Marshalltown head football coach Adam Goodvin was clear and succinct in his review of Friday night’s 28-21 loss to Newton.

“It was a tale of two halves and you can’t spot anyone 21 points and expect great things to happen,” Goodvin said. “We just can’t come out asleep, that’s just not going to lead to success in the game of football.”

A 21-0 first half and a trick-play touchdown in the fourth quarter was enough for the visiting Newton Cardinals to knock off the Bobcats and drop them to 1-2 on the season.

Early and often in the first half, Newton was imposing its will on the offensive end. Running back Cody Klein found open spaces and the Cardinals made headway with their offensive line. Two scores from Klein in the first quarter gave Newton a 14-0 lead and established the visitors in control of proceedings. Klein scored two TDs and ran for 121 yards on 25 rushing attempts. Marshalltown’s first drive was derailed by a holding penalty and its second drive ended in the Newton red zone thanks to an interception thrown by quarterback Dalen Huston on a rollout to the left, where the junior tried to make a difficult pass across his body. Goodvin took the blame postgame for calling the play. Huston would throw for 139 yards and run for 50.

The next drive also ended in a Huston pick as a deep pass got caught in the wind. Newton scored on the next drive as quarterback Brody Bauer threw a deep touchdown to Caleb Mattes to extend the Cardinals’ lead.

Late in the first half, a key possession for the Cardinals ended with a Marshalltown defensive stand, keeping the score at 21-0 and preventing a backbreaking score before the halftime break.

Ace Holmes was a key figure for the Bobcats in the second half, the driving force of Marshalltown’s six-minute touchdown drive to start the third quarter. Holmes ran the ball 15 times for 118 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown. Huston ran the ball for two scores in the third quarter, and the Bobcats held the ball for 10 of the 12 minutes to force their way back into the action.

Goodvin was very proud of the Bobcats’ fightback in the second half.

“I am very proud of, when their backs were against the wall, the way our guys responded,” Goodvin said. “Guys were positive in the locker room at halftime, and they know what we’re capable of.”

A blocked extra point meant Marshalltown trailed 21-13 heading into the fourth quarter. Halfway through, the Bobcats forced Newton into a fourth-and-14 situation near midfield. Facing a key play in the game and potentially huge momentum and possession swing, the Cardinals reached into their bag of tricks and called a hook-and-ladder. It worked (although the pitch was very close to being a forward lateral) and Klein raced down the sidelines to score what would be the winning touchdown.

Down two scores with five minutes left, the Bobcats marched down the field with help from a Treshaun Brooks circus catch and scored with a Holmes run to get back within one score. Brooks led all receivers with 72 yards on five catches.

The ensuing onside kick attempt went straight out of bounds, and Marshalltown didn’t touch the ball again. Marshalltown gathered up 356 yards of total offense but allowed 411 yards for the Cardinals. Strong running from Bauer and Klein iced the game out.

Up next for MHS is a road game against Fort Dodge Friday at 7 p.m.

Newton 28, Marshalltown 21

At Marshalltown

Score by Quarters

NWT 14 7 0 7 — 28

MHS 0 0 13 8 — 21

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

NWT — Cody Klein 2 run (Nate Lampe kick), 9:17.

NWT — Klein 28 run (Lampe kick), 2:44.

Second Quarter

NWT — Caleb Mattes 29 pass from Brody Bauer (Lampe kick), 3:12.

Third Quarter

MHS — Dalen Huston 8 run (Johan Gomez kick), 5:34.

MHS — Huston 2 run (kick blocked), :09.

Fourth Quarter

NWT — Klein 45 pass from Bauer (Lampe kick), 6:59.

MHS — Ace Holmes 14 run (Huston run), 4:14.

TEAM STATISTICS

NWT MHS

First downs 21 21

Rushes-yards 37-194 37-217

Passing yards 217 139

Comp-Att-Int 17-26-0 10-18-2

Total offense 63-411 55-356

Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0

Penalties-yards 5-47 7-54

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — NWT: Klein 25-121, Bauer 9-53, Christian Ergenbright 3-20; MHS: Holmes 15-118, Huston 10-50, Nick Rebik 6-19, Seth Smith 4-19, Carter Hunt 2-11.

PASSING — NWT: Bauer 17-26-217-0; MHS: Huston 10-18-139-2.

RECEIVING — Turner Williams 4-64, Klein 1-44, Lampe 4-39, Mattes 1-29, Ergenbright 2-22; MHS: Treshaun Brooks 5-72, Cory Smith 3-48, Rebik 2-19.