COVINGTON, Ga. —The Newton offense rolled on Friday as the Rams outlasted the Tigers gritty late game comeback 42-35 to claim their first region win of the 2025 season.

The dynamic between senior quarterback Deron Benson and wide-out Derrick Miller was on full display. Benson hit Miller with three passing touchdowns on the night, including two first quarter bombs of over 60 yards.

Newton got some scores on the ground, too, with sophomore back Tabian Thomas streaking down the sideline for six and Benson taking the rock in for a rushing touchdown of his own.

With 35 first half points, Newton was on pace to break their season high 62 points against Alcovy, but Archer stayed within striking distance, only trailing by two scores heading into the locker room.

While the Tigers found success on the defensive side of the ball, they couldn’t match their scoring tempo offensively to mount a comeback, but came just 45 yards away from tying up the region matchup and taking the game into overtime.

Archer came out of the half swingng, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, but a third touchdown from Miller and a pair of turnovers caused by safety Martez Jones had the Tigers staring down a two-score deficit midway through the fourth quarter.

With less than three minutes remaining in the game, Archer drove 93 yards for a score to bring them within a touchdown of tying the Rams, and after a three and out stop, the Tigers took the field for the tying drive with under 90 seconds remaining in regulation.

Archer crossed midfield with just under a minute remaining, the Rams defense forced a fourth and long, and stopped the quarterback short on a long scramble to secure the game and the region win.

Head Coach Josh Skelton said that fighting off adversity is in his team’s DNA

“We never quit,” Skelton said. “We never fold. Our guys keep fighting…these guys fought and scrapped every moment of the game. We couldn’t be prouder of our guys.”

Newton (3-2, 1-0) will continue its region gauntlet as they hit the road to face Grayson on Sept. 26. Skelton says that even after the gritty win, his team has to be ready to run through the wringer.

“You got to tell them the reality,” Skelton said. “This is a very tough region. Week after week, everybody you’re playing is capable. We’ve got to have our A-game, and even when you don’t, we’ve got to play with extreme will.”