The Racers opened up the 2024 football season with a win against the Bartlesville Bruins last Thursday night. At the game’s conclusion the score was 49-24, but not before a first half scare.
Head Coach Jeff Brickman said the Racers went up 21-0 in the first half, but a touchdown play was called back for an illegal block in the back. He said Bartlesville took the momentum and the lead, scoring 16 unanswered points, and making the score 16-14 at the half.
Newcastle bounced back after halftime, when coaches made some adjustments and challenged the team to respond.
“In the second half, we outscored them 35-8,” Brickman said.
The Racers had 427 yards of total offense. They held the Bruins to only 95 yards rushing.
The game’s Most Valuable Player was Trey Burchett. Rex Heskew was named offense player of the game, and Taj Smith was named defense player of the game. Kaden Longman got the nod for his play at special teams, and Jace Ledoux was noted for knockdowns.
The Racers prepare for a Friday night game against the Tuttle Tigers. Brickman said they threw for a lot of yards in their first game of the year, so the Racers secondary will be put to the test.
Tuttle won their opener against Guthrie, 31-24.
