Newman tailback Matthew Blackert is nicknamed “the Harmon Bullet.”

The speedy, resilient runner showed why it’s a fitting moniker in the Comets’ 40-14 road win over Orion on Friday night.

Blackert ran for 171 yards and three touchdowns, also getting his team good field position with multiple long kick returns in the win.

Newman, ranked No. 3 in the latest Class 1A Associated Press poll, improved to 4-0 and 2-0 in the Three Rivers Rock.

It was a dominant performance against a team coming off a 27-point win over Mercer County in which Kale Filler threw six touchdowns, five to Owen Vorhees. The Comets kept the dangerous duo in check, thanks in part to its pass rush and winning at the line of scrimmage.

“We were focused all week,” said Blackert, who is from Harmon. “We were all committed. Watching film, in the weight room, dialed in all week.

“We knew if we play as a team, we’ll win as a team.”

Newman had to stay focused after the game was delayed by lightning for about 45 minutes. Blackert scored his first TD just 90 seconds in after Newman recovered its own short, miskicked ball to open the game.

Bouncing back from a turnover on downs after play resumed, Newman recovered a fumble, and John Rowzee’s 10-yard TD pass from Evan Bushman helped make it 14-0. Blackert’s second TD made it 20-0 at halftime.

“Right when we got in the locker room, we were focused on, ‘Hey, don’t lose sight of where we are right now, we’ve got to stay focused. We still have a full game to play.’ ”

The Comets didn’t let up, holding Orion to six points until the final minutes.

Filler finished with just 92 yards passing and one TD. Vorhees had 91 yards rushing and 19 receiving. Vorhees also had a kick return score called back by penalty and another long catch that was just out of bounds.

“We definitely knew they were a pass-heavy team,” Blackert said. “We all trust our D-line to stop them up front if it’s run. They had a pretty good game themselves with sacking the quarterback or stopping the run.”

Orion’s first score benefited from a short field following a Newman fumble.

Blackert returned the second-half kick to the Orion 30 as he made an impact on special teams. Blackert said plays like that on special teams help build momentum.

“I couldn’t have done it without everyone blocking for me,” he said. “The holes were there.”

Offensively, Bushman threw three TDs and played nearly mistake-free. Tyson Williams caught a 17-yard score, and Asher Ernst had a nice 33-yard TD catch on a deep ball from Bushman.

Blackert’s final run was a 59-yard burst as Newman scored 40 points or more for the second week in a row.

“Our guys in the back end played really good, we had pressure up front,” Newman coach Mike LeMay said. “Just complete team defense stopping a high-powered offense, for sure.”

LeMay said Blackert is a dynamic player for the Comets. He had the hot hand on Friday night, leading the team with 17 carries.

“He can play anywhere, and he just seems to never gas out,” LeMay said. “That’s just great. He’s an awesome leader of this team.”

Newman has an even bigger road test next week at Rockridge (4-0, 2-0). LeMay said the team will be ready and did not have any injuries against Orion.

“We’re going into a big week,” he said. “We’ve got some things we need to clean up against really good teams. Making our extra points, penalties ... tackling. We’re going to be a lot better going into it. And our kids our hungry.”