When the Beach High School football team talks about a balanced rushing attack, the Bulldogs really mean one player, junior running back Jordan Newton.
And now opposing teams should be talking about him, too.
Newton rushed for 306 yards and five touchdowns in Beach’s 42-7 victory over host Johnson in Region 1-3A action on a rainy, windy Friday night at Savannah High.
“He’s the anchor of the team,” said Bulldogs head coach Michael Thompson, noting that Newton also starts at middle linebacker and plays on all of the special teams. “When a team looks at us on film now, they’ve got to realize No. 4 (Newton) is a threat.”
How’s this for balance? Newton rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on nine first-quarter carries, covered 18 yards and tallied a third TD on three attempts in the second quarter, took three handoffs for 91 yards (including an 88-yard score) in the third, and had three carries for 96 yards (including an 82-yard TD) in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve got to give credit to my linemen,” Newton said. “They work hard at practice, all the conditioning we do, all the blocking drills.”
Newton called it his career-best game after rushing for 200 yards a week earlier in a 35-7 win over region-foe Islands.
“It’s just running hard, going through contact, finishing the runs each time,” he said.
He sent a message the first time he touched the ball with a 42-yard gain. The next carry was a 10-yard touchdown run. His final carry of the first quarter was from within a yard of the end zone for a 21-0 lead with 21 seconds remaining.
The Bulldogs (3-3, 3-3 Region 1-3A) started fast with touchdowns on all three of their first-quarter possessions.
They took advantage of a short field after a bad punt following a high snap that gave them the ball at the Atomsmashers’ 28. A holding penalty pushed Beach back to the 37, but junior quarterback Jayvion Williams rolled out and found senior Kejuan Ferguson in the end zone for a score with 7:49 remaining in the opening quarter.
The Williams-to-Ferguson connection has been a dynamic one in games this season, such as the 49-18 victory over Windsor Forest on Sept. 5. But they wouldn’t be asked to do too much on Friday with the success of the running game.
Williams was 10-of-17 passing for 165 yards, one touchdown and one interception (by Johnson defensive back Kaeden Moore) in the first half, and he attempted just two passes (both incompletions) in the second half.
Thompson made a point to praise the defense, which limited Johnson (2-5, 2-4 region) to one touchdown.
Atomsmashers standout junior quarterback Shamari King had to earn everything he got. He did find Jamauri Johnson on a 43-yard touchdown bomb on fourth-and-nine to close their deficit to 28-7 with 2:50 left in the second quarter.
King finished 8-of-20 passing for 108 yards, the one TD and an interception by Marcus Lidell. King, listed at 5-foot-6 and 165 pounds, also had nine carries for 60 yards, including a really tough 14-yard run around and through tackles on fourth-and-15 from the Beach 17 in the final minute of the third quarter.
No player was tougher to bring down than Newton, a 6-1, 219-pounder who sat out his sophomore football season after transferring from Benedictine. Thompson said Newton is “being the leader that we need” with strong character, solid academics and high standards.
The coach said Newton is having a breakout season, displaying how he can run over and out-run defenders. Beach needed only one play to cash in Johnson’s turnover on the first series of the third quarter. The Bulldogs, after recovering a fumbled snap at their 12 to end a scoring threat, handed off to Newton, who broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and sprinted to the end zone.
His final carry of the game was a similar 82-yard rumble for a TD with about 10:40 left. Angel Gonzalez kicked his sixth extra point for a 42-7 advantage.
“(Newton) did a good job of reading the blocks and getting upfield,” Thompson said. “With that said, our linemen did a hell of a job blocking for him tonight.”
Asked about playing on offense, defense and special teams, Newton recalled that he came off the field for a total of two plays on special teams.
“He’s really trying to show his potential,” Thompson said. “As the season goes on and, hopefully, we can make this playoff run, they’re really going to see his full potential.”
The Bulldogs don’t want to look too far ahead, focusing on each practice and then each game, the coach said, beginning with next Friday’s region contest at Groves.
“We’re starting to become a whole team,” Thompson said.
“(The win over Johnson) boosts our playoffs chances,” Newton said. “We’ve got to move forward, work harder and go to the next level and we’ve got to be prepared for the next team.”
Beach now leads Johnson 34-32 in the all-time series, which dates back to 1959. The Atomsmashers had won five straight before losing in 2024.
|
BEACH 42, JOHNSON 7 |
|||||
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total | |
| Beach | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Johnson | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
First Quarter
B—Jordan Newton 10 run (Angel Gonzalez kick)
B—Kejuan Ferguson 37 pass from Jayvion Williams (Gonzalez kick)
B—Newton 1 run (Gonzalez kick)
Second Quarter
B—Newton 14 run (Gonzalez kick)
J—Jamauri Johnson 43 pass from Shamari King (Sebastian Zarate kick)
Third Quarter
J—Newton 88 run (Gonzalez kick)
Fourth Quarter
J—Newton 82 run (Gonzalez kick)
Records—Beach 3-3, 3-3 Region 1-3A; Johnson 2-5, 2-4 Region.
FINAL SCORES Week #9
Calvary Day 42, Islands 6
Valdosta 41, Richmond Hill 0
Effingham 36, Evans 0
Beach 42, Johnson 7
Liberty County 48, Groves 6
Jenkins 37, Southeast Bulloch 28
Long County 49, Windsor Forest 22
Savannah Christian 37, Vidalia 14
Swainsboro 42, Savannah Country Day 14
McIntosh County Academy 7, Bryan County 0
Savannah High 19, Claxton 6
Bethesda Academy 40, Dillion Christian 6
Pinewood Christian 39, St. Andrew’s 12
Photo Credit: WJCL Sports Reporter/Weekend sports anchor Pat Timlin
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