Newport has gone a perfect 5-0 against Walnut Ridge recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Greyhounds will square off against the Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Newport's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They really took it to Manila for the full four quarters, racking up a 52-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Greyhounds in their matchups with the Lions: they've now won six in a row.
Luke Reynolds
| 10/17/25 vs Manila | 3 |
| 10/10/25 vs Osceola | 1 |
| 10/03/25 @ Rivercrest | 1 |
| 09/12/25 @ Salem | 1 |
| 09/05/25 @ Batesville | 2 |
| + 3 more games |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Newport to victory, but perhaps none more so than Luke Reynolds, who threw for 96 yards and three touchdowns on only six passes. That's the most passing touchdowns Reynolds has posted since back in November of 2024. Trevion Greer helped Reynolds out on the ground, rushing for 100 yards and one score on only 11 carries.
Newport was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 329 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 284 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Newport didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jaden Robinson and Reynolds. Reynolds' passing game has become a key predictor of Newport's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, Walnut Ridge unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Friday. They took a hard 50-34 fall against Rivercrest. The Bobcats were down 50-28 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Newport will have to contain Jace Blake as he made an impact in Walnut Ridge's last game. He rushed for 223 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 8.9 yards per carry, and also threw for 111 yards on eight of 18 attempts.
Newport's victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Walnut Ridge, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 5-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Newport has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 287 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Walnut Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 287.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Newport strolled past Walnut Ridge in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a score of 53-35. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Bobcats' Enrique Perez, who rushed for 249 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 11.9 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Greyhounds to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
