The Railers look to make the playoffs for the second straight year. |
Newton makes the move to a new division with a young and inexperienced team
Coach: Brent Glann (47-50 entering 11th season at Newton, 59-57 overall)
2009 Recap: 7-3 overall, 4-1 in the AVCTL Division II. The Railers entered district play with a 5-1 record and then knocked off league foes Winfield and Ark City before falling to Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the regular season finale. Newton reached the playoffs where they lost to Bishop Carroll in the regionals.
Returning Starters: 3 Offense, 4 Defense (Alex Dorrell, Sr., DB; David Garcia, Sr., OL; Hugh McConnell, Jr., OLB; Kendall Schmidt, OL, Jr.; Austin Vermillion, Jr., DE)
Returning Lettermen: 17
2010 Outlook:
Offense: The Railers will be a young and inexperienced team making a move to one of the toughest leagues in the state. Newton must replace several key playmakers from a unit that averaged 35.8 points per game last season and will turn to a pair of lineman and two seniors in the backfield to lead the way. David Garcia and Kendall Schmidt are back to hold down the line while tailback Cristian Valdez and fullback Josh Floerke look to pave the way in the running game. Sophomore Colman Kingsley will replace Evan Thomas at the quarterback position and lead the Railers spread offense. Senior Alex Dorrell will look to be one of Kingsley’s targets while up-and-comer Dominic Davis will provide another option in the backfield for Newton.
Defense: Newton held opponents to 14.3 points per game outside of their last two games last year. The Railers return two key pieces to the defensive line with Austin Vermillion and Tyler Schmidt coming back for their junior year. Hugh McConnell, another junior, will lead the linebackers with help from sophomore inside linebacker Jacob Bartel. Dorrell will patrol the secondary along with junior free safety Ben Koerner after the Railers graduated three defensive backs from last year’s squad. Newton will rely on team leaders Dorrell and McConnell to lead the Railers 3-4 defense.
Odds and Ends: The Railers will have 32 upperclassmen coming back from last year’s roster, 13 of them seniors. Despite being young and inexperienced, coach Glann hopes his team can be competitive in a top-heavy league.
The new division does have a bright side as Glann expects his team to be well prepared for the last three regular season games.
“We are excited about it because we know that we will be more than battle-tested by the time district play starts.”
Newton opens district play with a home game against Emporia (8-3 last year) followed by a road game against Valley Center (0-9). The Railers close the season with former league-rival McPherson (8-2).
