WEST RUSK’S SEASON ENDS IN DIBOLL | Newton gets six TDs from Porter in win

DIBOLL – The people who rank the teams in the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football polls know what they’re doing, and while Newton does have three losses, the Eagles are ranked seventh in the most recent 3A, Division II poll.

Turns out, that’s probably accurate.

Newton beat a good West Rusk team here Friday night, 60-24, in the first, or bi-district, round of the UIL Class 3A-DII playoffs.

The Eagles (8-3) will move on to face Edgewood (8-3), who defeated New Boston on Friday, 54-28, in a first-round game at Paris High.

K.J. Porter scored six times for Newton.

Coach Rafe Mata’s Raiders got a field goal by Emi Rodriguez, but Newton scored the next 16. West Rusk struck back with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Judson Dotson to Hunter McCandless, and got the Raiders within six (16-10) after Rodriguez’s extra point.

Newton added another touchdown before the half, and led 22-10 at the break.

The Eagles scored again before West Rusk put up another touchdown a 3-yard score by Cole Jackson to cut it to 30-17. But Porter, who had four touchdowns in the second half, had a 50-yard run to extend the Eagles’ lead back to 20 points.

West Rusk would get one more touchdown on the board, a 33-yard pass to Kemontrea McGregor, who made one heck of a catch. Porter countered right back for the Eagles with a 72-yard kick return for a score.

West Rusk finishes the season with a 4-7 record, with wins over Diboll, ironically, Elkhart, Winona and Buffalo.