Newman looking to close season with three straight wins, improve playoff seeding

For the second straight season, the Newman Comets have been in playoff mode well before the playoffs actually start.

Sitting at 3-3 after a Week 6 loss, the Comets knew they had to win out to guarantee themselves a playoff berth. Last season, they did the same thing before winning a first-round playoff game. This year, they’ve won their last two games and are looking ahead to a Week 9 game in Kewanee to try and make it three in a row.

“I would say it helped us, going through this last year,” senior linebacker Gabe Padilla said. “We knew what we needed to do, and we obviously did it last year; now we’re doing the same thing this year. We already knew what we had to do, and we’re really focused on doing what we need to do to keep winning games.”

Sophomore linebacker Daniel Kelly points to the mental aspect of approaching every game like it’s a playoff game as a big key to some strong performances the past couple of weeks.

“I think it’s a big part of what we’ve been able to do. It’s just a big motivation factor,” he said. “Last year, we kind of needed that win; this year, we might not think that we need it, but we still do. We’ve got to have that mindset that we’re going to win, that we need to win to get in the playoffs. We’re just going to do our best and have one of our best games that we’ve had all season.”

The Comets have relied on a stingy defense all season, having given up 167 points (20.9 ppg) – the second-fewest points allowed among Three Rivers Mississippi teams – as the new offense under first-year coach Mike LeMay has found its footing.

This week, that defense faces a Kewanee team that has scored 163 points, but comes in losing three of its last four games. Despite being out of the playoff picture at 3-5, LeMay knows the Boilermakers are a talented team that would love to end the season with a win at home.

“They’ve got some physical backs that can run the ball, they’ve got some bigger linemen, and they do some really nice things, like zone-read stuff.” LeMay said. “When they throw the ball, their tight end is the guy they want to try to get the ball to, so he’s definitely the threat we’re kind of keying on, and they’ve got some nice people out in space as well. The quarterback definitely keeps his eyes downfield and keeps working so guys can get open, which is really a testament to him, because that’s not always the easiest thing to do.

“Offensively, they’re pretty balanced across the board, and defensively they line up and their linebackers read and play fast. They’re pretty consistent in how they line up, and it’s good because it works for them, and they make plays and flow to the ball pretty regularly.”

Padilla says the key for this week has been like almost every other this season: try to make Kewanee one-dimensional by slowing down the ground game, then making adjustments throughout the game.

“Obviously what we’ve been doing well is stopping the run. Our defense is mostly based on stopping the run, and we’ve been focused on that,” Padilla said. “What we need to work on is our passing defense; we let up some pretty big plays against Mendota, and we should’ve put them down farther behind earlier in the game.”

Offensively, LeMay is happy with the growth he’s seen. While always a run-first team, the Comets have found some success in the passing game the past few weeks, and that’s something LeMay has been envisioning ever since taking over the program this past summer.

“It certainly does feel that we’re rounding into form, and our kids are really buying in. We’re adding formations, we’re adding some variations out of our formations, and they’re picking up really well on it. I’m very pleased,” he said. “Obviously the DNA of Newman is to run the ball, and it’s been to run out of the wishbone, but really, it’s power football, and it doesn’t matter what you do it out of.

“That was something that I wanted to maintain as kind of a traditional aspect, and I’m very pleased with how we’re doing it and being consistent. And we’re also able to air it out and be effective in doing so, and connecting on those passes. It’s been really, really nice, and it makes us more dynamic as an offense.”

As the players have learned the concepts and plays, things have been getting easier – and a lot more fun. That has caused an uptick in the intensity and urgency in practice, since there’s less focus needed on the nuts and bolts of the plays and more time for the honing of them.

It has also helped with the team’s confidence, as witnessed by the ability to make plays in crucial situations to find ways to win games the last two weeks – maybe partially because it’s something opposing teams aren’t used to seeing from Newman.

“We’re in playoff mode right now, and we’ve got keep thinking that. We’re adding in a lot of new plays, and adjusting to those plays. It’s new for us, and it’s new for other teams playing us,” Kelly said. “We’ve really been picking it up the last couple of weeks in practice, the weight room, everyone studying film to know what we’ve got to do on the field. We’re bringing energy and having fun.”