When the Newton Football team takes on Gilbert in Gilbert on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A Playoffs, it will be the third time the teams have played in three years. The past two years they have been district opponents, with each team winning at home. In 2023, the Cardinals won 21-2. Newton was led by senior Cody Klein, the older brother of current Cardinal senior quarterback Caden Klein. Cody Klein carried the ball 26 times for 322 yards and all three of Newton’s touchdowns, while his younger brother had seven tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Last year in Gilbert, the Tigers beat Newton 30-7. Gilbert rushed the ball 63 times for 360 yards and threw one pass, which was incomplete. The Tigers also recovered one Cardinal fumble and intercepted one pass. They also limited Newton to 86 yards rushing and 147 yards through the air. 

Going into Friday’s playoff game, the 9-1 Cardinals have 2,499 rushing yards while 10-0 Gilbert has 3,248. But Newton has 1,522 yards through the air, compared to the Tigers’ 412 passing yards. The Cardinals have forced five fumbles and have eleven interceptions, while Gilbert has generated seven fumbles and picked off 12 passes. 

The winner of this year’s Newton-Gilbert game will be headed to the Uni-Dome in Cedar Falls next week, for the Class 4A semi-finals.