Newcastle Team Preview
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It’s the month of July and that means it’s preview time! Throughout the month of July, we are publishing 100 team previews to get you ready for the 2022 season. This is something that began last year and has become even bigger and better this year. We’re looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state. From defending champs, to top contenders and dark horses, we’ll have complete coverage every single day with new teams from Class 6A down to A. In this post, we take a look at the Newcastle Racers. Newcastle is ready to take the next step to becoming a contender in Class 4A this fall.
Newcastle Racers (4A Preseason Ranking: #9)
The Newcastle Racers are looking to make it three years in a row of making it into the playoffs but they also want so much more in 2022. The Racers come into this season as the #9 team in our preseason rankings for Class 4A. Despite going 5-6 last season, the Racers believe they have enough talent to make a run in Class 4A this fall. But for the second straight year, a brutal schedule could provide plenty of bumps in the road. Newcastle began last season 1-3 but would rally to win four of their next five before falling to Elk City in the regular season finale. They would lose to Tuttle for the second time in 2021 when they lost to the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs. Now, Tuttle is a new district opponent and the Racers once again find themselves in arguably the toughest district in Class 4A.
The Racers do bring back five starters on the offensive side of the ball and it’s going to be headlined by their backfield at the quarterback and running back positions. The Racers have the chance to have one of the better offenses in Class 4A this season when it comes to balanced attacks. Then on defense, the Racers will need some young players to come along as they bring back four starters on that side of the ball. The Racers are hoping to continue the success they’ve had in Class 4A over the last few seasons but it’s time to take that next step. The goal isn’t just to make their way to the playoffs. They want to contend for the district championship and make a deeper run in the playoffs this fall. They will certainly be tested along the way, especially in the first half of the season, but Newcastle is ready to take that next step as a program.
2021 Results (5-6 Record – Lost In Class 4A 1st Round)
Aug. 27 – Beat Cleveland 40-0
Sept. 10 – Lost To Tuttle 35-7
Sept. 17 – Lost To Blanchard 20-13
Sept. 24 – Lost To Clinton 28-14
Oct. 1 – Beat Cache 21-7
Oct. 7 – Beat Weatherford 43-7
Oct. 15 – Lost To Bethany 28-20
Oct. 22 – Beat Elgin 44-21
Oct. 29 – Beat Chickasha 35-14
Nov. 5 – Lost To Elk City 28-14
1st Round – Lost To Tuttle 34-3
Key Losses To Graduation
Justus Conway – Defensive Lineman
Teagun Jordan – Wide Receiver
Players To Watch
Carson Bolser – 2024 Running Back
The Newcastle backfield is experienced and young which is a bad combination for the rest of 4A football over the next two seasons. One of the names to know at the running back position in Class 4A is 2024 RB Carson Bolser. He had a really strong season last year and will look to improve on his production from last season. The Racers lose a lot of production from the wide receiver position so the running game, especially early on in the season, is going to be so important. We expect Bolser to get a strong work load in the first half of the season while the new receivers come along.
Jackson Bergt
Jackson
Bergt
6'3" | 195 lbs | QB
Newcastle | 2024
State
OK
– 2024 Quarterback
The other half of this talented Newcastle backfield is 2024 quarterback
Jackson Bergt
Jackson
Bergt
6'3" | 195 lbs | QB
Newcastle | 2024
State
OK
. And there’s good news and bad news with Bergt heading into the season. The good news is simple. He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the state’s 2024 class and he definitely looks the part already. The bad news is he lost his top receiver in Teagun Jordan to graduation and the Racers didn’t have another receiver with over 200 yards last year. So needless to say, Bergt is going to have a few new faces catching passes this fall. Despite that, we think Bergt could lead the Races to becoming one of the more balanced offenses in 4A football.
Kayden Philips – 2023 Defensive Back
Full transparency here, we didn’t know the name Kayden Philips before this preview. But when we went over some of the top players that return for the Racers and we saw some of the production that Philips had last season, we immediately bought in and he’s going to be a 2023 name to watch this season at the defensive back position. Philips led the team in interceptions and pass deflections and was an absolute lockdown corner for the Racers. Newcastle will be playing some teams with solid QB’s and receivers and having a guy like Philips will certainly help defend them.
More Names To Know
Alex Logan – 2023 Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
Chad Craft – 2024 Offensive Lineman
Jackson Schannel – 2025 Athlete
Michael Jarko – 2023 Defensive Back
Randy Nix – 2023 Defensive Lineman
2022 Schedule/Games To Circle
Aug. 26 – AT Cleveland
Sept. 9 – AT Plainview
Sept. 16 – Woodward
Sept. 23 – AT Tecumseh
Sept. 30 – AT Blanchard
– The fourth road game in six weeks for the Racers comes in week five as the Racers travel to face Blanchard. Newcastle is in that tough district in Class 4A where they have four teams ranked in the top ten. This match-up will definitely have playoff implications as both teams expect to not only be in the playoffs but contend for the district championship. The winner will stay in that race while the loser will have some work to do. This match-up also features two teams that can absolutely air it out in the passing game with experienced quarterbacks returning.
Oct. 7 – Bridge Creek
Oct. 14 – Harrah
Oct. 21 – AT Classen SAS
Oct. 28 – Tuttle
– Arguably the biggest game of the year takes place in week nine as the Racers will host Tuttle. The Tigers come into this season as the top ranked team in the district and the favorite to take home the district crown. Newcastle is hoping to knock off the 4A perennial powerhouse and this also begins back to back weeks of critical games with playoff implications. They host Tuttle and then Bethany in the final week of the season. If the Racers can win both games, they’ll have a great chance to win the district title. The Racers will also be ready for this match-up after Tuttle has eliminated Newcastle from the playoffs in each of the last two years.
Nov. 4 – Bethany
Notable
The Racers will be road warriors in the first month of the season. Four of the first five games of the season, including their first two district games will be on the road. Granted, that sets the Racers up for finishing out the season strong with the reverse in the schedule. They have just one road game in the final four weeks, including having both Bethany and Tuttle at home in the final two weeks of the season. The new starters for the Racers will certainly be battle-tested by the time weeks nine and ten come around. If all goes well for the Racers, they’ll also add a home playoff game or two if they can get wins in the correct week against some of the top opponents in their district.
Championship History
1 State Championship
1992 – Beat Marlow 21-11