Catching Up With Former Nighthawks/ D-I Recruits

By Andy Hutchison

They have all taken different paths into, throughout, and after college, but three former Newtown High School football teammates have this common thread: They experienced big-time college gridiron success and look back fondly on their playing days.

Brennan Coakley, Josh Rouse, and Dan Cascone — 2005 NHS graduates who played under former coach Ken Roberts — all moved on from Newtown High’s Blue & Gold Stadium to play Division I college football: Coakley at Penn State University, Cascone at the University of Wisconsin, and Rouse at Michigan State.

These are the teams this trio of players grew up watching on television. And they got a taste of playing before sold-out crowds, sometimes pushing 100,000 fans, along with everything — the hard work, long practices, injuries — that goes along with the thrill of high-level, hard-hitting college ball.

As their alma maters and their biggest rivals compete in conference championship games and gear up for the bowl season this fall and winter, all three Newtown natives look back on their playing days — how they got to their collegiate-level pinnacle, and what playing D-I ball was all about.

The former teammates all got to experience the thrill of competing in bowl games, and they also had the opportunity to renew acquaintances during matchups in college. “It’s fun to see each other on the field before and after the game,” Coakley recalled.

These one-time Hawks note that the jump from high school to collegiate ball is quite significant. “Everyone’s bigger, everyone’s good — everyone is that much quicker,” Coakley said. “You get acclimated to that very quickly because you’re practicing against the guys who were the best guys in high school.”

“It’s a very big jump — yes,” said Rouse, adding “The size and speed is first class. You get used to it when you’re playing.” Rouse who weighed about 200 pounds in high school, put on another 40 in college. He could bench press about 250 in high school and increased that to more than 400 pounds in college, he said.

Cascone said he weighed about 295 in high school and was one of the bigger players in the South-West Conference. Even after putting on 30-plus pounds when he went on to college, Cascone said he was on the smaller side among his post-high school teammates and opponents. That made for the biggest adjustment from high school to college ball, Cascone said. “You have to be spot-on with your mechanics or you’re just not going to win,” he explained.

Rouse added that not only are the players bigger, but the game itself is bigger in the Midwest than in Connecticut – taken very seriously not only at the collegiate level, but at the high school level as well. “It’s a different atmosphere,” he said.

Players Took Different Routes To Success

Coakley and Cascone were both recruited out of high school, although Coakley didn’t even start playing organized football until his freshman year of high school. Rouse, meanwhile, attended a prep school for one year before getting a chance to play

Coakley was a tight end and defensive end at NHS and played tight end at Penn State. He recalls weighing in around 140 pounds at the age of 9, too heavy for his age division for the youth football weight requirements under Pop Warner Football rules. “I was always way too big,” Coakley recalled of the disappointment of not being able to strap on the pads.

Pop Warner preceded the current American Youth Football program as Newtown’s youth football governing body. The weight/age regulations have since changed, but Coakley would have had to play with 14- and 15-year-olds under the old weight guidelines. Coakley and his parents weren’t about to let happen because of the spread in age.

He went to high school at St Joseph in Trumbull and focused on basketball before deciding go give football a go. Summer basketball league teammate and St Joe’s football player Mike Belden talked him into hitting the football field in his freshman year. That turned out to be a significant move. “When I got the opportunity to play football a couple doors opened for me,” Coakley said.

Coakley, after talking to Rouse, who transferred from Danbury’s Immaculate High to his hometown high school to lace up the cleats with the Nighthawks, decided to switch to NHS for his senior year.

Coakley was always destined to play with the big boys. Upon being scouted and recruited to go to Penn State, he experienced renewed winning ways of the Nittany Lions. Having come off a few losing campaigns, Penn State had an 11-1 season and earned a berth in the Orange Bowl against Florida State in Coakley’s freshman year

Coakley suffered tears of both anterior cruciate ligaments, which limited some of his time on the field after a petition with the NCAA for a change in his eligibility was denied. He made good use of being out of the lineup. The sidelined Penn State player helped the offensive scout team to emulate opponents’ offenses to prepare the Penn State defense each week. Coakley graduated with a degree in commercial management in 2009. He works at Pilot Seasonings Company in Waterbury, where he holds a sales position.

Coakley’s former school is under fire because of the coaching scandal involving legendary coach Joe Paterno and former assistant Jerry Sandusky, the latter of whom allegedly had illicit contact with boys he was to have been supporting through a charity. Coakley believes the administration did what it had to do by firing Paterno to turn down the heat, but added that he believes the administration acted out of fear. Paterno is reported to have done very little to stop what he allegedly knew was happening, something Coakley doesn’t believe is true.

“It’s very hard for me to swallow that he didn’t try to do something more based on what he preaches,” Coakley said of Paterno. “I do believe Joe did what he needed to do and attempted to do more.”

Rouse, after graduating from NHS, had interest from Georgetown and the University of Massachusetts. He attended Valley Forge Military Academy & College in Wayne, Penn., for a year, where he played football and caught the attention of Michigan State, and was recruited to play in East Lansing.

Rouse started his career as a quarterback and linebacker in Newtown, and began his collegiate career as a linebacker before moving into the fullback position. His college career was broken up by a couple of injuries — the latter of which, a broken neck, ended his playing days. Before getting sidelined, he took a lot from the chance to play at Michigan State.

“It was a tremendous experience — helped me grow as a person,” Rouse said.

Playing before packed stadiums of screaming fans made for quite the rush, Rouse said. “It was electric. When you’re playing football you feel like you’re floating. There’s nothing like it — the feeling of the energy and adrenaline rushing through your body. It’s amazing.” Rouse took home many fond memories, including scoring a touchdown against rival Michigan.

Rouse continues to be part of the Michigan State football program. He works off the field as a graduate assistant for the team’s offense. He helps prepare the team for upcoming opponents, which entails looking back through footage from a handful of games. “You learn a lot because you’re breaking down film,” said Rouse, who strives to become a coach.

The team went to the Big Ten championship game last week and lost a close contest to Nebraska. Rouse studied human resources during his undergraduate days and is working toward a graduate degree in sports administration.

Cascone’s football career at NHS included All State and All Conference honors. The defensive tackle followed in the footsteps of his brother Brian, who was a captain for the Nighthawks.

Cascone started on special teams and in goal line situations by his senior year of college ball. He says he learned a lot from his on- and off-field experiences resulting from playing football.

“It was pretty eye-opening — probably one of the more amazing experiences of my life,” he said of everything that goes along with playing before fans in jam-packed stadiums and the effort it took to juggle football and academics.

“It made me be more self-disciplined,” Cascone added. “It really was something that changed me for the better,” said Cascone, who earned his degree in agricultural business management, and now works for the town of Weston.