“We know the SWCs is there,” said co-captain Matt McCarthy, “but we’re not thinking about that yet. We’ve got Foran next week and that’s what we’re focussing on.”

 

By Kim J. Harmon

The dream of reaching the South-West Conference championship game might have seemed a little bit unrealistic a month or so ago, but the dream is becoming much more realistic every day.

The Nighthawks’ chances of getting a berth in that game – not to mention a berth in the CIAC Class L state tournament – got a tremendous boost with a rousing, 34-20 Homecoming win over Immaculate last Friday.

The ‘Hawks moved to 6-1 and are in sole possession of second place in the Colonial Division behind both Bunnell and Masuk, each undefeated at 7-0. Those two teams will meet on Friday, November 10, in a game that would knock one of them out of the state championship game.

Opening the door for Newtown.

But that is a couple weeks away and the ‘Hawks still have their own work to do – like taking care of Foran this Friday (November 3) and New Milford (November 10), tasks that the ‘Hawks will not be taking lightly.

“We know the SWCs is there,” said co-captain Matt McCarthy, who caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, blocked a punt for a safety, recovered a fumble, and unleashed a torrent of abuse on the Immaculate offense, “but we’re not thinking about that yet. We’ve got Foran next week and that’s what were focussed on.”

Last week, the ‘Hawks were focussed on getting the ball into the hands of Kyle Tobin and all the senior tailback did was rush 33 times for a career-high 265 yards and three touchdowns. Tobin had gains of 16, 41, 26, 45, 15, and 23 yards on the night against a defense that had – heading into the game – allowed just 42 points all season.

It was a relentless effort all around – on offense and defense – and the ‘Hawks needed every bit of it to defeat a bitter rival. Because of the emotion, because both teams knew the loser would be locked out of a shot at the SWC championship, tempers ran hot.

But coach Ken Roberts was simply grateful for the effort.

“Our kids played so well. I can’t ask for anything better,” he said. Then, pointing across the field at the Mustangs’ huddle near the goal line, he added, “That was a great football team we beat.”

A Scoreless First

This game had all the earmarks of a defensive battle. The Nighthawks were three-and-out on their first drive and the Mustangs was through after eight plays on its first drive.

But the ‘Hawks started their arduous journey on the next drive, an 17-play, 93-yard effort that started with a seven-yard run by Tobin and ended with Rich Petretti hitting Pete Engel in the back of the end zone from five yards out.

The drive started in the first quarter and ended with 8:06 left in the second quarter. A 13-yard run by Jon Werbeck and a 16-yard run by Tobin were the big plays of the drive.

But the biggest was Engel’s catch. As Petretti was flushed from the pocket, he scrambled left and had to throw back the other way. Engel was following the momentum of the play to the left sideline but had to spin completely around to make a all-out, diving grab of the pass.

And the ‘Hawks held a 6-0 lead.

That lead was extended to 8-0 with 2:12 left in the half when McCarthy blasted through the line and blocked an Immaculate punt in the end zone. The Mustangs recovered the ball, but it still resulted in a safety.

On the ensuing free kick, Tobin had a big run back to the Immaculate 34, but a personal foul and incomplete pass ended the drive. A beautiful punt by Tom Ryan pinned the Mustangs on their own three.

John Pantan and McCarthy nearly came up with huge sacks on the Immaculate drive, but quarterback Tom Wilson was just a little bit too elusive. But, still, he was not able to get his team into the end zone.

Until the third quarter.

Just three plays into the second half, Wilson took a keeper 35 yards up the middle to put the Mustangs on the board. The two-point conversion tied the score at 8-8.

The ‘Hawks answered right back. Newtown started on its own 35, but Tobin had a 41-yard burst down the sidelines that put the ball on the Immaculate 19. Four plays later, Petretti withstood a tough rush and found McCarthy in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown and a 14-8 Newtown lead.

What was a defensive battle in the first half became an offensive showcase in the second.

Two plays after Immaculate regained possession, Wilson was back on the option, running 40 yards up the middle for a touchdown to tie the score 14-14 with 6:17 left to play in the third.

Things cooled a little until, with just 10 seconds gone in the fourth quarter, Tobin scooted up the middle for a quick, five-yard TD run. Earlier, he had brought the ball down to the nine with a nifty 26-yard run.

The ‘Hawks led, 22-14.

And then they went for the knockout.

Coach Roberts pulled out a play – the onside kick – that the ‘Hawks had practiced all week in the chance that they might be able to use it. Practice paid off, too, as Ryan executed a perfect kick that dribbled right off the tee and Mark Werbeck recovered it as it crossed midfield. Werbeck showed perfect restraint, too, as he came up on the ball too quickly and had to wait a beat before it crossed the line.

Two plays later, Tobin raced up the middle 45 yards for a touchdown and a 28-14 Newtown lead.

At that point, the ‘Hawks were running downhill. On the Mustangs’ first play from scrimmage, McCarthy recovered a fumble in the backfield to give the ball right back to the ‘Hawks. Three plays later, Tobin was in the end zone (this time from 15 yards out) with his third touchdown of the game and a 34-14 Newtown lead.

Gregg Burkhart later came up with an interception and Matt Regan recovered a James Jordan fumble on a failed punt return, but the ‘Hawks couldn’t get back in the end zone. The only scoring that came at that point was from Immaculate, on a Matt Tarzia one-yard touchdown run that trimmed the Newtown lead to 34-20 with 2:17 left to play.

“It was a tough week,” said coach Roberts, who had to help his team deal with the death of a classmate, Greg Chion. “But these kids played with all their heart tonight.”

Immaculate  0       0       14     6       - 20

Newtown     0       8       6       20     - 34

I.       

Second Quarter

N – Engel, 5-yard pass from Petretti (pass failed)

N – Safety, blocked punt in end zone

Third Quarter

I – Wilson, 36-yard run (Robbins pass from Wilson)

N – McCarthy, 15-yard pass from Petretti (pass failed)

I – Wilson, 45-yard run (kick failed)

Fourth Quarter

N – Tobin, 6-yard run (hayden run)

N – Tobin, 45-yard run (pass failed)

N – Tobin, 15-yard run (pass failed)

I – Tarzia, 1-yard run (kick failed)

Individual Statistics

 

RUSH ATT  YDS   TD

Kyle Tobin    33      265     3

Adam Hayden 10      27      0

Jon Werbeck  4        24      0

Rich Petretti  2        5        0

Matt Saunders         1        1        0

TOTALS     50     322    3

 

        CMP  ATT  YDS   TD

Rich Petretti  2        8        26      2

RECEIVING REC  YDS   TD

Matt McCarthy        1        15      1

Pete Engel    1        11      1

TOTALS     2       26     2