Whatever quarterback Joe Devellis had for breakfast - you just figure it had to be Wheaties - could have had something to do with the way he led the Newtown Pop Warner Junior Midgets to a 34-6 pasting of Aspectuck over the weekend.
Whatever quarterback Joe Devellis had for breakfast â you just figure it had to be Wheaties â could have had something to do with the way he led the Newtown Pop Warner Junior Midgets to a 34-6 pasting of Aspectuck over the weekend.
Devellis rushed for 178 yards on eight carries, scored four touchdowns, picked up a fumble, picked off a pass, and registered five tackles for a nice dayâs work. That effort helped the Nighthawks improve to 2-0 on the season.
Devellis scored the first touchdown from 22 yards out. The âHawks had rumbled down the field on the legs of Joe Collins, Brian Poeltl and Tucker Kass and behind the line of Drew Adamek, Joe Bowen, Matt Kurk, Scott Perry and Steve Orrico.
Devellis recovered his fumble on Aspetuckâs first series of downs. The Newtown offense then went back to work as Joe Curran rushed three times for 15 yards as Poeltl and Steve Vichiola helped push the line up another eight yards. Kass and Tommy Gaboriault also had touches, but Devellis scored the TD that put Newtown ahead, 12-0.
Although Kass, Poeltl, Devellis, Orrico, Bowen, Brian Stickles and Gaboriault all made tackles on Aspetuckâs next possession, they couldnât stop their hosts scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak and trimming the Nighthawksâ lead to 12-6.
The âHawks would score once more before the end of the half, with Devellis rolling in from 13 yards out. Gaboriault booted the extra point (good for two points, actually) and Newtown had a 20-6 lead going into the break.
The defense was solid in the opening series of the second half, with Orrico, Kass, and Gaboriault all making solid tackles. Orrico â who finished with eight tackles on the day â recovered a fumble that halted the drive. Stickles and Joe Collins had also made huge tackles.
Newtown was soon back in the end zone. Poeltl ran twice for 10 yards and then Devellis scampered 45 yards for the TD. Later, Devellis hit Cody Shpunt on a 15-yard pass place, Curran broke free for a 15-yard run, and Vichiola rushed 18 yards for the final touchdown of the day.
Gaboriault once again kicked the extra point and Newtown had earned its 34-6 win.
The âHawks will travel to Monroe on Sunday.
In other action:
Junior Pee Wees
Mark Schuenemann scored a pair of touchdowns and Jake Devellis added another as the Junior Pee Wees blanked Aspetuck, 22-0, to run their record to 2-0 on the season.
It all started with a touchdown-saving tackle by Brian Reszoly on the opening kickoff. The defense held tough behind the play of Timo Roehrs, Robert Morlath, Mike Hadgraft, Ben Collins, Mike Poeltl and Kyle McNamara.
Aspetuck fumbled the ball away on its first possession and Newtown was on its way.
Later, Devellis scored the first TD of the game on a 49-yard scamper. Charlie Lobosco booted the extra point to give Newtown the 8-0 lead. Strong offensive line play by Paul Murphy, Cody Marus, Anthony Corleto, Dan Cody, Justin Craparo, Jacob Browning, Matt Taylor, Rob Norling and Chris Dennis led the way.
AJ Ritchie, Rob OâDonnell and David Hutchison ran the ball well and soon Schuenemann was rushing 46 yards for the second touchdown of the game. In the fourth quarter, Scheunemann ran in from 25 yards out. With one more PAT kick from Lobosco, the Junior Pee Wees had the 22-0 lead.
Spencer Schnell, Jake Woolfe and Jaime Vavrek played well down the stretch as Newtown held on.
The Junior Pee Wees will travel to Monroe on Saturday for a 12 noon game.
Pee Wees
Aspetuck was in the zone early, scoring on a 46-yard run on the second play of the game, adding an extra point kick, and then recovering the ensuing onside kick. But it all wasnât enough to hold off the Pee Wees, who rallied for a 20-8 win.
The defense of Thomas Hutchison and Justin McGrath helped turn the tide. When Hutchison, on offense, broke free for a 35-yard run it set up a touchdown by Tyler Tarantino. McGrath booted the extra point and the game was tied, 8-8.
The two teams traded interceptions (Eric Palmer picked one for Newtown). Later, Hutchison, Travis Speer, McGrath and Tarantino rushed and helped Newtown picked up two first downs. McGrath soon got the call to carry the ball into the end zone.
Ryan Manning and Lucas Vendel made some nice tackles, as did Dreher and Palmer. When Aspetuck faked a punt, Palmer was there to knock a pass down and five Newtown the ball. The Pee Wees failed to score, though, and the half ended with Newtown on top by six.
Neither team could move the football early in the second half. Aspetuck was held back by sparkling defense of Dan DeLaVega, Speer, Manning and Brendan Martin.
When Newtown started its final touchdown drive, it was from its own 19. McGrath picked up some nice yardage behind the blocks of Zach Conger and Vendel and Tarantino followed with a big gain for a first down. McGrath and Hutchison took turns with the ball and brought it down to the Aspetuck three.
Hutchison scored on a reverse and Newtown had a 20-8 lead.
Chuck Brooks and Kris Kling played well down the stretch and Martin picked off a pass to shut Aspetuck down.
The Pee Wees will be away in Monroe on Saturday.
Midgets
Ryan Boucher, Marc Ingerman, Mathew Berquist and Grant Speer played well on defense and Carey Olsen rushed for 47 yards on 10 carries, but the Midgets were defeated, 51-0, by the Chicopee Braves.
Chicopee was 11-0 last year and earned a Regional Championship.
In other Pop Warner action, the 89ers defeated Aspetuck, 13-0.