New-Look Football Team Eyes Another Postseason Run

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s football players have been hungry to get back out onto the field for game action since last year’s near-championship season.

The Nighthawks, who went to the South-West Conference championship game and reached the Class LL state semifinals, have a desire to get back into title contention, but they have their work cut out given that the Hawks also sport a new look throughout the roster.

Among 22 players who graduated a year ago are linebacker/tackle John Aminti, cornerback Kyle McNamara, quarterback Jake DeVellis and running back/receiver Kurt Nacewicz. Those players will leave huge shoes to fill and Newtown’s lineup is quite heavily revamped, but the team has high hopes for another solid campaign.

Coach Steve George says this certainly is not a rebuilding year.

“We’re young — we’re inexperienced, but I think we remedied that during the preseason a little bit,” said George, adding that he was impressed with his team’s performances in scrimmages against Seymour and Norwalk.

The regular season was scheduled to get underway Thursday against Bunnell (after The Bee went to press) and Newtown will host Joel Barlow September 25 at 7 pm.

The coach said his younger players, many of whom played part-time roles in the success of the team a year ago, have had a taste of the glory of making the playoffs but remain in search of more success having come away empty handed.

“Now is their opportunity to play,” George said. “The kids worked hard in the offseason. I think they’re varsity ready.”

George said the team’s unselfishness is perhaps its biggest strength and that the offense has looked good in preseason.

Quarterback John Fracker, center and defensive tackle Connor McNamara and safety/running back Kyle O’Connor are the senior captains who lead the squad.

Junior tackle Matt Datin and senior Tory Deakin, a defensive linebacker/running back who can contribute in a variety of positions on the field, are among the players who spelled last year’s starters and will play more significant roles in 2009. Senior defensive end/right tackle Jamie Bowers and senior receiver/defensive back Nichy Tarrantino, along with junior linebacker Max Nacewicz and junior kicker/receiver/safety Rory Noonan are among the key players George will look to for production.

The coach will not look past the next game on the schedule in order to keep his focus on the task at hand.

“We’re just going to take it one game at a time,” George said. “We just want to go 1-0 every week.”

Bunnell, Pomperaug, and Masuk are among the top teams on the schedule, he said. Brookfield, another of the SWC’s better teams, is not on Newtown’s slate this year

The Hawks visit Pomperaug on October 16 and go to Masuk for the annual Thanksgiving Eve clash on November 25.