NHS Football—

Hawks Win Boot Game Again, Prepare To Host Pomperaug

By Andy Hutchison

The Boot Trophy, given to the winner of the Newtown-New Milford football game every time the South-West Conference rivals meet, remains in the hands of the Nighthawks for at least another year.

Newtown went to New Milford and bested the Green Wave 20-3 on September 19 to even its record to 1-1 and drop the Wave to 0-2. Quarterback Jake DeVellis and receiver Kurt Nacewicz hooked up for a pair of touchdowns through the air and John Aminiti returned a fumble 27 yards for a score as the defense led the way and Nighthawks never trailed.

The Hawks have won the Boot Trophy each of the last 13 times these teams have met dating back to 1994. The trophy was first presented by The Bee and given to the winner of the rivalry back in the 1960s. What became a frequent match-up after starting as an annual game, resumed this year after a two-season hiatus.

Newtown Coach Steve George said the work of the offensive line, led by tackle Dave Bray, helped to allowed DeVellis to play a strong game. The QB passed for more than 250 yards as the Hawks bounced back from the season-opening defeat at Shelton.

The defense was stingy for the second straight week to begin the year and the run defense, in particular, was stellar, George said.

The Newtown coach would like to see his team tighten up its pass defense and cut down on offside infractions and penalties as the team seeks improvement from week to week. The next test will be Friday against Pomperaug — in the home opener on the sod at Blue and Gold Stadium, 7 pm (pending the rain). The Pomperaug Panthers are winless in two tries, but lost a nail-biter 22-21 to Windham and fell 30-22 to Bunnell and George does not expect an easy game by any stretch.

“They’re very good. They’re the best 0-2 team in the state,” George said. “They’re a solid team and they’re going to present some problems for us. They’re big up front and very aggressive.”

Newtown, too, possesses size up on the line, the coach notes. “I think we’ll match up well with them,” he said.

The Nighthawks will play four consecutive home games. After the Pomperaug game, NHS hosts Weston, Oxford, and New Fairfield.