Dogies Lean on Running Game and Returning Core Entering 2026 Season

The Dogies enter the 2026 season led again by Matt Conzelman and looking to sustain the momentum that carried Newcastle to a second-place conference finish and a playoff berth last fall. The Dogies went 7-3 overall and 6-1 in Class 2A East play while averaging 28.5 points and 319.6 yards per game. Maintaining that standard will require Newcastle to replace six All-Conference seniors, including All-State quarterback Teddy Troftgruben, while developing a returning group that already has experience on both sides of the ball.

The running game remains the foundation after Newcastle averaged 249.8 rushing yards per game, third in Class 2A, last season. Returning 2A All-State player Dane Crabtree led the Dogies with 758 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 1,363 all-purpose yards and 100 points. Crabtree and senior Mason Rawhouser are the returning 2A East All-Conference selections. Rawhouser will be joined up front by Lukas Benshoof, Isaiah Anderson and Carter Farella, while wingback Colten Hatheway returns after filling an important role last season. Senior Landon Hatheway, Hatheway’s brother, is also back in the lineup.

Newcastle’s experience extends to a defense that allowed 19.5 points and 259.7 yards per game in 2025. Rawhouser, who recorded 54 tackles and four sacks last season, and Isiah Anderson are expected to man the edges, with Lukas Benshoof working in the middle. Hatheway and Crabtree will play at safety, while senior Adam Butler and Junior Cayson Phillips provide options at cornerback. Newcomer Zander Fangman is expected to add depth at quarterback and defensive end.

Depth will be a central part of Newcastle’s preseason work. The Dogies will need contributions from their sophomores and a strong freshman class to round out the squad following the departure of a decorated senior class. Offensively, the priority is to preserve the productive rushing attack while becoming more effective through the air. Newcastle showed the run game’s potential in last season’s 54-14 conference victory over Glenrock, when the Dogies produced a Class 2A season-high 463 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

The opening two weeks will provide immediate tests, beginning with the Week 1 trip to Rapid City Stevens and continuing with a Week 2 matchup against the Glenrock Herders. Newcastle opens against Rapid City Stevens on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. MDT, then travels to Glenrock for its first listed conference game. Those matchups will offer an early measure of how quickly the rebuilt lineup can support an experienced rushing attack and a defense with returning players at every level.