A playoff appearance could be on the line tonight when the Newton football team travels to Gilbert. The Cardinals and Tigers both have one district loss. Newton Head Coach Andy Swedenhjelm says the Cardinal defense will need to stop a physical Gilbert run game.

“They are not going to try to hide stuff. They are going to try and run it down your throat or pitch it outside. Our guys have to be ready for a physical match-up.”

Gilbert’s Senior running back and linebacker Will Hawthorne leads Class 4A in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns with 1,456 yards and 21 TDs. Newton Junior quarterback Caden Klein is 5th in rushing yards with 983, but Klein leads Class 4A in yards per carry at 10.6. The Tigers have only thrown the football 30 times in their seven games, completing 11 passes for 129 yards. The Cardinals have completed 62 of 128 passes for 1,132 yards. Kick-off at Gilbert High School is at 7:30 tonight. The pre-game show on kniakrls.com Stream3 begins at 7:00 p.m.