Date: Fri 04-Oct-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Football-Win-Brookfield

Full Text:

Newtown Beats Brookfield, 29-14

B Y T.W YATT

In its last three meetings with two-time defending-conference-champion,

Brookfield (ranked fourth in the state), the Newtown High School football team

had lost all three by an aggregate score of 109-21, including a humiliating

32-0 spanking in the 1994 WCC title game.

But on Saturday, September 28, excitement was at a fever pitch as a packed

house at Bruce Jenner Stadium witnessed a changing of the guards in the new

South-West Football Conference.

The Newtown High Nighthawks, feathers preened and talons poised, shook off the

ill effects of their last three beatings and administered a tasty one of their

own to improve to 3-0 on the new year.

" This feels great, " said NHS head coach Bob Zito after his team completed an

impressive 29-14 triumph which snapped Brookfield's 18-game winning streak -

the third longest in the state. " This was a few years coming. We remembered.

Our kids were on a mission today. They committed themselves to playing 48

minutes and they did it. At times we got back on our heels, but we held

strong. We're very happy right now. "

Newtown's boys dismantled Brookfield with a fired-up defensive front that

limited the Bobcats to 189 total yards; they did it with the big play, scoring

once on a blocked punt by Justin Gibney; but Newtown did most of its damage

between the tackles by just putting coins in the soda machine.

" The Soda Machine " was senior fullback Matt Huray - a stocky 5-foot-9 and

200 pounds - who blasted through the middle of the Brookfield defense for 134

yards on 23 carries and kept the change.

" Huray had a huge game for us, " said NHS offensive coodinator, John Murphy.

" He really picks it up a notch on game day. He has those short strides and

just carries bodies on his back. "

On Newtown's second possession of the ballgame, a workman-like 90-yard drive

that took up 5:14, Huray blasted through the middle and extended the football

towards the goal line. The ball was jarred loose on the extension, and ruled a

fumble, but NHS lineman Jeff Chuongvan was heads-up and recovered for the

touchdown. Pete Ivey's point-after kick made it 7-0, Newtown.

The NHS defense then held Brookfield on downs and forced the Bobcats to punt

from their own 20 yard line. On the punt attempt, Newtown's Justin Gibney blew

through the right side of Brookfield's line and blocked the punt. Gibney then

chased it to the 1-yard line, where he fell on it.

On the next play, Huray plunged into pay dirt for the score. The extra-point

kick was wide right and Newtown led 13-0.

Brookfield tried to remain poised through it all, but Newtown's defense was

determined not to break.

With 49 seconds still remaining in the first quarter, NHS junior Joey Saputo

intercepted Keith Fortmiller at the Brookfield 46 and the Nighthawks were back

on the march.

On its next drive, which carried over to the second quarter, Newtown continued

to dominate the line of scrimmage. Behind the " five blocks of granite " - Joe

Wasko, Kevin Lausten, Billy Hine, Chuongvan, and Andy Cozens - NHS ballcaries

moved the ball almost at will.

Newtown drew Brookfield offsides on a fourth-and-seven play, and then

converted on one of Huray's four first-down carries on the drive. After Huray

pounded inside the 20, Mike Reynolds blasted inside the ten. Huray then

churned for another first down and Patrick Reilly exploded to the Brookfield

2. On a second-and-goal play from the 2, Newtown's most-impressive drive of

the afternoon ended when Ivey mishandled the snap from center and Brookfield

recovered the fumble at the 1-yard line.

Brookfield was still alive.

The Bobcats got second-life, and found that glimmer of hope, when Scott Gould

broke off a 60-yard run to the Newtown 35 on a third-and-six carry from his

own 5. But a Greg Darling sack and a good defensive play by NHS saftey Ryan

Bunt forced Brookfield to punt again.

Newtown took over at its own 38 and moved quickly into Brookfield territory on

a 14-yard burst by Saputo. Bunt then swept left for 13 yards and Huray pounded

for another six.

With 1:12 left in the half, Ivey connected with Darling to the Brookfield 16,

but holding on the next play moved the ball back to the 26.

Now it was Mr Ivey's turn. The junior quarterback found Darling again, to the

6-yard line, and then threw to Saputo in the endzone with 21 seconds left in

the half. Ivey's successful pass to Darling on the two-point conversion gave

Newtown a 21-0 halftime advantage.

The fans tasted blood.

But a different Newtown team came out for the second half. Seven costly

penalties and two turnovers allowed Brookfield to climb right back into the

game. After an interception, the Bobcats cut into Newtown's lead on their

first possession of the second half, on a fourth-and-ten play, when Fortmiller

hit Mark Bologna on a slant over the middle which went for 33 yards and a

score. A holding penalty, a clip, and a fumble on Newtown's next drive gave

Brookfield the ball back on the Newtown 37. But a big hit by Reilly, on a

third-down play, forced the Bobcats to punt.

From his own 26, Reilly then ripped off a 37-yard run followed by a Saputo

carry to the 20. But another hold erased Saputo's run and Newtown finally

punted. On a drive that spanned into the fourth quarter, Brookfield seemed to

have siezed the game's momentum. The Bobcats worked the clock all the way down

to 6:29 before pounding into the endzone to make it a 21-14 game.

" We were starting to get tired there at the end, " coach Murphy said. " It

was an emotional game. Our problem was that we smelled blowout at halftime and

we were guilty of trying to get to 40 before we got to 28. But it took all of

Brookfield's energy to get back in the game and once they did they were too

tired to stop us. "

Mike Reynolds electrified the crowd with a big kick return to midfield, and

the Newtown ground game took over from there. Consecutive carries by Huray,

Bunt, Reynolds, and Reilly moved the ball to the 15 from where Bunt swept left

and cut back to the middle for a 15-yard scoring run that iced the ballgame.

Ivey threw to Darling for two more and put Newtown on top, 29-14, where it

ended. " It shouldn't have been this close, " coach Zito said after the game.

" We made so many mistakes, the penalties and the fumble on the goal line, we

should have won by 30. But I'm happy. The kids were challenged today and they

responded. That's a good sign. We're very happy right now. "

Newtown not only improved to 3-0 with the victory, but also got a leg up on

Brookfield who is in the Nighthawks division in the new SWC format. Newtown's

next big hurdle must be cleared right away, though. Stratford, the

conference's other big dog, is next on the schedule. The Nighthawks travel to

Pender's Field in Stratford on Saturday, October 5, for a 1:30 kickoff. The

winner of this one will, most likely, earn a trip to the conference final in

November.