Newport and Somersworth are an even 4-4 against one another since November of 2015, but not for long. The Newport Tigers will face off against the Somersworth Toppers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Newport sitting on eight straight victories and Somersworth on five.
Newport had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They took their contest at home on Saturday with ease, bagging a 35-7 win over Bishop Brady. Considering Newport has won five games by more than 20 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Meanwhile, Somersworth can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent match on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 28-8 margin over Raymond.
Somersworth can attribute much of their success to Kaden Bickford, who rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, and Tayshawn Sheppard, who gained 169 total yards and three touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Somersworth's defense and their ten sacks. It was a group effort, with four picking up two apiece.
Newport has yet to lose a match at home this season, leaving them with a 8-0 record. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 2-6 Bishop Brady and 2-5 Winnisquam (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 43.5% over those games). As for Somersworth, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.
Newport barely slipped by Somersworth in their previous meeting back in September, winning 13-12. The rematch might be a little tougher for Newport since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
