79ers

Danbury 25, Newtown 7: The Newtown Nighthawks 79ers, looking to enter the winning column, took on a tough, hard-hitting Danbury Hatters Team. Newtown got off to a rough start, fumbling on its first two possessions, leading to two Danbury touchdowns. Trailing 12-0, Newtown responded with a 38-yard run by quarterback James Iaropoli. The drive ended short of the goal line, however, as Danbury pushed the Nighthawks back, preventing a score. The Nighthawks defense tightened up and slowed the Hatters offense down with some impressive tackles by Miles Capener, Luca Manfredi, and Rich Wilford. The powerful ground attack of Danbury put on a sustained drive that ended in a score and extra point.

Leading 19-0 at the half, Danbury hit on its first play of the second half with a 60-yard touchdown run. The Newtown 79ers continued to play hard and rallied behind solid offensive line play and went on a long drive of their own. The tough running of Michael Ihlefeld, Dylan Magazu, and Iaropoli set up the first Nighthawk score with a 25-yard touchdown run by Andrew Swierbut. Magazu added the extra point and made the score 25-7. The rest of the game was a defensive struggle with outstanding plays by Julian Crone, Liam Haywood, and Hudson Villaneuve and a successful forced fumble and recovery by Miles Capener. The game ended with the final score at 25-7.

Grade 4

Nighthawks 32, Ansonia Coppers 12: The Nighthawks improved their record to 3-0 after defeating the Ansonia Coppers at Taylor field on Sunday. After receiving the opening kickoff, Newtown’s offense went to work. On their first play from scrimmage, running back Shaine Luzietti took a handoff from quarterback Jack Street, broke several tackles and went 57 yards for a touchdown to give Newtown a 6-0 lead. Newtown’s next touchdown came when Luke Hannan recovered a Copper fumble caused by Newtown DB Jeffrey Garrity and took it 25 yards for a touchdown. Garrity then kicked the two-point conversion to give the Nighthawks a 14-0 lead. After forcing an Ansonia turnover on downs, quarterback Michael Haddick hit Brendan O’Neill for a 25-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 20-0.

In the third quarter, after a 55-yard touchdown run by Hannan was negated on a block in the back penalty, Garrity ran one in from 26 yards out to extend the lead to 26-0. After a Copper touchdown cut the lead to 26-6, Newtown went to its power running game with backs Nevin Bell Hill, Matt Sortino, Jameson Pears, Aiden Foss, Colton Stergue, and Zach Reilly each taking turns at wearing down the Ansonia defense. Running back TJ O’Connell capped off the scoring when he took an inside handoff, bounced it outside, broke a tackle and raced 23 yards for a TD, giving Newtown a 32-12 victory. The Nighthawk defense was led all day by strong play from Zach Reilly, Connor Smith, Jameson Pears, Nick Sabillon, and Brian Pendergast.

Grade 5

Newtown 37, Aspetuck 0: Newtown got off to another quick start, when after receiving the opening kickoff, Jack Kuligowski showed his great speed and broke a 53-yard touchdown on the first play. Stephen Sedensky pounced on the ensuing kickoff and Newtown was back in business. After trading possessions, Newtown was able to put together a nice scoring drive. After first down runs by Miles Ricks and Jared Dunn, JP Iaropoli hit Kuligowski on a crossing route for an 11-yard touchdown pass. The half ended with Newtown holding a 14-0 lead.

After a sloppy beginning to the third quarter, with several Nighthawk turnovers, the high powered, quick strike offense went to work. Kuligowski broke another big run, this time a 51-yard touchdown scamper, for his third of the day. On the following series, Iarapoli hit Dunn for a 49-yard catch and run touchdown, and the rout was on.

The defense was unrelenting, and forced the Wildcats to turn the ball over on downs seven times during the game. Sedensky led the defense with nine tackles (three for a loss), with Dunn, Danny Ingersoll, Matt Bradbur,y and Will Swierbut pitching in with hard hits in the shutout victory. Jack Carpenter put the icing on the cake when he picked off a Wildcat pass and took it back for a touchdown, to make the final score 37-0.

The kicking game was also a bright spot for the Nighthawks. Jared Dunn hit three of four 2-point kicks, aided by the snapping of Kyle Good and Connor Moran’s holds. Jack Mulligan also got off a nice 30-yard punt to pin the Wildcats in their own end.

Grade 6

Nighthawks 28, Hatters 0: Game captains were Easton Ricks, Matthew Dubois, Shane Demers, and Brandon Giglio. Jack Kuhn returned the opening kick to his own 43 where Luke Melillo and the offense went to work. Griffin Cross and Dubois alternated runs to the Hatters 5 yard line, where a botched pitch resulted in a turnover. The Hatters did not get out of their backfield on first down, and turned it over on second. Gren Paynter and Jack Hannan carved open the Hatter line like a ripe pumpkin, allowing Daniel Mason to burst through and strip the ball. It took the offense two plays to punch it in for the touchdown: Cross to the one yard line, then Mason up the gut for six behind Carl Kelly and Reed Hammond’s lead blocks. Shea Talbot kicked the extra point.

The defense forced a three and out, but the Hatters pinned the Nighthawks at their own 20 yard line with the punt. On third and long, Cross shrugged off would-be tackles and rumbled out to the Nighthawk 45 yard line. Dubois took the next handoff to the Hatter 30. Facing fourth and short, workhorse Cross got the first down, and running behind Demers a few plays later, recorded the Nighthawk’s second TD. Following the kickoff, the defense held and forced a turnover on downs. Hammond and John Albanesi terrorized the Hatter backfield. Ben Talbot spelled Melillo on the next set of downs, which featured Kyle Burbank pounding the ball into the right side of the line. The Hatters held firm and defended a fourth and long attempt by the Nighthawks. On the Hatter’s second play from scrimmage, Hicks pounced on a bad snap and recorded a fumble recovery. On the first and 10, Melillo hit a streaking Tucker Garrity in stride for a 59-yard bomb and the third touchdown for a 20-0 lead.

With the game firmly in hand, the Nighthawks adopted a ground and pound scheme to run time off the clock. Asani Vessup, Kuhn, and Burbank had their share of carries in the second half. The defense was impregnable; Justin Prestera, Tyler Clure, Connor Hughes, Jack Swanson, Emir Kurkcu, and Ryan Berard had great games. Paynter deflected a punt giving the Nighthawks excellent field position on the Hatter 20 yard line. The offense got a first down, but were kept out of the end zone by a defiant Hatter defensive stand. With minutes left in the game, the Hatters started a determined drive. Kyle Cascone plucked the ball from the air in midsprint and returned it for a pick-six touchdown to cap the scoring.

Grade 7

Newtown 24, Aspetuck 0: The defense continued its strong play and Newtown logged its third shutout of the season. The Nighthawks opened the scoring with a touchdown drive on their first possession. The drive was capped with a Ryan Kost pass to Kyle Roche. The extra point kick was good and gave Newtown an 8-0 lead. The game became a defensive stalemate, with the Newtown defense keeping Aspetuck in their own territory until midway through the second when Ryan Kost threw his second touchdown pass of the day to CJ Shambelan. With the extra point kick Newtown led the game 16-0.

Late in the second quarter the Aspetuck offense was able to move down the field. Connor Marlin made a touchdown saving tackle on the 5 yard line. The drive stalled as the Aspetuck offense made mistakes and turned the ball over on downs. In the second half it looked like the Aspetuck offense might find the end zone when David Petrini broke through the line forcing a fumble that was recovered by Shayle Gupta. Newtown ended their scoring for the day when CJ Shamelan took his second interception in for a touchdown.

Grade 8

Nighthawks 40, Oxford 8: The Nighthawks improved to 2-1 after upending the Oxford Wolverines at Taylor field on Sunday. Newtown’s defense set the tone on Oxford’s first possession when Mitchell Savoca intercepted the Wolverines first pass attempt and returned it 10 yards to the Oxford 20 yard line. After Hunter Cobb picked up a first down with a 12-yard run, Savoca took a handoff for a touchdown and a Newtown 6-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff Savoca recovered the kick to give the Nighthawks the ball at the Wolverines 40. After runs by Ben Mason and Mathew Bucci gave Newtown the ball at the Oxford 10 yard line, full back Ryan Marusi took a handoff, broke through the line and scored on a 10-yard run to give the Nighthawks a 12-0 lead. Newtown’s defense quickly dispatched the Wolverine offense after three downs.

Punt returner Mason received the punt at the Nighthawk 40 yard line and behind some great blocking raced 60 yards for Newtown’s third score of the day. Savoca then came on and kicked the 2-point conversion for a 20-0 lead. Great defensive plays by defensive linemen Stevie Macejko, Mason Malone, and Mathew Krasnikas gave the Nighthawks the ball back with less than teo minutes left in the half. Savoca closed out the scoring for the half on a 20-yard touchdown run and kicked the extra point to give Newtown a 28-0 halftime lead.

Newtown continued to run the ball in the second half behind the blocking of Mathew Fuchs, Sean Wallace, Eric Benson, and Sam Pellicone. Running bBack Joseph Accousti took a handoff 45 yards up the middle breaking tackles before three Wolverine defenders brought him down at the Oxford 5 yard line. QB Patrick Conte then scored on a QB keeper for a 34-0 lead. Newtown’s last score of the game came after RB Ryan Norton picked up some tough yards on the ground. Accousti took a handoff from QB Justin Dunn and outraced the Wolverine defense 20 yards for a score to give Newtown a 40-0 lead with only a few minutes remaining. Oxford returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards for a touchdown despite a diving effort by Conte who nearly brought down the return man to end the scoring at 40-8.