Date: Fri 08-Sep-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Football-History

Full Text:

Football History

While the Western Connecticut Football Conference actually began in 1960 when

the conference was formed, Newtown High School didn't enter a team until the

fall of 1965 when it started up as a jayvee unit.

In 1966, Pete Kohut headed up a varsity football program that would set a

standard for all others in the area.

In the 29 years that followed, up to and including the 1994 season, the

Newtown High School football team would win a total of 190 games and lose only

77 while earning ten WCC championships and three state titles.

And though the team struggled with losing records in each of its first two

years with the WCC in football, the team would enjoy winning records in 23 of

the next 27.

l  Newtown High's first football team was captained by Mike Cragin, and Wayne

Hartman and included such names as Rick Matern, Wally Smith, Jeff Verry, Art

Crouch, Jim Goodrich, and Gary Adams. Newtown's first game ended in a 6-6 tie

with New Milford when Vic Stikkel ran one in from three yards out.

The 1967 squad had names like Bruce Jenner (for whom the stadium would later

be named, after the school moved from Queen Street over to Glen Road where it

currently stands), Jack Collins, Ray Schettino, Rich Rood, and Tom Hislop.

It wasn't until 1968 that NHS was able to play to a .500 record. The team won

its last three games over New Milford, Bethel, and Mt Everett to finish at

4-4. It's other victory came over the American School for the Deaf.

l  After the New York Jets won Super Bowl III and the Miracle Mets pulled off

a World Series championship, Newtown High enjoyed its first winning football

season in school history.

In the fall of 1969 a team, led by seniors Devery Stickles, Jeff Robertson,

Wayne Gillingham, Steve Wasko, Rich Kascak, and Rich Newman earned a 6-2

record and paved the way for a decade of football excellence at NHS.

Unbeaten In 1970

The first of Newtown's four undefeated seasons came in 1970 when a senior

quarterback named Jason Stevens and a junior receiver named Courtenay Hough

led one of the most-dominant teams in NHS history.

Newtown that year was 8-0 outscoring its opposition by an amazing margin of

294-24. Stevens and Hough became Newtown High's first All-State athletes as

they ran roughshod over area defenses. Hough led the WCC in scoring with 14

touchdowns and 88 points, while Stevens passed for 1,640 yards and 24 TDs.

NHS halfback Bob Berkins became the school's first 1,000-yard rusher that

season as well running for 1,003 yards on only 54 carries. Berkins also

finished second in the conference, to Hough, with 70 points scored and still

holds the NHS record for the longest run from scrimmage - a 95-yard scoring

sprint against Valley Regional.

In the season's final game a 52-0 win against Bethel, the Newtown offense

netted 733 total yards. Stevens was 21-of-27 passing for 358 yards, while

Berkins rushed for 215. Hough scored four touchdowns in the game, one on an

80-yard interception return.

Art Conklin and Gary Gollenberg led a vicious Newtown defense that totalled

five shutouts during the season. The two picked up 18 tackles each in the

Bethel game.

The Western Connecticut Conference, that season, was made up of Ridgefield,

Wilton, Central Catholic, Immaculate, and Kolbe in the Southern Division, and

Newtown, Weston, Bethel, New Milford, and Joel Barlow in the North.

l  With the graduation of several key players, the 1971 team struggled to a

1-4 start before winning its last four games to finish 5-4. Hough was named

All-State for a second-straight year and was named All-WCC along with lineman

Tom Young.

Having finished the 71 season with a flourish, the 72 Indians and captain Bill

Cavanaugh lost the second game of the season to Joel Barlow, but won all the

rest. Newtown finished the year at 7-1 and was declared co-champs along with

Barlow who finished 7-1 as well.

Offensively, Newtown was led by the passing combination of QB Mike Newman and

receiver Mike Trosan, both of whom were named to the All-WCC team. Newman

passed for ten TDs while Trosan, who caught eight TD passes and ran for two

more, was also named All-State. Bill Cavanaugh, Tom Cavanaugh, and Mike Tabor

were All-WCC selections as well.

l  In 1973, the Indians repeated as WCC champions for the first of four times

that they would accomplish the feat. Newtown cruised to an 8-0 record and a

third WCC crown which included an 8-6 win over previously undefeated and

unscored-upon Joel Barlow during Week 7. The Indians success rode on the right

arm of arm of quarterback Mike Newman and the rushing prowess of Tom Saint.

Saint rushed for 1,187 yards and 14 TDs while Newman threw for 1,232 yards and

eleven scores. Newman's favorite target was receiver Kurt Geerer who pulled in

five scoring strikes, and Wally Randall who caught four.

l  After 1974 saw Newtown relinquish its WCC crown with a 5-3 season, the 75

campaign got underway on a victorious note and the Indians rolled up nine wins

to go undefeated and reclaim their conference title behind super-juniors Pete

Meier and Gary Pepe. The two combined to score 18 touchdowns on offense, while

Pepe terrorized opposing WCC quarterbacks to the tune of 16 sacks. The two

were named to the All-WCC's first team along with Don Whittle, Pay Coyne, Joe

Kennedy, Bill Waters, and Dale Bryson.

l  The 1976 NHS team had the whole town's attention as it dedicated the

football field to NHS football alum Bruce Jenner (who had just won the Olympic

gold medal), and then won its first five games without surrendering a single

point. In the first quarter of the first game, the Indians lost Pepe to a

season-ending knee injury, but the rest of the squad picked up the slack to

outscored the opposition, 126-0 until New Fairfield broke the ice in a 21-6

loss to NHS. Newtown then fell 12-0 to Barlow before winning 40-0 over Masuk

and 28-0 over Immaculate to close out the season at 8-1 with another WCC

title. Pete Meier finished the year with 960 rushing yards and 376 yards

passing. He scored seven touchdowns and passed for three while kicking 17 PATs

and a field goal. Newtown outscored the opposition 215-18 during the season.

Members of the stingiest defenses in school history included . . .

l  In 1977 coach Kohut went with a whole new personnel look and the

junior-laden Indians team rolled up a 7-1-1 record, which was good for second

place. The Indians were led that fall by juniors Chuck Guck (QB), George

Oberstadt (RB), Rusty Williams (TE), and Steve Kordish (WR/K), all of whom

were named to the WCC team and seniors Tom Paoletti and Dan Weaver who were

honored as well.

When the juniors came back the following season, so did Newtown's WCC crown.

l  The 1978 NHS boys started with consecutive 27-0 wins and never looked back.

George Oberstadt rambled for a school-record 18 touchdowns and Chuck Guck

passed for eleven more - eight of them to Steve Kordish - as Newtown went

8-0-1 to win the WCC championship back thanks also to a defense led by Dave

Seale, Hank Scroggins, and Dave DeGuzman who were each named to the All-WCC

squad. At the conclusion of the regular season, Newtown faced Wilton for the

Class L state championship and lost a 17-7 heartbreaker.