New Players Help Get NHS Football Team Off To Strong Start

By Andy Hutchison

Opening night could have been named “Little Brothers Night” or “Kickoff Return Night” at Blue & Gold Stadium, where Newtown High School football began the season with a 27-6 win over the Bunnell Bulldogs on September 17.

Junior Max Nacewicz, younger brother of 2008 graduate and former Nighthawk Kurt Nacewicz, returned the opening kickoff — a short squib kick attempt — 60-plus yards for a touchdown.

“It was crazy,” Max Nacewicz said. “It didn’t feel real at first. I just saw a seam and just hit it.”

Sophomore Evan Noonan, whose big brother and teammate Rory is a returning varsity player, broke another kickoff return for a TD to lift the Hawks to their first win over South-West Conference rival Bunnell since 1998.

“It feels good. I’m just proud of the team,” Evan Noonan said. “We did a great job and I’m looking forward to having a great season.”

“The kids are great. They come out and work hard and they have high expectations because their brothers obviously had a name for themselves here. Now it’s their time to shine — and they’re shining pretty good,” NHS Coach Steve George said.

There was a little bit of a feeling of deja vu when Max Nacewicz, wearing his brother’s No. 6 uniform, sprinted through the Bunnell defense for a score. Kurt Nacewicz was Newtown’s leading scorer a year ago. That quick strike came exactly 10 seconds into the game and gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about on this October-like crisp night.

“It feels great to step out of the shadows of the seniors last year and step up and win,” said new starting quarterback and senior captain Kyle Fracker.

The defense was solid throughout in this contest. Senior captain and defensive tackle Connor McNamara led Newtown’s rush on Bunnell QB Zach Thomas. Junior defensive back Colby Summerlin had an interception and Tory Deakin forced a fumble when he stripped the ball from a Bunnell ball carrier. Rory Noonan recovered the loose pigskin. Brian Kuruc also blocked a punt to help the Hawks pull away.

Senior captain Kyle O’Connor starred on both sides of the ball by coming up with an interception and pushing his way into the end zone from three yards out on the ensuing drive for a 14-0 NHS lead through one quarter of play.

In the second quarter, O’Connor caught a short pass from Fracker and weaved his way through the defense for a 37-yard score and a 21-0 halftime advantage.

The Bulldogs threatened to score with good ball possession in the second half but they were stymied by Newtown’s bend-but-don’t-break defense when the Hawks came up with a goal line stop. The Bulldogs finally broke through, with 11:09 left in the fourth, when Thomas hooked up with Andrew Jiminez on a four-yard strike in the end zone to make the score 21-6.

Noonan returned the ensuing kick 80 yards for an answering score. Newtown is two-for-two on kickoff returns, scoring on the only two they’ve had thus far, to start the year.

“It’s something we prepared for all week. We knew they weren’t going to kick deep,” George said.

George was pleased with his team’s effort on defense and special teams, especially considering his biggest concern coming into the game was stopping Bunnell’s offense.

“We put ’em in a lot of tough spots tonight,” the coach said.

The defense may have been a strong point but the offense, while sharp in spurts, sputtered at points in the game. George said his offense is based on timing plays and that the timing was off at times — something the Hawks will have to work on in practice.

Fracker said that the key to Newtown’s success was the teammates supporting each other despite some miscues.

“When I got intercepted my teammates picked me up,” said Fracker, who also shook off a dropped pass by one of his receivers that could have gone for a touchdown. “We’ve just got to stay together as a team.”

Newtown’s next test will be Friday, September 25, when Joel Barlow visits at 7 pm. Barlow is coming off a 36-35 season-opening victory over New Fairfield.