COVINGTON, Ga. — The Newton Rams fell short of winning the first region title in program history Saturday night as they fell to Grayson 43-13 in the Region 4-AAAAAA championship.
The two teams entered the game in the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in region play. With home playoff games clinched for both schools, the only thing left to decide Saturday at Sharp Stadium was the region champion.
Ultimately, Grayson had the edge on both sides of the ball and overcame a pair of chunk play touchdowns from Newton to win the region on the road.
Following the game, Newton head coach Josh Skelton shared his thoughts on the game and what he felt set the Rams (NHS) back on Saturday night.
“We played poorly. I think there were a lot of things tonight where we hurt ourselves. We had multiple jumping offsides penalties and a lot of mental errors that didn't allow us to stay ahead and compete like we want to,” Skelton said. “I am very proud of these guys still in terms of how we started the season. We are talking about a 1-3 team that was able to fight their way back and earn their way to a region championship game in one of the toughest regions in the state of Georgia. I am very proud of these guys, no one’s chin is down around here.”
Grayson builds lead in first half
Newton got ahead first on Saturday, but it did not take long for Grayson to grab control of the first half.
After a few penalties set Newton back on its opening drive, senior running back Zion Johnson got it started in a big way.
Johnson took the handoff up the middle and broke through for a 76-yard touchdown rush. A failed two-point conversion gave Newton a 6-0 lead.
Although Grayson was stuffed on its opening offensive drive, the Rams (GHS) grabbed the lead on their second try.
Grayson capped off a long drive with a one-yard rush from Elijah Miller. Miller’s first of three touchdowns put Grayson ahead 7-6.
Following a punt from Newton, Grayson capitalized again.
Grayson quarterback Travis Burgess connected with Riley Drew, who took the reception 25 yards for a touchdown.
On Grayson’s next offensive drive, Miller took in a goal line carry for a touchdown to give the Rams a 20-6 lead over Newton.
Miller’s second score seemed to mark a turning point as it put Grayson ahead by two-scores, but Johnson put Newton back into the game with one play.
Johnson took a carry and outran multiple Rams (GHS) on his way to a 74-yard touchdown — his second score of the game that went over 70 yards.
Chunk plays were the name of the game for Newton in the first half. Outside of Johnson’s two big runs, Grayson’s defensive unit had success against the Newton offensive line.
On multiple occasions, Grayson got to quarterback Deron Benson for a sack to end a Newton drive.
Each defense made a play in the second quarter as the two teams traded turnovers before halftime.
Ryshawn Perry got into the backfield and took the ball right out of Burgess’ hands on a fumble. Shortly thereafter, Grayson got a turnover of their own when Benson’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Jaylon Williams.
Grayson got a touchdown before halftime on Miller’s third goal line score of the day as it gave the Rams a 26-13 lead over Newton.
Grayson separates in final two quarters
Newton began the second half by forcing Grayson to punt, but many of the trends from the opening half continued for the last 24 minutes of the game.
Out of their four offensive drives of the second half, the Rams (NHS) were held to three punts and a turnover on downs as Grayson’s defense continued to play stout.
Grayson found pay dirt in the third quarter with a one-yard touchdown rush from Joel Bradford.
On their next offensive drive, the Rams (GHS) added three points on a 39-yard field goal from Ricardo Martinez.
Martinez’ 39-yard field goal gave Grayson a 43-13 lead, the score that stood till the final whistle.
What’s next?
Although Newton did not get the result in region play that it had hoped for, the season for the Rams will continue into the postseason.
As the No. 2 seed in Region 4-AAAAAA, Newton will be matched with the McEachern Indians in the first round of the Class AAAAAA playoffs. The date for the game is yet to be determined.
After bouncing back from a 1-3 start to the season to now being the No. 2 seed, the goal for Skelton and the Rams is to continue to push forward into the playoffs.
“The No. 1 thing for us is moving forward,” Skelton said. “I think it's good for us in terms of watching and seeing that every team from here is capable. When I say capable, I mean capable of beating.You don’t have to be better than a team every night, you just have to be better than them on that Friday or Saturday that you play them. We can take a lot from this in terms of how we hurt ourselves. If we do the little details right, we stand a chance in every game.”
Newton and McEachern last played in 2023, when the Rams won 13-7 at Sharp Stadium.
