By Dan Hardenbrook
Playing with no fear and nothing left to lose, the Newberry Indians varsity football team took one of the top teams in the Upper Peninsula to their absolute limit last Friday, before falling 36-30 to the Norway Knights in Great Lakes 8 East Conference action.
The loss drops Newberry to 0-7 on the season. But the record was not an indication of how the Indians played against Norway: They had the now 6-1 Knights on the rope on their own home field.
Despite the gap in win/loss records, the game still had plenty of hype. It was a rematch from last year’s playoffs, another game that Norway narrowly escaped at home, and this one included many returning players from last season’s classic encounter.
This year, Norway struck first, and the Indians quickly answered. Garrett Lewicki delivered a beautiful ball downfield to Matthew Rahilly on a 42-yard touchdown that tied the game up 6-6 midway through the opening quarter.
Playing inspired football, the Indians almost took control. During a key fourth-down play deep inside Norway territory, Kadin Kellogg reached out for the goal line and appeared to get far enough for an Indians score, but officials marked him just short and Norway took possession.
Still fired up, Newberry’s Matthew Luebkert intercepted a ball from Norway’s All UP-caliber quarterback, then scored later in the drive. The Indians were up 14-6.
The see-saw battle continued, and the Knights got the next two scores, going up 14-20 before Newberry’s next big push. The Indians played their best half of the season and scored again to take a 22-20 lead at halftime. Lewicki and Rahilly reversed roles on the play, with Rahilly throwing an 18-yard touchdown after a wild scramble to a wide open Lewicki in the end zone.
The Indians delivered what appeared to be their biggest blow early in the second half. Starting with the football, they marched down the field, sustaining a long drive that ate up precious time and resulted in a big score, growing their lead to a game-high 10 points. Luebkert found the endzone again after breaking free for a 4-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion put the Indians on top 30-20 and well on their way to an upset.
But a season of strange bounces, odd occurrences, and constant struggle and disappointment continued in the fourth quarter. The Indians gave it their all but couldn’t contain the Knights, who found the big play at the perfect time to rally. Norway ran off back-to-back fourth-quarter scores and held up tight. The Indians’ final possession came up short.
At 0-7, the Indians have a final home game against the Rudyard Bulldogs on Parents Night Friday. Varsity kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Bulldogs come in at 4-3 and are coming off their biggest win of the season as they upset Munising 29-28 last Friday.
