Head coach Patrick Smith knew he had something special on the first day of conditioning for his Newtown American Youth Football fourth-grade team.

“I am amazed at how fast and quick the team is,” said coach Smith, who will be leading his undefeated Nighthawks into the National Championships next week in Florida. “Not only do we have speedy backs, but we have linemen that add a lot of size and quickness to the mix.”

The ‘Hawks opened the season on September 9 with a narrow 20-12 win over the Norwalk Ravens, but then rolled eight more wins – none by fewer than 19 points – to capture a Candlewood Valley League championship and secure a trip to Florida where they will represent the New England region.

The locals allowed more than 10 points in a game only twice while out-scoring their opponents 268-56 and rushed for 36 touchdowns while throwing for seven more. Eight different players scored a TD for the ‘Hawks.

“Progress – one thing that amazed me with these young players was the improvement made each and every week,” said coach Smith, “especially with 12 of the 28 players being first year players and four of the rookies making a starting unit.”

The coach also pointed to the general football intelligence …

“We run multiple formations along with many different plays out of each formation,” he said, “and the way the players retain this information is attributed to their intelligence.”

… and their team work.

“These kids are the ultimate team players,” he added. “They work hard and push each other every day and now that the Nationals are coming up, they have stepped up their intensity and are working even harder than ever. When a player gets knocked down, someone is there to help them up. It is very rare when you see a nine- or 10-year-old telling another player how well they are playing or to keep trying if that player is struggling.”

The town of Newtown has gotten behind the ‘Hawks, supporting them financially while cheering them on when the players were announced during halftime of the Newtown-Masuk high school football game last Wednesday.

But the fourth graders are not the only group heading down to Florida.

While the football team will be in Lakeland, Florida, starting on December 4 the sixth-grade cheerleading team – after winning a New England Regional championship last Saturday – will be heading to Tampa, Florida, on December 9 for their national championships.

The girls’ quest began back on October 15 when they placed third in the Candlewood Valley competition in a tight race with the Norwalk Green and Aspetuck Wildcats. On November 5, the girls competed in the states in New Haven and again placed third with the Berlin Bears and the Ridgefield Raiders taking the two top spots.

But on Saturday, November 25, the hard work and determination paid off.

The locals traveled to Manchester, New Hampshire, to compete against 18 top teams in the  New England Regional Cheerleading Competition and led by head coach Karen Kneisel, assistant coach Lori Rohrbacher, assistant coach Carol Anderson and high school cheerleader Maura McDade, the girls hoped to simply place in the top three and bring home a trophy to accompany their second place trophy from 2005.

But then came the announcer, who yelled, “And the first place in Division 11 goes to the Newtown Nighthawks!”

The girls will be heading to the Sundome in Tampa, Florida, and have already been busy outside local businesses trying to drum up some support. Anyone still wishing to help these young ladies make their trip can send donations to Bob Davenport at Nanavaty, Nanavaty & Davenport, P.O. Box 527, Newtown, CT  06470. Checks should be clearly marked as D11 – Cheer National travel fund.

The eighth-grade football team had hoped to be making a similar trip this fall, but their juggernaut of a season came to a shocking end with a 26-6 loss to Ridgefield in the CVL championship back on November 11.

The locals were more dominant than almost any other team in any other division in the CVL, racking up nine regular season wins while recording five shutouts. The ‘Hawks did not allow more than eight points in a game until the regular season finale, when they narrowly stopped the Norwalk Titans, 16-14.

But then the ‘Hawks faced Ridgefield, a team they had blanked 24-0 back on September 24, and were soundly beaten, 26-6.

The locals finished the year at 9-1, out-scoring their opponents 235-60.