COVINGTON, Ga. — The Newton Rams arrived at Sharp Stadium Saturday on a month's rest and dealt Heritage a 46-6 loss in region play.

Prior to Saturday, Newton had not played a game since its 50-25 road win over the Archer Tigers on Sept. 20. The Rams’ matchups with Grayson and Grovetown were postponed to later in the season due to a combination of Hurricane Helene and the lingering effects of the Biolab fire last month.

Outside of a few first quarter penalties, the Rams showed little rust on gameday. Head coach Josh Skelton credited his team’s toughness and dedication going through a month without playing a game.

“First, I saw a team that is grateful to be back, a team that is excited to be back,” Skelton said. “I think we played with a lot of enthusiasm — things of that nature. Our guys were just ready to get back on the field. I equate this to feeling like this is the beginning of the season, so to speak. We had a lot of mistakes today, I think we played well in spurts. We played aggressive. I think we showed a lot of want-to. But, it is definitely something to go back and correct.

“I'm going to give our guys a lot of credit. Because, during the break none of our guys took a day off. All of our guys stayed engaged, everybody was positive without knowing when the next game would be played. I give our guys a ton of credit. I respect them with how they work — it is player-led. Overall, we were able to get the job done against a great team.”

Newton taken commanding lead on first half

On the opening drive of the game, a pair of penalties set the Rams back as they ended up punting to start. However, Newton capitalized on the first play of their next drive.

The first snap of the series went to senior running back Zion Johnson, who got around the edge and ran past the entire Heritage defense for a 70-yard touchdown run to put Newton ahead.

When the game went into the second quarter, Johnson struck big again.

On a Patriots’ punt. Johnson took the return and once again out ran the Patriots for a special teams touchdown. A second consecutive two-point try for Newton gave it a 16-0 lead.

Johnson’s punt return score set off a chain of successful Newton drives as the Rams went on to score on the remainder of their first half opportunities.

As Newton had the ball around midfield on their next drive, freshman Kevin Hartsfield ripped off a 54-yard touchdown run to extend the Newton lead.

With a pair of rushing touchdowns on the board, Newton decided to go to the air.

Quarterback Deron Benson went over the top later in the quarter and connected with wideout Malik Brightwell on a 58-yard touchdown reception.

Benson was not done, though.

Before the game could go to the break, Benson went deep again and found Andrew Leslie, who beat his man by 10 yards to haul in a 54-yard touchdown pass.

The Benson-to-Leslie connection gave Newton a 38-0 advantage going into intermission.

Both teams went back onto the field with a running clock to begin the second half. After an opening punt from Heritage in the third quarter, Benson threw for his third passing touchdown of the game.

The junior quarterback went Brightwell’s way again, and the senior wideout made the juggling catch for a 35-yard touchdown pass in tight coverage.

Skelton spoke with The News following Saturday’s game and discussed his team’s ability to move the ball well through the air.

“We just wanted to take what the defense was going to give us,” Skelton said. “I think we did a good job of not trying to force it. If we got the right look from their defense, we took advantage of it. We took those shots and let some of our guys go out there and make the plays. Big credit to the offensive line, just being hard on those guys for the last few weeks and establishing an attitude. I think those guys came out and played well and asserted themselves into the game. I am excited about being able to build with those guys for sure.”

Brightwell’s second touchdown catch on Saturday moved Newton’s lead to 46-0.

From an offensive standpoint, the Rams had their way with the Patriots on Saturday.

Whether it was in the run or pass game, Newton managed to find success and move the ball consistently as the team scored on six of its eight offensive drives (not including the final drive to run out the clock.).

Rams limit Heritage offensively

From the opening drive on, the Rams’ defense contained the Patriots.

As Heritage tried to move the ball east-west in the run game, the Rams flew to the ball consistently for all four quarters. 

Heritage broke through for a touchdown on its final offensive drive of the game as quarterback Jaycob Jones scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak.

What’s Next

Newton will take on another region foe from Conyers next week as it renews its rivalry with the Rockdale County Bulldogs on Friday, Oct. 25 on the road.