Football Recap: Newton Comes Up Short

Newton extended their losing streak to four on Friday, dropping them down to 1-4. They came up short against the Richland County Tigers, falling 57-34. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 327th, while the Tigers are ranked 86th).

As for Richland County, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 5-0. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 52.4 points this season.

Leading Richland County to victory were Gavyn Cothern and Xavier Owusu-Gyan. Cothern rushed for 181 yards and three scores while picking up 10.1 yards per carry, while Owusu-Gyan rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. Cothern is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 107 every time he's taken the field this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Reed Klingler, who picked up 104 receiving yards and one TD.

Newton wasted no time getting back out on the field and has already played their next contest, a 34-21 defeat against Paris on the 3rd. As for Richland County, they have also already played their next game, a 42-26 victory against Mt. Carmel on the 3rd.