The best game of the 89ers’ season came last Saturday as the Newtown overcame a solid Ridgefield team to win, 21-7.

Starting the defensive drive for the 89ers was kicker Kevin O’Connell, who booted a solid onside kick into the Ridgefield second line. Tory Deakin and Nick “Bones” Tarantino caused havoc and Jim Sharpe made a strong tackle to push Ridgefield back. Mitch Udiskey and Robbie Phillips helped the 89ers inflict pandemonium.

Even after an awesome tackle by Tucker Schmidt, Ridgefield broke away and rambled up field. It looked like a sure touchdown, until Tarantino caught the back and brought him down at the nine yard line.

Tarantino then showed a little of his own fancy footwork and pulled a Deion Sanders-like move, running up field for a first down. After a nine-yard sweep to the outside by Kevin McCarthy, Dana Hansen (who had been strong on defense) drove up the middle to set the stage for two fine runs by Tarantino – the first for 10 yards and the second for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Later, Schmidt ran the ball 23 yards and McCarthy soon went in for another 89ers touchdown. Sharpe added the extra point and the 89ers led, 14-0.

Plays by Brendan Blawie and Tyler Reszoly (a nice diving tackle) kept Ridgefield in check for a little while, but Ridgefield eventually scored its first touchdown.

Solid team work by Keith McGrath, Deakin, Matthew Yitts, Brian Kuruc, Nick Tierno, Andrew Murphy, Reszoly, Mx Nacewicz, Evan Alpert, Chris Caulfield, Billy Thursland, John Fracker and Steven Rollo made the win possible.

The 89ers will travel to Danbury on Saturday to battle the Trojans in a 2 pm contest – (NOTE: The preceding segment was written by Matthew J. Kuruc).

For the Junior Midgets, all it took was one touchdown. And they got it – a run by Tucker Kass that gave Newtown an eventual 6-0 win over Ridgefield.

It was a defensive battle all game. Joey Devellis recovered a game-opening onside kick by Joe Bowel, but the Junior Midgets – despite the work of backs Tommy Gaboriault, Joe Curran and Steven Vichiola – couldn’t score.

On defense, Kass made a big tackle and Devellis recovered a fumble to set Newtown up again. From there, Brian Stickles, Kass and Brian Poeltl ran well (Devellis for 11 yards) to get the Junior Midgets in position. Poeltl tossed a halfback option pass to Kass for 12 yards and then Stickles and Kass would take turns muscling their way towards the end zone.

But it was Kass who burst through the line for the only TD of the game.

Matt Kuruc, Alex Middeleer, Scott Perry and Tim Shepard all worked hard on the line to make it possible.

The defense made the touchdown stand up. On Ridgefield’s next series, Jake Putnicki, Stickles, Cody Shpunt, Vichiola, Bowen, Kass and Poeltl were all credited with tackles. Gaboriault made a touchdown-saving tackle.

As the half wound down, Joe Curran ran well, Devellis hit Kass on a five-yard pass play, Joe Collins recovered a fumble on a punt, and Vichiola tore off a 25-yard run. It wasn’t enough to put more points on the board.

The Newtown offense used up the entire 10 minutes of the third quarter on a lengthy drive that started on the legs of Vichiola, Poeltl and Kass while Tom Jackman, Drew Adamek, Bowen and Steve Orrico handled the line work. Devellis broke free for a seven-yard gain and then entertained the crowd with his trademark sideline-to-sideline running effort, breaking tackles and eluding the defense.

Still, the Junior Midgets could not score.

In the fourth quarter, Devellis would hit Nick Maurer on a 10-yard pass play. But there were plenty of defensive highlights – tackles by Devellis and Ted Gissen, a sack by Collins and interceptions by Gaboriault and Poeltl.

The Junior Midgets will travel to Danbury on Sunday, September 30, to battle the Trojans.

But while the Junior Midgets won, the Midgets finally dropped one. After starting the season 3-0, the Midgets fell to Ridgefield, 32-6.

Ridgefield took the opening kick off and ran it all the back for a touchdown. The Midgets never recovered. One of the bright spots came in the second quarter when Carey Olsen ran back a kick off of his own, untouched, for a score. For the second straight game, Olsen gained better than 100 yards to fuel the Newtown offense.

The Midgets will battle the Danbury Trojans on Sunday.

For the Junior Pee Wees, defense was again the key in a 12-7 win over Ridgefield.

Ridgefield received the opening kickoff and started to drive on the Newtown defense. The Nighthawks would not break and Newtown took the ball back on downs. On the second Newtown offensive play from scrimmage, Jake Devellis went off tackle and broke to the outside for a 40-yard touchdown run to give Newtown a 6-0 lead.

After both teams exchanged possession of the ball a few times, Ridgefield was able to drive down the field on the back of a couple of big runs and a pass interference penalty. They scored on a quarterback option around the end. On the extra point, Ben Collins almost had the running back in the backfield, but the Ridgefield runner was able to slip away and made it into the end zone for the PAT. Ridgefield had a 7-6 lead going into the half time break.

The Nighthawks received the opening kickoff in the second half, but fumbled the ball to the Red Raiders on the first play from scrimmage. The Newtown defense rose to the occasion and took the ball back from Ridgefield on an interception by Brian Reszoly.

The Nighthawk offense got a first down on the strong running of Rob O’Donnell and A.J. Ritchie, and blocking of Chris Dennis, Robert Morlath, Matt Taylor, Jacob Browning, Anthony Corletto, and Justin Craparo. On the next play, Jake Devellis threw a pass to Mark Scheunemann for a 65-yard touchdown. Scheunemann ran away from the defenders, leaving everyone in the dust.

Charlie Lobosco’s PAT kick attempt went wide, but Newtown still led 12-6.

From this point in the third quarter the Nighthawk defense took over, and held Ridgefield from scoring. The Ridgefield offense was able to move the ball down the field a couple of times, including getting to the Newtown 12 yard line with just a couple of minutes left to play. However, a QB sack by Cody Marus and tough play by the entire defense pushed the Red Raiders back to the 30 yard line. Newtown was then able to run out the clock and win the game.

The Junior Pee Wees play again this coming Saturday against the Danbury Trojans at noon, at Danbury’s field.

Meanwhile, the Pee Wees got two touchdowns from Thomas Hutchison (one on a 65-yard kickoff return and the other on an interception return) to defeat Ridgefield, 13-0, and improve their own record to 3-1.

Newtown kicked off to start the game, but on Ridgefield’s first play from scrimmage Hutchison recovered a fumble. Tyler Tarantino and Zach Conger ran the ball well, but Newtown could not capitalize on the fumble.

Justin McGrath and Lucas Vendel made some solid plays on defense and after Ridgefield managed a first down at the Newtown 44, Tarantino, Brendan Martin and Eric Palmer held tight and forced Ridgefield to punt.

Ridgefield picked off a Newtown pass and Erik Dreher and Robert Eckenrode recovered a fumble as the football became a hot potato. Travis Speer ran the ball hard behind the line play of Brett Mauro and James Post and Tarantino, Dan DeLaVega, Hutchison and Vendel continued to play solid defense and the half ended with the teams tied, 0-0.

Hutchison quickly got Newtown on the board by taking the second half kick 65 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Mauro, Post, Dreher, Speer and Eckenrode made solid defensive plays as Ridgefield began to move the ball. Hutchison made a big stop on a fourth down play to give the Pee Wees the ball, but nothing would come of it despite good efforts from Speer, Hutchison and McGrath.

The teams once again traded the ball back and forth as Ryan Manning, Connor Martin and Dave DeLaVega made good plays for Newtown. Kris Kling, Manning and Josh Friedman had to make some solid plays, too, as Ridgefield was ready to take advantage of a pass interference penalty.

Hutchison made the biggest play, though, when he picked off a pass and ran it back for a touchdown to give the Pee Wees a 13-0 lead.

Connor Martin, Jacob Burg and Dreher made big stops to keep Ridgefield from making a run and the Pee Wees held on to the win.