By Kim J. Harmon

Brian Hamilton might have been a soccer player as a freshman at Newtown High School but, as it turns out, he really was a football player simply waiting to be discovered and when someone dropped a dime on him to Ken Roberts, it sure as heck didn’t matter that Brian was hearing impaired – the kid could kick!

Brian made his varsity debut last Friday night in Newtown’s 41-20 rout of Jonathan Law and was near perfect in the extra-point department, hitting six of seven (the one he missed was low and blocked at the line).

“We really didn’t have anyone in the program who was a true kicker,” explained coach Roberts. “Someone told us Brian could kick and we talked to him about it. After a few days working with coach (John) Larkins, he was doing great.”

Brian was so excited about getting the opportunity to kick, coach Roberts said, that he kicked somewhere between 200 and 300 balls – which was about 100 balls too many – in his first real practice and could barely walk the next day because he had pulled a groin muscle.

“That just shows you the dedication he had to become our kicker,” said coach Roberts.

Ninety percent deaf in both ears at birth, Brian spent the first 15 years of his life in near total silence. He was 18 months old when he was first diagnosed as having bi-lateral hearing loss. This past summer doctors at New York University implanted 24 tiny electrodes into his head. Now, with the use of a computer pack on his hip, Brian is able to hear electronically. Prospects of both improved hearing and speech are excellent, according to his parents, Kim and Scott.

Brian spent the early years of his life living in Massachusetts. The family came to Newtown about two years ago when Scott, an estate planning attorney, relocated. Brian quickly proved to his peers that his hearing and speech were not handicaps and his athletic prowess had a lot to do with his ability to earn respect. He is an an award-winning BMX bike racer and experienced snowboarder.

And now a football player.

Erik Martenson had been doing the placekicking for Newtown – and was doing pretty well at it – but coach Roberts said Martenson was pressed into action only because they had no one else.

And now they do.

“In practice Brian is kicking 35-yard field goals,” said coach Roberts. “He becomes another offensive weapon for us.”

Brian wasn’t pressed into trying any field goals on Saturday night because the Nighthawks spent a considerable amount of time in the end zone. When Brian jogged onto the field it was to put an exclamation point on a nice drive.

“I was very nervous,” said Brian, “but not nervous for the extra points, just the kick offs.”

Coach Roberts said, “That’s because he’s been working on the extra points for two weeks and we just started him on the kick offs. He likes to practice was he’s going to do.”

Brian said he wasn’t happy with his first kick off, a sort of blooper that nevertheless did cause some return problems for Jonathan Law, but as the ‘Hawks continued to score and Brian continued to kick off, he did manage a few solid boots.

Brian said he was surprised to be kicking with the varsity team so soon - just three weeks into his football career, in fact - and now apparently wants to work himself into other phases of the game with the Nighthawks.

And coach Roberts can’t be happier.