DACULA, Ga. — The Newton Rams football team got back into action in a big way on Saturday as the team traveled to Dacula to defeat the state champion Hebron Christian Lions 35-13.

Despite the absence of numerous key skill players, the Rams did not miss a beat outside of a few turnovers.

For head coach Josh Skelton, Saturday was about getting the chance to hit someone else and letting some of the young players get their shine.

“It’s good work for our guys. We have been banging against each other, so to be able to play against someone different — it was really promising,” Skelton said. “We sat a lot of guys, so to be able to do it with a lot of our two’s and a lot of our guys that are still growing is good. Spring for us has been about developing depth.”

When the Rams took the field first to begin the action, the depth was on full display.

Rams’ put up points despite the absences

Newton will enter the 2026 season with a new quarterback for the first time in four years, but Saturday was even more different. Rising sophomore Josiah Frazier is set to be the leading man for the Rams, but an injury led to Braylon Miller behind center.

With the football IQ and the athleticism, Miller looked to lead the Rams to the win.

However, it was the Lions that found the momentum first.

Miller moved Newton to a pair of first downs before his second pass of the game went off the hands of a receiver and into the hands of a Hebron Christian defensive back for an interception.

Not too long after, Lions’ senior quarterback Jordan Greene connected with Jai’il Goley over the top for a touchdown in double coverage.

Down by one score, Newton’s second drive of the game also ended in an interception as Jarvis Mathurin jumped the route to get the pick. However, Newton’s defense stood tall to force a quick three-and-out.

With the ball back in the hands of the Rams, the Newton offense started to find its footing.

While Frazier’s absence was key, Newton also played Saturday’s game without the services of its top three running backs — Kevin Hartsfield, Darius White and Karter Lumpkin.

With those three out, freshman Zayden Harden was the Rams’ lead back.

After strong plays from Miller both on the ground and through the air, Harden put Newton on the board with a goal line touchdown. Following a two-point try from Miller, the Rams took a 8-7 lead.

“When you look at Zayden Harden, he is a freshman who was able to come in and do really well,” Skelton said. “Him being the fourth guy coming in, people can really look at our backfield and think we will be really good.”

Newton’s defense provided another stop deep into its own territory, but a chunk play from Miller broke the game open.

On third down at the Newton 25, Miller was forced to leave the pocket with yards to gain. Miller ran all over the field before he found a lane and turned on the jets.

Miller raced past the entire Hebron Christian defense on his way to a 75-yard touchdown run to give Newton a 15-7 lead.

While he may not end up as the Rams’ starting quarterback, Skelton praised Miller for his efforts both on the field and on the sidelines.

“He played some snaps on defense as well and played quarterback today — he did good,” Skelton said. “He did a good job all spring of finding his rhythm. He wanted to be a passer so we have done things to challenge him and I thought he used his athleticism. He is a great leader, he doesn't get down on himself. We can do some special things with him anywhere.”

Newton’s next drive resulted in Miller’s third interception of the game to close the half, but the confidence never seemed to waiver as he delivered another touchdown drive when the Rams returned from halftime.

Following a turnover on downs from the Lions, Miller capped the next drive with a three-yard scramble to extend the lead to 21-7.

After another empty Hebron Christian drive, the ball was turned over to the Rams' backup offense. 

Two of the three drives from Newton’s backup offense ended in touchdowns as the pass attack was on full display.

With a last minute touchdown pass to Jerimiah Saunders, Newton took a 35-13 lead that stood as the final.

Newton’s defense stands tall

The Newton defense unit played sharp on their way to allowing only 13 points in the win.

While Omarion Wallace and Martez Jones shined on the outside in coverage, the biggest impact of the day for Newton’s defense came in the trenches.

Cameron Horne, who was named as the 2025 All-Cov News Defensive Player of the Year, looked to be in midseason form as he found his way into the backfield and to Greene multiple times.

However, one player that shined alongside Horne was Cameron Middleton, who finished with a pair of sacks.

“Cameron Middleton has been really good for us. He benched well over the 310 range, he has never missed a day. He has grinded really hard. He is young, he’s fiery and he has a ton of confidence,” Skelton said. “He is the last one out of the facility.”

In total, Newton’s defense allowed one touchdown on six drives against the Hebron Christian offense.

With the spring game in the books, the Rams will look to round out the season before they get into their summer work.

“When we come out of the summer, we will be 100% different,” Skelton said. “We broke it down in seasons. Right now, we are accomplishing the spring season, we’re excited. It’s about getting healthy at this point and continuing to develop our depth.”