WOLCOTT — You can take the Newtown High School football team out of conference, but you can’t take the domination out of the Nighthawks. The Hawks made it look easy once again, clobbering host Wolcott 56-14 under the lights on a crisp October 18 evening in a rare nonconference clash. It marked the second straight game in which the Hawks racked up 56 points. The team previously beat South-West Conference foe New Milford 56-13. Newtown improved to 6-0 and Wolcott, which plays in the Naugatuck Valley League, fell to 4-2.

Newtown running back Cooper Gold had three touchdown runs. He broke off several long rushes, and some shorter bursts, to finish with approximately 200 yards on the ground — with a bulk of those gains coming before halftime.

Julian Dunn caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Tarantino to get things started. Gold followed with a 59-yard scamper to paydirt for a two-touchdown lead. Tarantino connected with Jared Pearson on a 14-yarder to cap the first-quarter scoring.

Gold’s second-quarter, three-yard TD run gave Newtown a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime, and the Hawks kept it up after the break.

Otto Kerler leaped in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard scoring play to make it 35-0. After Wolcott finally got on the scoreboard, the Hawks responded on a Nick Lotrecchiano 32-yard catch and run into the paint. After Gold broke free on a 52-yard rumble for six more points, Lotrecchiano added an 11-yard run into the end zone.

Jimmy Leidlein, Jaret DeVellis, Julian Dunn, and Zach Robertson all came away with fumble recoveries, and Jack Lago had an early interception to help set the tone on defense.

Wolcott drove deep into NHS territory a few times in the opening half, only to get stymied by the visiting team’s bend-but-don’t-break defense. Defensive back Ben Mason made a nice play to break up a possible TD near the goal line in the first quarter, and Dunn had two touchdown-preventing knock-aways in the second, one a diving effort in which he got his fingertips on the pigskin and the other when he jumped to bat the ball away from a would-be receiver and out of the end zone. Both plays came on the same Wolcott drive.

Kerler, since taking on placekicking duties, is a perfect 23-for-23 on extra point attempts.

The Nighthawks have scored 161 points in their last three games, and 196 in their last four since being held to a season-low 22 in a week two win over Bethel. The Hawks get back to SWC action when Weston visits Blue & Gold Stadium for a 7 pm kickoff on Friday, October 25.