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Newsome's Season Ends

By JARRETT GUTHRIE

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 22, 2008

LITHIA - The first six minutes into Newsome's first playoff game couldn't have gone worse for the Wolves. A first-possession fumble and a third-possession blocked punt sandwiched a one-play Kissimmee Osceola scoring run. Six minutes later, host Newsome trailed by three touchdowns and eventually lost 21-13 on Friday night.

"It's always tough when that happens," Coach Kenneth Hiscock said of the early scores. "But we have no excuses."

The Kowboys' 21 first-quarter points started on a 6-yard scoring run by Semaj Washington following a Newsome fumble on its 15-yard line.

After a three-and-out by the Wolves led to a punt, Osceola running back Jansen Watson scored on the first play, a 54-yard run.

Newsome's struggles on offense continued and the team's third drive ended with a blocked punt that was returned 27 yards by the Kowboys' Will Bostic to give the Kowboys a 21-0 lead.

The Wolves took over and again went three-and-out, but recovered a muffed punt on the Kowboys' 14-yard line leading to an eventual Conner Powers 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. The extra point was blocked.

The second half proved an entirely different game as the Wolves' stingy defense limited the Kowboys to only four first downs and only 73 yards of offense. Hiscock said he was proud his team didn't give up after the early scoring put the Wolves into a deep hole.

"The best thing I saw from this team is that there wasn't any quit in them," Hiscock said. "They played until the very end of the game - all four quarters."

Powers scored his second touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Newsome senior lineman Frank Marin said the team would take tremendous pride in providing the school with its first playoff appearance.

"We spent all season just working harder and harder," Marin said. "And along the way something happened and we just clicked."