By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
NEWPORT, N.H. — The Newport Tigers (5-2) go up against the Gilford Golden Eagles today (4-3) for some Saturday afternoon football, in an important battle on the gridiron where a win for the Tigers could secure a home playoff game.
Both teams are in second place in their respective section of Division III, and are coming off tight wins, with the Tigers squeaking by with a 16-14 win over Somersworth and Gilford beating Stevens 13-23. This was a huge bounce back win for the Tigers, and vital in their playoff push with Stevens dropping a pivotal game to the Golden Eagles.
“I couldn’t be happier with how our kids responded after last week’s tough loss,” Newport Coach John Proper said after the win over Somersworth. “With only 17 healthy players they never gave up and came together in a total team effort for the victory.”
Last week, the Tigers’ clutch victory gave them sole possession of second place. While most of the season the team has gotten the job done on the ground through the strong play of QB Aaron Fellows and RB Tyson DiPaola, they used the air attack to beat Somersworth.
Fellows was 10-for-16 with 142 yards and a touchdown, to go with a pair of two point conversions. He was also the top rusher at 11 carries for 53 yards, including a 21-yarder. His top target was Aidan Couitt, who just missed the century mark in receiving, with five catches for 98 yards and a score.
However, DiPaola has been the heartbeat of the offense most of the season and will need to step up in the final week to help the Tigers secure a win against a Gilford squad that is coming off a 23-13 win over Stevens.
Zach Richardson of Stevens ran the ball 24 times for 146 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. This shows the Achilles heel of Gilford is the rushing attack, which the Tigers will need to focus on for scoring and controlling the clock. DiPaola has been one of the best to do it on the ground this season in Division III, and his legs will be vital.
“We need to build off the momentum from last week’s big win. If we can dominate the running game and limit the big plays on defense then we should have a great chance to come out with the win,” Proper said.
Noah Harder and Lucas Diaz of Gilford combined for 16 carries for 162 yards rushing in the game against Stevens, and Newport will need to put the brakes on this duo in order to secure a win in the final week.
Newport takes on Gilford today at 2 p.m. for the final game of the regular season in front of a home crowd.
