Walnut Ridge hasn't had much luck against Newport recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bobcats will look to defend their home field against the Greyhounds at 7:00 p.m. Walnut Ridge knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past six contests -- so hopefully Newport likes a good challenge.
On Friday, Walnut Ridge ended up a good deal behind Rivercrest and lost 50-34. The Bobcats were down 50-28 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Despite the loss, Walnut Ridge got top-tier performance from Jace Blake, who rushed for 223 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 8.9 yards per carry, and also threw for 111 yards on eight of 18 attempts.
Meanwhile, Newport got themselves on the board against Manila on Friday, but Manila never followed suit. They took their game with ease, bagging a 52-0 win over the Lions. The Greyhounds haven't had any issues with the Lions recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Newport's win came from a few key players Walnut Ridge will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Luke Reynolds, who threw for 96 yards and three TDs on only six passes. That's the most passing touchdowns he 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.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: 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 matchups.
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.
Walnut Ridge's defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 5-2. As for Newport, their win bumped their record up to an identical 5-2.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Walnut Ridge has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 287.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Newport struggles in that department as they've been averaging 287 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Walnut Ridge ended up a good deal behind Newport in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, losing 53-35. Thankfully for the Bobcats, Tonio Phillips (who rushed for 263 yards and six touchdowns while picking up 12.0 yards per carry, and also picked up 43 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
