Despite a winless record, Newton looks like the most improved team in the Wichita area
Newton hasn’t started 0-3 since coach Chris Jaax’s first season, but you’re missing the story if you only look at the record.
The Railers’ three losses so far in the 2020 Kansas high school football season have come against a defending state champion (Derby), returning state runner-up (Andover Central) and two-time state semifinalist (Maize). They’ve lost by an average of about 8.5 points per game.
Last season, Newton played Derby and Maize and lost by a combined 93 points. Jaax said his team is close to getting over the hump.
“We knew we were a lot better as a team coming into this year,” he said. “We were really hoping we would knock a couple of those teams off. There is definitely disappointment in not being able to get the ‘Ws,’ but we can sense that we’re right there.”
Newton hasn’t had a winning season since 2009 under coach Brent Glann. The Railers went 5-5 in 2013 but allowed 70 to Bishop Carroll in the playoff game that ended their season that year. They haven’t done better than 3-7 since.
Heading into this offseason, pierced with uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Newton football players took improving upon themselves and got to work, Jaax said.
“This program as a whole has realized the amount of work it takes to be successful,” he said. “They did a great job in our summer conditioning program, but they were doing a lot of things on their own time, too.”
That was reflected in the Railers’ season-opener against Andover Central. Central went 11-2 last season and reached the Class 4A state championship game. The Jaguars are 2-0 this season and have won 11 of their past 12 regular season games.
After throwing two interceptions for touchdowns to open Week 1, Newton’s offense came to life. It wasn’t enough, but a 41-34 loss was evidence of improvement.
Newton was rewarded in Week 2 with a team that, coming into the 2020 season, hadn’t lost a game since 2018. Derby came to town. After a back-and-forth game, Newton had a chance to stop the Panthers on fourth and 11 and get the ball back with a chance to win the game.
Derby converted and went on to win 43-31. It was the closest Newton had played the Panthers since 2002.
And in Week 3, Newton had its first road test against Maize, a team that hadn’t lost to a league opponent outside of Derby since 2016. That game finished 34-27.
“You don’t pass for 460 yards against Maize unless your receivers and your quarterback are working a lot together in the offseason and building that timing,” Jaax said.
A few nights after the varsity game, the Newton junior varsity team beat Maize’s JV 26-20 on the last snap of the game as the Railers converted a perfect hook-and-ladder play.
Jaax said that is exciting to see for the future of the program.
“Them winning those games at the sub-varsity level is just an example of how much they’ve closed the gap, and obviously Friday night’s varsity game was an example of that, too,” he said. “From losing to them by almost 40 points last year to going down to the wire, it shows that all of this work is eventually going to pay off.”
The road to a varsity win doesn’t get much easier for Newton. The Railers face undefeated Hutchinson in Week 4. The Salthawks are unbeaten through three games for the first time since 2016, when they finished 9-2 and beat Derby by 33 in the playoffs.
After that, Newton hosts Maize South, a team that has lost one regular season game in its past 15. Then the Railers get Goddard at home, and the Lions are undefeated.
Newton has two teams on its 2020 schedule that presently have a losing record, and those are the last two opponents of the season. Jaax said mental toughness will be key.
“We knew our schedule was probably going to be the toughest in the area,” he said. “We tell the kids, ‘If you’re going to get better, you have to be challenged.’ Even though we haven’t gotten the wins, we know we are playing against some of the best competition in the state, and that is going to make us better.
“As the season goes on and we continue to get better, we should be able to beat anybody.”