89ERS

 

The thunder wasn’t the only thing clapping as the 89ers went up against the Monroe Lions on Saturday. From opening kick-off to final whistle, an aggressive offense consistently drove for some long yardage gains, scoring twice to defeat Monroe 14-6.

Strong coverage by the Lions could not stop Robbie O’Donnell, Chris Matthei, Dana Hansen, Anthony Corleto, Andrew Matsis, Kyle McNamara, Stephen Oberstadt, Jamie Vavrek and Jake DeVellis. Vavrek took a bootleg play for a long run to score the first touchdown.

McNamara had some impressive catches and DeVellis seemed unstoppable with some nice passes, nice runs, a couple of good blocks and a touchdown.

Blocking from O’Donnell and Oberstadt never let up while Michael Poeltl, Corleto, Connor McNamara, Matsis, Sean Gill, Tim Roehrs, Kyle McNamara and DeVellis powered the defense.

The 89ers will battle the Danbury Vikings on Saturday at 2 pm in Danbury.

 

JUNIOR PEE WEES

 

The Junior Pee Wees opened the 2000 season with a 13-0 loss to Monroe.

The game began with Newtown kicking off and Kris Kling and Chris Elias covering that kick. Daniel Curtis and Zach Conger were tough on the line while Tyler Tarantino and Justin McGrath each made a backfield tackle in the following defensive series.

Monroe turned the ball over on downs and Newtown, on offense, quickly turned the ball back over following an incomplete pass and quarterback sack. Daniel DeLaVega, Brett Mauro, and Chuck Brooks made fine defensive plays to stop Monroe, but the Lions also stymied the Nighthawks so no one could score.

Elias ended the first quarter by recovering a Monroe fumble. But the ‘Hawks couldn’t move the ball and had to punt away. Sean Ryan, Cody Kellogg and DeLaVega all made good tackles, but Monroe was able to march down the field and score a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

After the ensuing kick, the Newtown offense began to move the ball. Jared Modzelewski and Cody Marus each carried the ball well and a nice pass from Tom Jackman to Josh Friedman continued the drive. However, an interception by Monroe stopped the drive cold and almost led to another touchdown, but a tackle by Marck Scheunemann prevented that.

At the start of the second half, the Newtown offense took the field. Matt Taylor, Jamie Goodwick, James Post, Chris Cardelle and Derek Calderara blocked well, but a fumble turned the ball over. Great defense by Mauro, Tarantino, Curtis and McGrath held Monroe off.

Once again, the ‘Hawks coughed up the football and Monroe was back on offense. But defensive plays by Dan Cody, Robert Eckenrode and Elias got the ball back. Sean Ryan made a nice play on offense, but Newtown had to punt away.

Later, another turnover led to a Monroe touchdown and a 13-0 lead for the Lions.

On an onside kick, Lucas Vendel made a nice runback and nearly broke free for a score. Kling had a pair of nice runs and Jackman hooked up with Friedman on a good pass play, but Monroe took over on downs.

McGrath recovered a fumble and Newtown, on offense, went all the way down to the Monroe 12 yard line on a long carry by Tarantino. The ‘Hawks couldn’t push it through, though, and turned the ball over on downs.

Chuck Brooks and Tarantino made nice defensive plays and Jeffrey Davis had two nice carries late in the game, but it wasn’t enough.

The Junior Pee Wees will battle the Danbury Vikings on Saturday in Danbury.

PEE WEES

 

Joey DeVellis ran a kick back 74 yards for a touchdown and Ryan McGrath tossed a 27-yard scoring pass to Tucker Kass, but the Pee Wees dropped the 2000 season opener on Saturday to Monroe, 22-14.

The Nighthawks opened the game with a solid, 10-yard return by DeVellis. Grant Speer had a nice five-yard run, but the offense was denied a first down. Monroe, meanwhile, moved down the field on its first series of plays and scored a touchdown to go ahead 7-0.

But the faithful Newtown fans breather a sigh of relief as DeVellis, thanks to great blocking, returned the ensuing kick 74 yards for a touchdown. Speer added the extra points by powering through the line.

Monroe would find the end zone again on the following offensive series despite the efforts of cornerback Brian Poeltl and lineman Steve Orrico.

With the score now 14-7 in Monroe’s favor, Newtown began its next offensive attack from the 48 yard line. After a couple unsuccessful runs, McGrath hit receiver David Modzelewski with a 12-yard quickie pass for the first down. DeVellis then found Kass on a half-back option pass for eight yards to end the first quarter.

With offensive linemen of Tommy Gaboriault and Eric Dreher providing the time, McGrath then completed his 27-yard scoring pass to Kass, who aggressively fought off a Monroe defender in the final five yards to get into the end zone. DeVellis hooked up with Jake Putnicki (with an acrobatic catch) on the extra point.

The Newtown defense of Drew Adamek, Joe Bowen, Orrico and Joe Collins shut Monroe down on the next series and Collins – with a menacing tackle – forced a fumble that was recovered by DeVellis. Newtown would not score, but neither would Monroe as the first half ended. Gaboriault recovered a fumble while Brian Stickles and Kass were strong on offense.

In the second half, the Newtown defense twice foiled Monroe’s offense as cornerback Tom Hutchison and lineman Cody Shpunt made strong plays. Shpunt, Bowen and Collins all made plays behind the line of scrimmage.

Newtown took over on its own five yard line, but a quarterback sack by Monroe in the end zone gave the Lions a safety and a 16-14 lead. Then, despite the defensive efforts of Skyler Gajdosik, Speer, Scott Perry, McGrath and DeVellis, Monroe would score again to take a 22-14 lead.

Newtown’s final offensive series was highlighted by a 40-yard bootleg by DeVellis, who finished the day with 124 yards on six carries.

The Nighthawks will travel to Danbury on Saturday, September 9, for a 10 am game against the Vikings.

JUNIOR MIDGETS

 

Carey Olsen scored the lone touchdown and Jeff Levasseur added the extra point in a 14-7 loss to Monroe.

Levasseur also blocked an extra point and grabbed an interception while Olsen was strong on offense, carrying the ball for several first downs. Charles Perry recovered a fumble in the second half while Roy Scheunemann, Billy Beatty, RJ Marus and Marc Ingerman all played well on defense.

MIDGETS

 

The Midgets played with great effort and hung together as a team, but Monroe came away with a 12-6 win to open the 2000 season. It was a close game right up until the end and Derek Pattison scored for Newtown.