The Newton Cardinal football team took control of the game against Marion early Friday night in a 42-17 senior night win that was broadcast live on the KRLS3 Stream.

The Class 4A District 4 Champion Cardinals are headed to the playoffs with an 8-1 record and a substantial amount of momentum. Newton scored on their first six possessions against the Wolves, using a total of 26 plays to cover 283 yards, for a 10.9-yard per play average and a 42-0 halftime lead. Against Grinnell a week earlier, Newton scored the first 35 points of the game, en route to a 35-7 win. Cardinal head coach Andy Swedenhjelm was pleased to see the team take control of the game early against a Marion team that ended the season 2-7.

“You kind of worry about some of those games sometimes, that they can be trap games, and you can be a little sloppy. But the kids came out really crisp, and I was proud of their effort.”

The Cardinals played most of the second half with back-up and junior varsity players. Newton’s touchdowns included a 27-yard pass from Caden Klein to Nick Thomasson, a 22-yard pass from Klein to Finn Martin, Klein runs of 12 and 16-yards, an Isaiah Hansen 22-yard run, and a Zach Felton 3-yard run.

Newton will host a home play-off game for the first time since 2006 next Friday night, against an opponent that’s to be determined.