Will McManus booted a go-ahead 29-yard field goal with 38 seconds remaining and the defense ensured the lead would stand. Newtown High School's football team celebrated a thrilling 25-23 win over visiting St. Joseph of Trumbull at Blue & Gold Stadium on September 9.

The game picked up late in the second quarter after lightning halted play with Newtown holding a 9-7 lead the night before.

This was new Coach Dan Farina's debut and the Nighthawk leader was pleased with how his team overcame adversity — including a St. Joes interception return for a touchdown and later a Cadet INT that led to a score and a pair of missed Nighthawk extra points. Plus the biggie both teams faced which was to stop play and pick up where things left off nearly 24 hours later in a sport typically played once every seven days.

"We talked about it all week. We talked about being thrown a curve ball and when adversity hits us in the face we just punch back," Farina said.

Lightning flashed in the sky with the Cadets driving in Newtown territory and trailing by just two points with 4:42 left before halftime the night before. After several subsequent flashes in the sky and a nearly hour-long delay it was announced, shortly after 9 pm, that the game would be halted.

This provided an opportunity for each coaching staff to tweak their game plans based on the first night and nearly first half of game action.

"Their coaches came back with some different stuff; we came back with some different stuff. I'm sure their staff had a late night — ours did too. The texts were flying at 1 am," Farina detailed.

When the game resumed, the Cadets deep into Nighthawk territory and had first and goal from the four yard line. Newtown's tough defense held and made it fourth and goal from the two yard line, limiting the Cadets to a chip shot field goal of 19 yards and a 10-9 lead with 1:47 left in the second quarter.

The Hawks had a quick response as quarterback Jayden Cordova connected with James Hartigan on a 25-yard TD play. Hartigan caught a ball over the middle and bounced off tacklers before getting across the goal line with 26 seconds to go in the second quarter. The extra point missed and it was 15-10 Hawks at the half.

Due to the scheduling change there was a brief break and teams got back at it quickly for the start of the third quarter. Declan Regan pounced on fumbled ball in the end zone for a touchdown and McManus hit the extra point for a 22-10 Hawk advantage with 7:19 left in the third.

A Cadet TD got the visitors back to within five points with nine ticks left on the third quarter scoreboard clock. It was 22-17 heading to the fourth.

The teams took an extended break and brief half-time like rest between the third and fourth quarters during which the Nighthawk dance and cheer squads performed for a few minutes each.

Stingy defense on both sides — "Our defense is legit," Farina noted — led to multiple punts. This included a beauty off the leg of Newtown's Ayden Paulos which pinned the Cadets at their own four yard line. Finally, a Cadet interception and return to the NHS ten yard line led to a go-ahead St. Joseph touchdown with 6:11 left.

The Cadet defense forced another Newtown punt but the Hawk defense dug in once more and got the ball back in the hands of the offense with another stop. The last punt of the game left Newtown with possession at the Cadet 42 yard line with 3:10 to play.

Key runs by Paulos helped bring the ball deep into St. Joes territory and set the stage for the go-ahead kick from the right hash mark.

Newtown's defense sealed the win with Bryan Reyes and Ryan Zaniewski breaking up pass attempts.

The Nighthawks fell behind 7-0 on interception return off a deflected pass, then had an apparent touchdown catch by Jayden Taylor, off another deflection, called off when officials ruled Cordova released the pass beyond the line of scrimmage. The Hawks trailed by that 7-0 score heading into the second quarter.

Newtown's defense continued to shine and forced a punt that gave the offense possession at the St. Joes 36 yard line. The solid field position led to a 36-yard field goal by McManus making it 7-3 midway through the second quarter.

Jackson Chacon's fumble recovery at the Cadet 25, with 6:38 to go before halftime, gave the Hawks more great field position. Newtown cashed in when Cordova completed a pass to Taylor — a Jayden to Jayden connection — on a slant route for a 15-yard touchdown play. The kick failed but Newtown took a 9-7 lead with 5:59 left in the quarter.

McManus overcame a pair of missed extra points with a clutch, pressure kick in the end. Farina noted that McManus plays two positions on offense as a wide receiver and kicker and has a lot to think about. Not to mention the fact he just started kicking in the final week of preseason.

"It's not easy to be out there as a receiver and then be asked to come in and kick," said Farina, noting that he executed when it counted most.

Farina liked the way the Hawks handled themselves.

"Our team came out and played as a team," said the coach, adding that they won the game for the school and community. "It was fun. My staff works hard, the kids work hard — super proud of all of them, super proud of my staff."

Up next is a date with visiting New Milford when the Green Wave visits Friday, September 15. The game has a rare 4 pm start time.

Check the September 15 print edition of The Bee for more from the season-opening Nighthawk win.