Dogies Rally Past Tongue River 12-7 With Late Touchdown

Newcastle answered Tongue River’s late touchdown with a decisive scoring drive, then sealed a 12-7 conference victory when Landon Hatheway scored the winning touchdown on a 5-yard run, allowing the Dogies to finish the defensive battle in victory formation beneath the Big Horn Mountains.

Neither team scored in the first half as the defenses controlled a game that featured 10 punts. Newcastle’s defense forced three turnovers and limited Tongue River to 51 rushing yards on 26 carries. Mason Rawhouser led the Dogies’ defensive scoring with 22 points, including three tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Dylan Foster added 21 points with two tackles for loss and an interception, while Colten Hatheway recorded 15 points and broke up two passes.

The Dogies found room on the edges after halftime and marched down the field on their opening possession of the third quarter. Dane Crabtree finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run on a power play. A high snap prevented Newcastle from attempting the extra point, leaving the Dogies ahead 6-0. On the day, Crabtree completed 13 of 18 passes for 88 yards with one interception, which came on the opening drive, and rushed 11 times for 31 yards.

Tongue River moved into scoring position late in the fourth quarter with help from a disputed pass interference call, then converted a desperation fourth-down throw for a touchdown and a 7-6 lead. Newcastle struggled on its next series and punted, but the defense forced a three-and-out to give the offense another chance. Crabtree and Landon Hatheway connected four times for 37 yards on the winning drive, while Colten Hatheway added two catches for 20 yards. Landon Hatheway then powered in from 5 yards out. Newcastle converted its first 2-point attempt, but an ineligible-player-downfield penalty erased the play, and the second attempt came up short, taking the score to 12-7. Cayson Phillips would then intercept the Eagles on their final possession to seal the game.

Landon Hatheway finished with 76 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, along with five receptions for 45 yards. Colten Hatheway contributed 25 yards on five carries and caught three passes for 27 yards. Phillips made three catches for 19 yards, and Foster had two receptions for 7 yards. Freshman Tanner Lenardson helped Newcastle manage field position with punts of 37, 35, 30, 40 and 25 yards.

The Dogies totaled 132 rushing yards and 88 passing yards while holding Tongue River to 12 completions on 31 attempts for 149 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Phillips’ game-clinching interception completed a strong defensive performance and moved Newcastle to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in 2A East play. The Dogies return home for a Homecoming game against Torrington at 7 p.m. MDT Friday, Sept. 25.