Sampson’s five touchdowns power Newport past Quitman

Newport 46, Quitman 9

NEWPORT — Luke Sampson ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more as Newport turned an opening goal-line stand into a 46-9 homecoming victory over Quitman Friday night.

The Greyhounds held the Bulldogs on fourth-and-goal at the 3, then drove 97 yards for the first score. Newport added three touchdowns in the second quarter and three more in the third, building a 46-3 lead before Quitman struck for a long fourth-quarter touchdown pass.

Quitman quarterback Jack Sexton challenged Newport immediately. He escaped pressure and found open receivers as the Bulldogs moved from their own 24 to the Greyhounds’ 6. Newport tightened near the goal line. Trae Henderson and Jesyn Russell helped stop the running game, and the defense broke up Sexton’s fourth-down pass to end the threat.

Sampson carried Newport away from its goal line before the Greyhounds struck through the air. Rolling left, he found Tavarius Hardaway, who secured the pass and outran the secondary for a 62-yard touchdown. Destin Jackson’s extra point made it 7-0 with 1:33 left in the first quarter.

Quitman answered with a 65-yard drive that ended in a 28-yard field goal. ZayShawn Greer responded with a kickoff return to Newport’s 46, giving the Greyhounds a favorable starting point.

Hardaway made another difficult catch to move the offense into scoring range. Sampson converted fourth-and-two, and Newport overcame a subsequent dead-ball penalty. Greer’s run inside the 5 set up Sampson’s four-yard touchdown keeper. The missed kick left the score 13-3.

Russell then supplied a sack, and Newport forced a short punt. Jataelyn Crite needed only one play to capitalize, slipping tackles and racing 53 yards for a touchdown. The two-point attempt failed, but the Greyhounds led 19-3 with 3:40 remaining in the half.

Newport scored again before halftime. With Quitman focusing its coverage on Hardaway, Sampson found Jakhlen Spearman for a 36-yard touchdown. Sampson powered in the two-point conversion to make it 27-3 with 1:23 left.

The Greyhounds carried that momentum through the third quarter. Rashaun Rucker and Greer contributed productive runs before Sampson kept the ball, broke through contact and cut back for a 50-yard touchdown. Newport’s next scoring opportunity came after a long punt return. On third-and-13 from the 16, Sampson escaped pressure up the middle and ran into the end zone. Jackson’s kick made it 40-3.

Jaden Robinson added a 30-yard touchdown run before the third quarter ended, extending the margin to 46-3.

Quitman supplied the final score when Sexton found Jaydan Owens for a 64-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Spearman broke up the two-point pass, and Newport used its final possession to run out the remaining time.

Scoring summary

First quarter, 1:33 — Newport: Tavarius Hardaway, 62-yard pass from Luke Sampson (Destin Jackson kick). Newport 7, Quitman 0

Second quarter — Newport: Luke Sampson, 4-yard run (kick no good). Newport 13, Quitman 3

Second quarter, 3:40 — Newport: Jataelyn Crite, 53-yard run (two-point attempt unsuccessful). Newport 19, Quitman 3

Second quarter, 1:23 — Newport: Jakhlen Spearman, 36-yard pass from Luke Sampson (Sampson two-point run). Newport 27, Quitman 3

Third quarter — Newport: Luke Sampson, 50-yard run (two-point attempt unsuccessful). Newport 33, Quitman 3

Third quarter — Newport: Luke Sampson, 16-yard run (Destin Jackson kick). Newport 40, Quitman 3

Third quarter — Newport: Jaden Robinson, 30-yard run (two-point run unsuccessful). Newport 46, Quitman 3

Fourth quarter — Quitman: Jaydan Owens, 64-yard pass from Jack Sexton (two-point pass incomplete). Newport 46, Quitman 9

Players who stood out

Luke Sampson, Newport — Touchdown runs of 4, 50 and 16 yards, touchdown passes of 62 and 36 yards, and a successful two-point run

Tavarius Hardaway, Newport — 62-yard touchdown reception and another contested catch that helped set up Newport’s second score

Jataelyn Crite, Newport — 53-yard touchdown run on a one-play second-quarter drive

Jakhlen Spearman, Newport — 36-yard touchdown reception, perimeter blocking and a fourth-quarter breakup on Quitman’s two-point attempt

Jesyn Russell, Newport — Helped stop Quitman’s opening goal-line possession and recorded a second-quarter sack before Newport’s next touchdown drive

Jaden Robinson, Newport — 30-yard touchdown run and contributions to the opening defensive stand

Jack Sexton and Jaydan Owens, Quitman — Connected on the Bulldogs’ 64-yard fourth-quarter touchdown