next week with Newport Central Catholic for a district title.
Both teams entered the rivalry game facing offensive uncertainty. Bellevue struggled to hang on to the football, while Newport adjusted to a new quarterback after an injury the week before.
Wildcats senior Kayveion Sharp, who had been under center, suffered a right-arm injury in the fourth quarter of the previous game against Newport Central Catholic. That pushed junior Jaden Conley into the starting role.
“Kay had gotten hurt going into the fourth quarter of the NewCath game, and he’s a warrior, but he couldn’t physically do it anymore,” Wildcats head coach Paul Wiggins said. “Kay’s a natural outside receiver. He’s a beast out there. Moving him to quarterback was the best option at the time. Jaden’s a junior, and we’re hoping he rolls with this so we can roll into another year with him.”
On the night, the Wildcats managed just 92 yards on the ground, all by Kendell Buck-Barber, and struggled with penalties, nine for 90 yards. But the new starter proved to be the bright spot for Newport’s offense.
Conley wasted no time making an impact, completing 11 of 18 passes for 151 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown to Carvonta Roper on Newport’s first offensive play. The Wildcats’ two-point try failed, but their 6-0 lead with 8:03 left in the first quarter held for the rest of the night.
Bellevue’s best chance to score came late in the second quarter, when a drive inside the Newport 20 ended with an interception, picked off by Sharp, who made his mark on both sides of the ball.
“I was trying to set the momentum on defense, keep making stops so we could get the offense back out and get the ball rolling,” Sharp said. “I saw the quarterback rolling out and knew he was going to throw it.”
Bellevue finished with just 104 yards of offense and nine penalties for 75 yards.
“Our offense is just not where it needs to be,” Tigers head coach Chad Montgomery said. “We turn the ball over. We lead the state in turnovers (forced). We hurt ourselves with false starts and too many little mistakes we’ve got to fix.”
Sharp also added five catches for 42 yards and nearly had a receiving touchdown before it was called back by a penalty.
While the Wildcats couldn’t add to their total, their defense ensured they didn’t have to, forcing a Bellevue punt in the final two minutes and closing the game in victory formation.
Coming off a 26-6 loss to Newport Central Catholic, Newport (4-4) is now 1-1 in district play. The Wildcats will travel to Dayton (0-2) next Friday at 7 p.m., where a win would secure the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game.
Bellevue (5-3) entered the matchup off an 18-0 win over rival Dayton and also sits at 1-1 in district play. The Tigers will host Newport Central Catholic on Thursday at 7 p.m.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Jenny Quinn:
WILDCATS 6, TIGERS 0
NEWPORT — 6-0-0-0 — 6
BELLEVUE — 0-0-0-0 — 0
Scoring Plays
1st Quarter
(N) Conley 46-yard pass to Roper (8:03) Run no good
Game Stats
Passing Yards: Newport 151 (Conley 11/18), Bellevue 26 (Specht 2/7)
Rushing Yards: Newport 92 (Buck-Barber 16-92, Roper 1-4, Chun Perez 1-0, Conley 6-(minus)4), Bellevue 78 (Woodyard 8-29, Scott 11-25, Specht 10-22, Gramer 1-2)
Receiving: Newport (Roper 1-46, Sharp 5-42, Buck-Barber 2-37, Jackson 1-18, Harrington 2-8), Bellevue (Stokes 2-26)
Turnovers: Newport 0, Bellevue 1
Penalties: Newport 9-90, Bellevue 9-75
Records: Newport 4-4, Bellevue 5-3
