The final score of 21-0 was a bit deceptive. Newtown High School’s football team was held to just one touchdown until the midpoint of the fourth quarter, its lead in jeopardy late in a visit to Brookfield on November 2.

The zero Newtown’s defense hung doesn’t even tell the whole story of how dominant Newtown was opposite the ball either. A run-stifling D line denied Brookfield a first down in the opening half, and the Bobcats managed to move the chains only a couple of times in the third and fourth quarters.

Still, the Nighthawks found themselves in a fourth-quarter nail-biter for the first time this fall.

In the end, a win’s a win. Newtown’s defense — which has held all but one opponent to single digits, including four shutouts — dominated again.

The Nighthawks remain unbeaten at 8-0 overall; and the Bobcats, another of the top South-West Conference teams, lost its first in-conference contest and fell to 6-2 overall.

All three of Newtown’s scoring drives required clutch fourth- or third-down conversions along the way.

Newtown scored on its opening drive, a long one in terms of yards as well as time. The Hawks went 80 yards in 7:29, scoring when quarterback Luke Melillo hit Riley Ward on a 23-yard pass play into the end zone on fourth down and five yards to go.

Jared Dunn recovered a fumble on the Bobcat 24, but Newtown couldn’t capitalize.

Joseph Pagett did a good job to adjust and effectively become a defender when Newtown had possession. A would-be interception late in the opening quarter was denied on a hard, ball-jarring hit by Pagett.

Despite Melillo’s elusiveness that bought him time to throw, and Dan Mason’s tough runs — including a pair of touchdowns — the offense was held to its lowest output of the campaign.

Brookfield recovered a fumble late in a mostly uneventful second quarter, and it was 7-0 Hawks going into the locker room.

Pattison credited Brookfield for mixing and matching its defensive schemes and making things challenging for his usually potent offense.

“We were trying to make adjustments and going back and forth,” said Newtown Coach Bobby Pattison, adding that his offensive line did a nice job after halftime.

In the third, Easton Ricks sacked the quarterback to force Brookfield to punt, but the Newtown offense couldn’t break through until the fourth.

Mason broke through on a 15-yard run to highlight a 55-yard scoring drive culminating with Mason’s one-yard TD run. The Hawks converted a pair of third downs to keep the drive alive.

The way Newtown’s defense was playing that seemed like more than enough to secure the win. On the next play from scrimmage, the NHS defense forced a turnover. Jack Zingaro intercepted a deflected pass at the Brookfield 35 and ran it back to the 20. A third down rush for a first down by Mason help set up his second TD, a four-yard rush behind the strong offensive lines push, with just 2:19 left.

Griffin Cross recovered a fumble with less than a minute to go.

Newtown’s defense kept the Bobcats off the scoreboard for the first time this season.

“They did a very nice job of shutting down their running backs and their running game,” Pattison said.

The coach noted that his team has some areas in which to improve. Melillo was sacked and hurried multiple times, a rarity given how protective the line has been. And the coach would like to see his group not turn the ball over.

Newtown heads to New Milford on Friday, November 9, for a 7 pm kickoff; it’s the annual Boot Game.