Well it's that time in the season. The sun sets a little earlier, the leaves change colors, the temperature drops and if your team is fortunate enough to still be in the playoff hunt you want to make sure there is no letdown. It's late October and just about every inspirational and motivational quote, saying, motto or cliche has been used.

Coming off a 20-18 win over Parkview, Newton coach Cameil Grant's team needed to hear something unique -- and they got it.

"One of the things our defensive coordinator Josh Skelton talked to the kids about this week is how we need to be like black coffee," says Grant. "His point was that a lot of people don’t drink black coffee because it’s too strong. You put your creamer and your sugar in it to temper it and weaken it. He talked about all of the things we add to our coffee that could weaken it. Listening to outside noise and being complacent, those type things. We want to be like black coffee. We want to keep it strong and not allow anything to dilute us this week."

The win at Parkview evened Newton’s record at 4-4. It was a region win that snapped a four-game tailspin for the Rams that included region loses to Grayson and Brookwood. Grant's group has been tested by a challenging non-region schedule.

“There is a lot of respect for what we do across the state,” says Grant. “That makes it difficult, at times, to find games. Hapeville Charter has always had a good program, Westlake with what they can do, and McEachern, so the non-region schedule was going to be tough. We have to constantly remind the kids that nobody is going to downplay them. Some teams feel that they should beat you, but they will have to bring their best to do it."

Newton

Newton coach Camiel Grant strives to keep the team focused and hard as black coffee.

Credit: Covington News

Last season Newton went 4-5 and the Rams saw their streak of nine straight playoff appearances halted. There was a three-point loss to Mill Creek and a heartbreaking 7-6 overtime loss to Hughes in the season opener. Grant and his coaching staff quickly turned the page on 2021 and took aim at a return to the postseason. There were two elements the team would need to have in order to to have a fighting chance.

“Staying healthy was the first thing and we graduated a two-year starter at quarterback,” recalls Grant . "We really went the entire summer without a concrete decision. Deron Benson was coming in as a ninth grader. We liked him a lot but we just didn’t think physically he was going to be ready. He had a good spring, but we didn’t want to rush that process.”

After winning their first three games, Newton lost to McEachern and surrendered 42 points in a loss to Westlake. The Rams were scoreless in their region opener at Grayson and the coach felt it was time for a change.

“I think it goes back to the Grayson game,” says Grant. “At halftime against it was just a 3-0 game. Offensively we weren’t playing well at all. So we made the decision to go with the freshman coming out of the half and ride with him the rest of the way. Then in the second half of the Brookwood game we talked about playing just one play at a time and check the scoreboard at the end. Let’s just commit to doing that on both sides of the ball. The kids bought into that, and I really believe that the second half of the Brookwood game we turned in a new team. So going into Parkview it’s just a matter of how do we we continue that."

Newton

Zion Johnson ran 23 times for 194 yards in the win against Parkview.

Credit: Covington News

A attitude adjustment can be a wonderful thing, but with the region record at 0-2, Newton headed for the Big Orange Jungle in search of a much-needed win over a team they had beaten last season. The Rams offense clicked early at Parkview, with a pair of touchdown tosses not by the quarterback, but by their all-region wide receiver.

"Marcus Calwise -- and I’m biased -- I think he is one of the best football players in the state," says Grant. "He is extremely explosive when he gets the ball. He got hurt in the Westlake game and didn’t play against Grayson, so Brookwood was his first week back from injury. He threw those touchdown passes, which was something we worked on but they seem to never go well in practice. The first one was a bubble screen. We felt like he would draw a lot of attention and it worked. On the second one, the kids called for it. They said, ‘We want to run it.’ We told them to go with it and they did a good job of executing it."

Calwise, a junior, had six catches for 66 yards against the Panthers. The offense had balance as sophomore running back Zion Johnson, also an all-region selection, carried the ball 23 times for 194 yards and one touchdown. Newton led 20-3 at the end of the third quarter, then came the Panthers furious comeback in the fourth.

"We felt like we played three quarters, which was better than what we had been doing,” says Grant. “We had a drive to go down into the 30 with a chance to go up one more score, but there were a couple penalties that were really mental mistakes. We weren’t pleased with the way that we finished overall, but defensively we found a way. After giving up a touchdown they needed a two-point conversion and Jamarcus Presley came up big. I guess it was a fun game from the fans standpoint to watch, but as a coach, and knowing what they are capable of, it’s not a lot of fun from that standpoint.”

Newton

Marcus Calwise had six catches against Parkview and threw for a pair of scores in the important victory.

Credit: Covington News

So, the Newton Rams are 1-2 in Region 4-7A with two games remaining. Next up a visit to South Gwinnett, to face the 4-4 Comets who are winless in region play. Grant has a clear vision of the task that faces his team.

“When you get to this point, you have two games left and you control your own destiny,” says Grant. “The reality is that’s been the case since the first week. The truth is every week in region play you have to go win a ballgame to give yourself the chance to be in the playoffs. We don’t need to do anything different than a few weeks ago. We don’t put more emphasis on the opponent, but on what we do well. Try to enhance the good things and eliminate the bad things. The mindset should not change on Week 8 from what it was on Week 6."

It's kind of ironic that I interviewed Coach Grant for this blog while sitting outside Starbucks. It's my office away from my office. The drinks can get a little pricey, but I believe I’ll have what the Newton Rams are having … coffee... black coffee!

This week Football Fridays In Georgia will feature Hughes at South Paulding, Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on the Great GPB!