Moving the ball wasn’t an issue for Newman on Saturday evening.

But costly turnovers and El Paso-Gridley’s bend-but-don’t-break defense stepped up when it mattered most in a 31-0 loss in the second round of the Class 2A IHSA playoffs.

The Comets finished 8-3 as the Titans (11-0) advanced to face Farmington (11-0).

The game was tight in the first half with Newman looking to get some momentum heading into the break. But the Titans’ defense denied the Comets on fourth down at the 1-yard-line with 38 seconds until halftime.

Trailing 10-0 at halftime, things unraveled in the third quarter as EPG scored 21 points in six minutes. The deficit was too much to overcome on a rainy night on the road.

Newman lost two fumbles, had an interception and two turnovers on downs in the loss.

“I want t

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