NEWPORT – Tigers football welcomed Kearsarge-Mount Royal on Saturday evening in a game between two 0-6 teams looking for their first win of 2018. It was the visiting Cougars who walked away with their first tally in the win column, beating Newport 42-14 behind an impressive offensive performance.
For the Cougars, quarterback Jak Jallah threw for over 200 yards, ran for over 50, and accounted for 4 total TDs. Running back Gavyn Magistro had over 200 yards from scrimmage and 3 TDs.
The game started out very evenly matched, as both teams had two possessions in the scoreless first quarter. Kearsarge got on the board first, at the 9:07 mark in the second quarter. Noah Cooper kicked a 36-yard field goal to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead.
On Newport’s next possession, they had the ball stripped from them at midfield and Kearsarge returned the ball down to the Newport 5 yard-line. The Cougars pushed their lead to 10-0 at the 7:12 mark in the second with a 5-yard TD pass from Jallah to Brodie Mulligan.
After a Newport three-and-out, Kearsarge’s offense looked sharp, with Jallah connecting with Andrew Normandin for passes of 19 and 26 yards, but Newport’s defense was able to make a play in an otherwise lob-sided second quarter. Safety Joe Ackerman picked off Jallah on a pass over the middle at the two-yard line and the Tigers took over.
After Ackerman picked up two first downs on the ground, the Tigers fumbled again and the Cougars took over at midfield and were able to score another touchdown before halftime to lead 17-0. Jallah connected with running back Magistro for a screen pass for the 48-yard TD with 13 ticks left.
Kearsarge picked up another score midway through the third quarter, as they drove 55 yards and capped it off with a one-yard TD run by Magistro. Brendan Akpan caught a 27-yard pass on the drive. 23-0, Q3 6:26.
The fourth quarter was loaded with offense, as the teams combined to score 33 points in the final frame.
Newport got on the board early in the fourth, as QB Austin Malool found J.T. Blaine on a slant from the left side. Blaine took it 29 yards to the house. The two-point conversion was successful and Newport trailed 23-8 with 8:51 left in the game.
Kearsarge’s offense didn’t let up. They took their next drive 61 yards in just a minute and a half, as Jallah scrambled for a 32-yard run and found Akpan for an 11-yard TD pass. 30-8, Q4 7:14.
On Newport’s first play of the next drive, they ran the same slant to Blaine with the same results, this time for a 68-yard TD connection.
Over the final six minutes, the Cougars would tack on two more scores to ice the game and seal their first win of the year. Jallah had an 11-yard TD scramble and Magistro had a 19-yard TD run.
For Kearsarge, Jallah completed 19-of-28 for 220 yards, 3 TDs, and 1 INT. He also ran 4 times for 51 yards and a TD. Magistro ran the ball 25 times for 129 yards and 2 TDs, and also had 5 catches for 72 yards and a TD. Normandin caught 8 balls for 88 yards. Akpan had 3 catches for 39 yards and a TD.
For Newport, Malool completed 7-of-14 for 139 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Ackerman ran 18 times for 92 yards. Blaine caught 2 passes for 97 yards and 2 TDs.
Newport moves to 0-7 on the season and will travel to play at Laconia (4-3) on Friday night. Kearsarge improves to 1-6 and will play at Somersworth (3-4) Friday night.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.