By Dan Hardenbrook
The Newberry Indians kept possession of the Little Brown Jug after overwhelming the Engadine Eagles football team 56-0 last Friday in Engadine.
The Indians used strength in numbers and an all-around team effort to top a young Eagles squad that fought with every ounce of heart they had. Seven different Indians players carried the football, and every single player on the roster played at least a full quarter in the victory.
Newberry, entering as heavy favorites, wasted no time exerting their dominance, taking the ball on offense after winning the coin toss. It was part of a plan to get an early lead, which the Indians did just 51 seconds into the game.
Quarterback Garrett Lewicki, who has beaten opposing teams in the run game all season, scored on the third play of the game from 35 yards out to start the scoring for the Indians. Lewicki came back and picked up another score on the Indians’ second possession, running over multiple players on a 16-yard scamper.
The Eagles fumbled the ensuing kickoff and after a Matthew Luebkert recovery, Newberry needed just 26 yards for a third touchdown. Three plays later, Lewicki made it happen again from 21 yards out. The Indians quarterback also threw a touchdown, finding Logan Thiele on a pass late in the first quarter, as the Indians built a 26-0 lead after the first 12 minutes.
Newberry’s fast paced offense punched another TD in early in the second, with Matthew Luebkert finding the endzone. Trailing 34-0 and with nothing to lose, the Eagles went for it on 4th down deep in their own territory but came up just short, setting up the sixth score in as many drives for the Indians later in the quarter. Gaijye Depew was next to score for the Indians, who led 40-0 at the half.
Newberry began to heavily sub in reserves during the second quarter, and the only hiccup was a strong goal line defense from Engadine, who came up with big stops on several of Newberry’s two-point conversion attempts.
Junior Luke Luebkert, who normally shines on defense, made multiple big plays as the running back after halftime. The younger Luebkert brother racked up nearly 100 yards rushing in the second half, including a pair of touchdowns as Newberry picked up its fourth win of the season.
While offense was unstoppable, Newberry’s defense was equally as dominant. They came up with a slew of fourth-down stops, didn’t allow a first down to the Eagles until the final minutes of the game, forced multiple turnovers, and contained the Eagles all night.
A major highlight came in the second half when international exchange student Noah Guichard of Germany made a leaping interception in the end zone to keep the shutout intact. Guichard also carried the ball multiple times, and fellow exchange student Filip Tihekla of Slovakia teamed up for their breakout game at NHS.
Tihekla made multiple tackles and also recorded a sack in the game. Logan Lusk, Devin Hamilton, Craig Whalen, and Tihekla all had season-high tackle totals for the Indians.
With the win, Newberry moves to 4-1 on the season. The Indians are tied with Pickford in the Great Lakes 8 East standings, after the Panthers were upset by Norway. Newberry and Norway will face off in Newberry on Friday, October 10, a game that could still earn the Indians a conference championship and home playoff game.
Engadine’s loss drops them to 1-4 on the season, but the Eagles will have a great chance to pick up another win this week at Fife Lake Forest Area.
The Indians play another rivalry trophy game this week: They will travel to Munising on Friday in the annual Battle for the Axe.
