Whether in the friendly, familiar confines of Blue & Gold Stadium or on the road, Newtown High School’s football team stands to have a tough test on Tuesday, November 27. One thing is for sure, the Nighthawks will be competing in the Class LL State Playoffs; the quarterfinals are slated for the 27th, with semifinals set for Sunday, December 2, and the championship on Saturday, December 8.

Newtown’s seeding and first round opponent will be determined based on the outcomes of Thanksgiving Eve and Turkey Day games.

The Hawks will host Masuk of Monroe on Wednesday, November 21, beginning at 6 pm. Two days after the November 15 snowstorm, players, parents, coaches, custodians, and Athletic Director Matt Memoli shoveled off the turf to allow for the team to practice.

The Nighthawks, heading into the final week of the regular slate, were ranked fourth and among five teams to have locked up a state playoff berth.

“Class LL is the toughest division. Darien, Greenwich, Shelton, Southington — those are an impressive list of schools,” said Newtown Coach Bobby Pattison, mentioning the qualifiers, all unbeaten, heading into the final week. “Everyone is good in the playoffs. We need to take care of the football, run the ball, and play solid defense to be successful. There is only one winner in LL. Every team in LL is there for a reason. We will need to play clean football games — win the turnover battle and win field position.”

An assistant on the NHS staff since 2010, Pattison took over head-coaching duties last fall. This marks Pattison’s first state playoff experience as head coach, but he has been in the postseason with Newtown quite a bit.

In his first year as an assistant, the Hawks missed the playoffs despite an 8-2 record and qualified the following year to beat Hall of West Hartford in the first round. The Hawks went to the state playoffs every year from 2011 through 2016, narrowly missing out last season with a 7-3 mark.

“I am very excited to be returning to the playoffs. The kids have put a lot of time and effort year round to get to this point. No weights, no states. This makes everything worth it,” said Pattison, alluding to the team’s hard work in the weight room.

That paid off with Newtown besting 23 other state schools in the Nutmeg State Games High School Football Weight Lifting Competition in March.

The Hawks have tasted championship success on the playing field, too. They have won South-West Conference championships six years in a row. Newtown earned part of a three-team share of conference bragging rights a season ago and are the sole SWC champs this go around.

Now, the blue and gold will look to have success at the state level.

“We have had tremendous success the last several years in the SWC, but it not has always been like this. Masuk, Pomperaug, Bunnell, Brookfield all have had teams compete for championships in the last ten years. Brookfield and Bunnell will be in the playoffs again this year. As far as state expectations go, we believe we are a top program in the state. We belong in the conversation, and we belonged in the conversation in previous years as well,” Pattison said.

The Nighthawks are one of just two Class LL schools in the SWC, but school size is only one of the factors, if a factor at all for that matter, that contributes to its conference success. The other LL school, after all, is winless New Milford.

“Everyone looks for a justification or rationale for why we win in our conference. People did not complain about Newtown ten years ago when Masuk, Pomperaug, Bunnell, and Brookfield were winning the league. So what is it? I think our kids are dedicated to getting better year-round. School size is not the best indicator of competitiveness in my opinion. St Joseph and Ansonia can beat a lot of LL teams on any given year. Greenwich has double the amount of boys that Darien does. Darien has done pretty well in LL the last few years. Successful programs win because they have built a positive culture,” Pattison said.

Darien has won three straight Class LL titles, including toppling Greenwich in last year’s pinnacle game. St Joseph and Ansonia sit atop the Class M and Class S rankings, respectively. This year, St Joseph beat Class LL playoff contender Staples of Westport (seeded ninth heading into the last week).

“The commitment the kids had in the offseason is the key to success. We lifted weights year-round, attended passing leagues, competed in weight lifting and linemen competitions. I am not surprised because the team chemistry we have now was built in the offseason. We are a family,” Pattison said.

Pattison played at Newtown High from 2002-05. The Hawks finished 7-2-1 in ‘05, just missing the playoffs. Since then, the program has had a winning record every year.

This season’s Nighthawks certainly have been dominant, outscoring its first nine opponents 406-34, or on average 45 to less than four per (non) contest. The only games that were remotely close were a 21-0 victory over Brookfield that was 7-0 at the half and, to a lesser degree, a 51-14 triumph over nonconference foe Norwich Free Academy in a game that was tight at halftime before Newtown took over.

“This season has been awesome. We have a great group of kids who love football and love being together. We are a family,” Pattison said.

Newtown is balanced team led by quarterback Luke Melillo, who has completed 72 of 119 pass attempts for 1,264 yards and ten touchdowns, while being intercepted only twice.

Dan Mason has carried the ball 151 of the 268 times Newtown has kept it on the ground, compiling 1,070 yards, averaging better than seven per rush, and racking up 26 touchdowns.

The Hawks are led by a trio of receivers — Riley Ward (20 catches for 335 yards and six touchdowns), Shea Talbot (18 receptions for 361 yards and two TDs), and Joseph Pagett (16 catches for 218 yards). Mason has eight catches for 135 and a TD.

All of this offensive production has been made possible by the strong play of the offensive line comprising Carson Ivey, Kyle Good, Connor Hughes, Mike Loomis, Steven Koren, and Jack Hannan.

The defense of James Knox, Joe Zeller, and Zach Loomis, too, has shined. Easton Ricks leads Newtown with 49 tackles and four quarterback sacks; Jared Dunn has 36 of Newtown’s 412 tackles. Knox, Zeller, Loomis, Matt Dubois, Jack Mulligan, and Pagett all have more than 20 tackles. Jack Zingaro has four interceptions, Pagett a trio of picks, and Will Swierbut two among Newtown’s 12 INTs. Pagett has two of Newtown’s eight fumble recoveries, and Tucker Garrity had a pair of forced fumbles.

Special teams, from the kicking game to the kick return part of Newtown’s play, have also been stellar. Devin O’Connell averages 49.8 yards per kickoff and has recorded a dozen touchbacks. Pagett and Ricks have both compiled 213 kick/punt return yards.

“I believe our greatest strength on offense is balance. We run the football, but we can throw it, too. Our defense has been outstanding as well. Special teams are another strength. We are winning the field position battle,” Pattison said.

Asked if there was a motto or theme that this team has take on, Pattison said family and “meet me in the A gap” come to mind. The latter is the team’s mentality, which Pattison said means “we are going to run right at you over and over again. And we do not care if you know its coming.”

Newtown knows tough Class LL competition stands in the way of continued success. Winning it all is the ultimate goal, but win or lose, it’s safe to say this season will go into the books as a successful one — and not just from the standpoint of X’s and O’s.

“The goal every year is to win a state championship. We do everything with that in mind. Getting here is not enough — winning it all is the goal. However, I do not think it is fair to say the season was not successful because you did not win it all. That would discredit the work and achievements of the kids. The real success is seeing the character of these young men as they enter the program and leave the program. I want them to become better people, better students, better family members,” Pattison said.