NEWTON — Confucius claimed there are three ways to gain wisdom – reflection, imitation, and experience, with experience being the bitterest path to wisdom. 

The Newton Tigers battling injury and youthful inexperience gained wisdom in the bitterest of ways as they dropped their second game of the season with a 34-18 loss to visiting Eupora.

Despite the defeat at the hands of a more physical defense, first year head coach Zach Grady remains optimistic about his Tigers because talented young players are taking valuable snaps and gaining experience. 

“We’ve got to continue to get better, continue to regroup. Having our starting quarterback would help tremendously. Tre (Hillie, senior quarterback) is out and that’s a set back for us right not. Until we get him back we are kind of hit and miss back there but we are getting some valuable reps at that position and we’ve just got to continue to play hard until we can get him back.” 

On the defensive side of the ball, Grady is singing the same song, second verse. 

“We are still very young. We’re still learning the schemes and getting valuable reps in key places. We just got to keep playing. You can only be young for a couple of games, and after that you’re old so you got to play.”

A physical Eupora team led by quarterback Edwin Herard and running back Abraham Hodges took advance of the Tigers in the opening drive of the game, scoring in less than three minutes. Moving the ball 60 yards down the field, Hodges broke out for some double digit runs and Herard capped the drive off with a 17 yard pass to Camron Culpepper. The PAT was good and the Eagles were up 7-0. 

The Tigers looked as if they would answer in the ensuing drive when Lawrence Morris completed a 30 yard pass play to Desond Moore that would have put the Tigers in the red zone was called back on a holding penalty. Forced to punt, the Tigers gave the ball and advantage to Eupora as Herard went into the air for a couple of huge pass place against the inexperienced Tiger secondary. 

Add to the big plays and Newton offices penalty, and the Eagles found themselves in scoring position again nearly four minutes still remaining in the fourth quarter. Preston Perkins would make the two yard run that put Eupora up 13-0. The Eagles faked the PAT attempt with a pass play to convert and gain the 15-0 lead early. Before the quarter was over and after recovering a Newton fumble at midfield Eupora’s Travon MacMillan scored on a run. The PAT failed but the Eagles had a commanding 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

This is one of the points where Grady saw glimmers of positive things to come. 

“They just continued to play hard,” he said. “They didn’t get down and give up. They kept fighting back.” 

In the opening minutes of the second quarter after being stymied again on defense, the Tigers recovered a Eupora fumble on the Eupora 49 hardline. Two plays later, Newton’s Hillie, even with injury, took a handoff, reversed direction, and scampered 25 yards for a touchdown. The PAT was no good, but Newton was on the board 21-6. 

After trading possessions, Eupora closed out the half with another touchdown. This time it was another Herard to Culpepper pass play for 28 yards and the touchdown. The conversion play failed, but Eupora went into the half with a 27-6 lead. 

Neither team was able to reach the end one in the third quarter. Newton made it’s final bid to get back into the game late in the fourth with a relentless running attack and a 28 yard pass play from Lawrence Morris to Tyshun Evans. The play set up Desond Moore for the one yard run with 9:42 left in the game. The score was 27-12 after the conversion play failed. 

Eupora answered with a 16 yard touchdown run by Perkins. The PAT was good and the Eagles led 34-12. 

With less than a minute left in the game the Tigers continued to challenge Eupora and managed to get in the end zone one more time on a Jykail White two yard run. The conversion play failed making the final score 34-18 in the Eagles favor. 

On the night White carried the ball for 91 yards on 22 carries leading all rushers. The injured Hillie contributed a touchdown and 54 yards on three carries. 

Next week, the 0-2 Tigers will face Lamar School.