Q or TD?
If Quanterris Newby keeps this up, he”s going to give up being known as the sophomore formerly known as “Q” for a nickname like “TD” that is more fitting.
The sophomore, who earned his one letter nickname from a gym teacher in sixth grade, proved again Friday night he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
It also helps to have good hands and to be able to pick up the ball on the move.
Newby”s fumble recovery near midfield and run for a touchdown helped turn the momentum in a close game and pushed the New Hope High School football team to a 44-14 victory against Saltillo in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A, Region 1 game at Trojan Field.
“It is all because of God,” Newby said. “I would like to thank Him for giving me the talent. The other part is hard work. Coach (Michael) Bradley always tells us to go hard from whistle to whistle, non-stop. He says if you work hard good things will happen.”
Clinging to a 22-14 lead and with Saltillo (3-5, 0-4 region) driving following a second turnover by New Hope in the third quarter, the Trojans” defense rose to the occasion. Running back Obrien Stewart was stopped for a 4-yard loss to set up second-and-14 at the New Hope 28. What looked to be an option pitch to Stewart turned into an episode of follow the bouncing ball, as Stewart failed twice to recover the fumble. A host of New Hope players converged on the ball only to have Newby emerge from the pack, collect the ball, and hustle to the end zone.
“I was rooting for my teammate (Franklin Richardson Jr.) to pick up the fumble and score,” Newby said. “He is a senior and I want him to have a touchdown on defense in his senior year. I just saw the ball pop out, and I just happened to be in the right spot.”
Newby said he earned his nickname in sixth grade from Dale Hardin, who is now the athletic director and defensive coordinator at New Hope High. Newby isn”t sure why Hardin stuck him with the letter, but he knows his friends took to it because they preferred it over his long first name.
The Trojans might prefer TD, especially if Newby continues his scoring exploits.
“It really doesn”t matter (if he has a nickname),” Newby said, “as long as I am helping the team win.”
Bradley praised all of his younger players for stepping up on an evening in which the Trojans (5-3, 3-1) played without senior running back Terrance Dentry for the second straight game.
As for Newby, who had a 2-yard fumble recovery for a score against Tupelo and a 98-yard return that changed the momentum in a victory against Oxford, Bradley said the sophomore”s play epitomizes the effort of the defense.
“Q plays hard every snap,” Bradley said. “We have a lot of guys on defense who play hard every snap. I have always said success and luck follow hard work. He has been lucky on a lot of things being in the right place at the right time, but that is because he works hard. He goes as hard as he can every play and gives everything he has. Good things happen to people who do that.”
Good things happened to New Hope following Newby”s play. Saltillo held the ball for the final 4 minutes, 6 seconds of the third quarter and for two plays into the fourth quarter. The second was a 75-yard interception return by David Richardson. The junior also credited Richardson Jr. for helping him make the play.
“I really wasn”t supposed to be in coverage,” Richardson said. “Frank told me to cover the tight end and they threw it right at me. I saw the block, so I had to hit it outside.”
Richardson said he was supposed to have another assignment, only Richardson Jr. moved him to that position because he knew the Tigers were going to throw to the tight end. The result was the first touchdown of Richardson”s career.
“I saw nothing but green and the end zone, so I just turned it on,” Richardson said.
Saltillo coach Pat Byrd lamented his team”s continued mistakes. The Tigers also lost two of five fumbles. The fact that his team was within 22-14 and had the ball on the New Hope 24 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter did little to ease the frustration of a loss that was nowhere near as lopsided as the final score.
“The kids played extremely hard,” said Byrd, who is in his first season as head coach at Saltillo after spending the past 10 seasons as head coach at Amory High. “We lack depth and we”re lacking in a lot of areas. We”re not good enough right now to overcome mistakes. The two turnovers there, what can you say? We have a chance to be a decent football team if we don”t turn the ball over.”
On the other hand, Bradley hopes his players can find a knockout punch that has been missing all season. He praised the Tigers for their improvement, but he urged the Trojans to do what they have to do to correct their mistakes and to find their focus for the stretch run in region play.
“Sometimes it is better to be lucky than to be good,” Bradley said. “It seems like sometimes we”re our own worst enemy. The only thing you can say about that is coaching, and I have got to do a better job of coaching. I have got to get my guys to where when they get a team on the ropes they go for the knockout punch instead of being Mr. Nice Guy and letting them stick around. Tonight is not the first time that has happened. I hope it will be the last.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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