Oskaloosa ? Oskaloosa High’s Travis Newell had been waiting two weeks to get out there.

The offense must have been building up inside of him since he came out of the football game against Jefferson County on Sept. 20 with a concussion, because it all came out on Friday.

Newell finished with 162 rushing yards and five touchdowns, leading Oskaloosa to a 45-2 rout of McLouth. It was the Bears’ second win of the season, and it came on homecoming night. A nominated Newell wasn’t crowned king at halftime, but he said his offensive line sure made him feel like one.

“I had amazing holes to run through,” he said.

Newell had just seven carries on the night, and all but two of them went into the end zone. He sat out last week as a precautionary measure, then more than made up for lost time Friday.

“The last time we had him, he went for 168 yards on the ground,” Oskaloosa coach Kyle Ross. “He’s our top outside threat.”

The Bears (2-3) led 32-0 at halftime, with Newell providing four of the five scores. Luke Hattemer also returned a punt 36 yards midway through the first quarter.

“I thought we did a good job in the first half,” Newell said. “The second half, we needed to step up. We got a little big-headed.”

The depleted McLouth roster never could muster too much on either side of the ball. The Bulldogs (0-5) did have a 13-play drive early in the fourth quarter that stalled just one yard short of the end zone. Three plays later, the Bulldogs sacked Hattemer in the end zone for their only two points of the night.

“It was huge,” McLouth coach Shannon Crouse said of the safety. “The biggest thing is convincing these kids how good they really can be.”

McLouth already suffers from lack of players, and Friday night provided yet another setback. Starting fullback Matt Nitzche suffered a knee injury on the final play after rushing for 27 yards on seven carries.

Oskaloosa linebacker Travis Hill (25) and defensive back Travis Newell (3) drop McLouth freshman running back Kevin Stewart for a loss. The Bears rolled, 45-2, on Friday in Oskaloosa.

It provides an even greater challenge for the Bulldogs, a team that dressed just 17 players on Friday.

“Once you start losing, it’s like the plague,” Crouse said. “Before you know it, not only are you fighting the other team, but you’re fighting yourself.”

Oskaloosa 45, McLouth 2

McLouth 0 0 0 2 2

Oskaloosa 19 13 7 6 45

O Travis Newell 1 run (Luke Hattemer kick)

O Hattemer 36 punt return (run failed)

O Newell 3 run (kick failed)

O Newell 40 run (pass failed)

O Newell 81 run (Hattemer kick)

O Newell 24 run (Hattemer kick)

M Safety, Hattemer tackled in end zone

O Josh Bellinger fumble recovery in end zone (run failed)