Dogies Dominate Patriots

SUNDANCE — The Newcastle Dogies used a dominant second half to pull away from Upton/Sundance on Thursday, earning a 33–7 road victory and evening their record at 1–1.

“We needed that. We needed it bad,” head coach Matt Conzelman said.

Even with a strong week of practice, Conzelman said the Dogies weren’t sure what to expect after the short roadtrip, and he noted the challenge was not knowing exactly what kind of team Upton/Sundance would bring.

“Going into that game, you just never know what Upton/Sundance was going to have,” Conzelman said. “Up front, they were a lot better than I originally expected. That whole first half they gave us fits.”

The Patriots’ physical play on the line quickly set the tone in the first quarter, and the Dogies struggled to find rhythm against that front. Conzelman credited the opponent with making the opening half a challenge, and making Newcastle fight a battle. 

“At the end of the first, it was 7-7, and I was, like, ‘Man, we’ve got ourselves a game,’” Conzelman said. 

Newcastle led just 13–7 at halftime, and Conzelman said he was looking for his team to raise the level. Whatever was said in the locker room worked, and the Dogies came out and seized control.

“We really turned it up in the second half,” Conzelman said.

Sophomore Colton Hatheway scored twice, breaking big runs to spark the Dogie offense. 

“That was huge,” Conzelman said.

Crabtree carried 18 times for 99 yards and a touchdown, McConkey added 75 rushing yards with a score, and Troftgruben contributed 67 yards on the ground plus 74 yards through the air.

“It was huge for us to get a total team win, and I thought it was good that we spread the ball out,” Conzelman said. “I think we were 402 yards of total offense, so that is right where we need to be.”

Conzelman credited a young offensive line anchored by senior tackle Nathan White and tight end Drew Conzelman. 

On defense, McConkey and Jace Rich each posted 14 defensive points, while Perino, Erb, Benshoof, and Hatheway each contributed key turnovers or blocked kicks. 

“The defense has really played pretty well the last two weeks,” Conzelman said. “We controlled the second half. It was a bend-but-don’t-break defense, and I thought we kept fighting for every inch we could.”

Looking ahead, Newcastle faces its toughest test yet with the top-ranked Big Horn Rams coming to town.

“No. 1 Big Horn is coming to town, and they are good at everything you would want to talk about,” Conzelman said. “They’ve got a lot of things we’re going to have to take care of. They can score from anywhere on the field, so that possession game is going to be big for us.”

He noted Big Horn head coach Kirk McLaughlin, who spent time in the Sundance system, has built a powerhouse in Sheridan County. 

“He does a great job with those guys,” Conzelman said.

He noted that Big Horn’s discipline and balance make them a tough matchup every year, and emphasized that the Dogies will have to play nearly flawless football to give themselves a chance.

“We just want to keep it as close as we possibly can, and give ourselves a chance at the end of that thing,” he added. “If you make even a little error, they will make you pay.”

Conzelman also praised his team’s progress with discipline, noting that penalties had been an issue in earlier weeks. After cleaning things up against Upton/Sundance, he said the Dogies looked more like the team he expects them to be.

“We are progressing in the right direction,” he said. “We’ve been struggling with penalties but only had three or four this week. That’s more where we have to be. Everything is really coming together.”

This week’s matchup against Big Horn will also serve as Newcastle’s annual Pink Game for breast cancer awareness, and the Dogies will be looking for their first win over Big Horn since 2011.

“We need our Dogie fans to come out and cheer us on,” Conzelman said.

Stat Box

Final Score
Newcastle 33, Upton/Sundance 7

Scoring by Quarter
Newcastle – 7 6 14 6 — 33
Upton/Sundance – 7 0 0 0 — 7

Team Stats

• Rushing Yards: Newcastle 328
• Passing Yards: Newcastle 74
• Total Offense: Newcastle 402
• Penalties–Yards: Newcastle 3–35
   

Newcastle Leaders

• Passing: Troftgruben 7-14, 74 yds
• Rushing: Crabtree 18-95, TD; McConkey 13-75; Troftgruben 9-67, TD; Hatheway 4-91, 2 TD
• Receiving: Erb 5-67; Crabtree 1-5; Hatheway 1-2
• Defense: 
• McConkey 8 tackles, 2 TFL, sack, FF; 
• Rich 8 tackles, 3 TFL, FR; Perino 6 tackles, sack, FR, blocked kick; 
• Erb 6 tackles, sack, FF, blocked kick; 
• Benshoof 4 tackles, TFL, sack, blocked kick