NHS Football—

Nighthawks Wait Out Rain, Win Home Opener 24-13 Behind All-Around Effort

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School Coach Steve George challenged his football players to improve the running game and cut down on penalties that hampered his team in the first two games of the season. The Nighthawks came through in both areas en route to a 24-13 win over Pomperaug in their home opener, at Blue & Gold Stadium on Sunday night. The game was pushed back from Friday because of the rain, but the wait certainly didn’t slow down the Hawks.

Newtown jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on quarterback Jake DeVellis’ seven-yard run and never looked back, to improve to 2-1 this season. Pomperaug, which has been in contention in all of its games, fell to 0-3.

“It’s a big win for us,” Newtown Coach Steve George said.

Newtown used a strong defensive effort, effective offense, and opportunistic special teams to win its second game in a row.

Kyle O’Connor scored the first of his two touchdowns when he recovered a loose ball at the goal line following a blocked punt in the second quarter. Bret LeBlanc leaped to block the kick and managed to deflect the ball, which O’Connor smothered in the front of the end zone for a 12-0 lead.

“I just got through the line untouched,” LeBlanc said. O’Connor added that the ball was there for the taking.

It was another special teams play that set up the special teams play of the game by LeBlanc and O’Connor. Punter Rory Noonan helped pin Pomperaug deep in its own end with a booming 53-yard kick and roll that stopped dead at the visitor’s 13 yard line.

George credited special teams coach Tony Metz and his work with the players for the success Newtown has had in the kicking game. Newtown also converted a fake punt for a first down opening week at Shelton.

The Nighthawks marched down the field on their opening drive and used their running game to keep Pomperaug’s defense on the field for much of the opening quarter — and the game for that matter.

“The first drive really set the tone for the game,” said DeVellis, adding that the ability to run the ball wore down the opposing defenders. “That kills the defense.”

DeVellis, O’Connor, and Kurt Nacewicz all ran the ball well to chew up yardage and keep the ball out of Pomperaug’s hands.

“We hadn’t been able to run the ball the past two games and we wanted to make a statement — and we did,” O’Connor said.

“The running game opens everything up,” DeVellis added.

Good blocking on the offensive line by John Aminti, Connor McNamara, Tim Wheeler, Dave Bray, and LeBlanc made the running game’s effectiveness possible, the Newtown players and coaches pointed out.

Newtown led 12-6 at the half. The bend-but-not-break defense, which stalled Pomperaug’s drives throughout most of the night, finally broke in the waning seconds of the second quarter, but NHS regained its two possession lead in the third. DeVellis scampered back and forth across much of the width of the field before finding Mike Lago for a sliding reception and a 15-yard gain to the Pomperaug 19 yard line, setting up a DeVellis-to-O’Connor two-yard TD pass on third and goal with 1:54 left in the third. In the fourth, after Pomperaug got to within 18-13, DeVellis pushed his way in for a one-yard score on fourth down (and lost his helmet in the process) for an 11-point lead with 5:58 left in the game. Both teams struggled with extra point attempts but, for the most part, it was a well-played game by both teams.

“We’ve just got to keep cutting down on mistakes and getting better and better,” George said.

Having to wait a couple of extra days to play took some adjustment for the players.

“It messes your schedule up. You’re used to going to school all day and going home and relaxing before the game,” O’Connor said. “You’ve got more time to think about it — more time to question yourself.”

The Nighthawks found answers to their running game and penalty struggles and celebrated a win in a game they knew was not going to be easy.

“We knew Pomperaug was going to be a tough game. We played our hearts out like we knew we could,” LeBlanc said.

The Nighthawks will try for their third straight victory in their second of four consecutive home tilts this Friday against Weston (7 pm).

“Weston is very underrated — they’re well-coached,” George said. “Obviously, you can’t take them for granted. They run the option real well.”

“We’re going to have to come out and play hard like we do every week,” DeVellis added.