Newtown High School’s football team erased a halftime deficit and pulled away to defeat the host Shelton Gaels 34-24 in a nonconference clash on October 11.

The South-West Conference Nighthawks made it 3-0 against Southern Connecticut Conference teams and improved to 5-0 overall. Shelton fell to 3-2.

“I’m ecstatic. I’m so proud of the kids. Down at the half, we told them we needed to get a stop and get a score,” Nighthawk Coach Bobby Pattison said.

In the third quarter, the Gaels had first and goal to go but Newtown tightened the defensive screws, limiting Shelton to a field goal with 7:15 to play in the third, a precursor of things to come in the second half as the Gaels were held off the scoreboard until the final minute.

“Holding them to a field was huge right there,” Pattison said.

Nighthawk quarterback Jack Street, who again alternated with Brandon Lombardo in the pocket, completed a third down pass to Jeffrey Garrity to move the chains, connected with Luke Hannan for another first down, and hit Riley Ward who made a one-handed grab for another down marker mover as part of a game-tying drive. Hannan had a 33-yard rush to the Shelton three yard line and Street hit Garrity on a five-yard TD pass two plays later.

“Luke Hannan’s a talented, shifty runner. He finds a seam and slips right through,” said Pattison, who leaned heavily on Hannan to carry the ball after Ricks was dinged up.

The score was all even at 17 with 2:41 left in the third.

The Nighthawks stopped Shelton on fourth down and took over at their own 44 late in the third and scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when Lombardo passed to Jared Dunn for a 35-yard catch and run to the end zone. It was 24-17 Hawks with 11:51 to play.

Jack Mulligan’s fumble recovery at the Shelton five set up a 22-yard O’Connell field goal for a 27-17 lead.

A quarterback sack by Dunn for a seven-yard loss led to a Shelton punt and the Nighthawks took over with great field position at the Gael 37.

Lombardo had a few carries, including a big third-down run to move the chains, to set up first and goal. Garrity took a handoff from Street and ran the ball in on a sweep play to the right on third and goal from the three with 4:26 left. The Nighthawks ran off 24 straight points to double Shelton’s point total by this point.

The Gaels punched in a score with just under a minute to play after Hannan and Connor Moran broke up passes near the end zone.

Newtown scored first on a Devin O’Connell 24-yard field goal set up by a 44-yard Miles Ricks run.

Shelton went ahead on a 75-yard kick return for a touchdown and led 7-3 after one quarter of play.

Lombardo rolled left and threw across the grain to C.J. Cuomo on the right side, and Cuomo scampered down the sideline for a 41-yard TD to put Newtown back in front midway through the second quarter.

Shelton’s threat to score was thwarted by the Nighthawks when Will Swierbut intercepted a pass at the two yard line. The Gaels, however, recovered a fumble seconds later and their offense cashed in to seize a four-point lead heading into halftime.

Newtown punted late in the opening half and Mulligan’s 64-yard boot and roll pinned Shelton back at its own one yard line to help keep the Gaels at 14 heading into the break.

“Shelton’s a tough, physical team and they were taking it to us a little bit,” Pattison said.

The Newtown coach was pleased with how his players answered.

“They responded,” he said.

Newtown and Shelton have a long history on the gridiron dating back to youth football.

“They’ve been playing these kids for their whole lives pretty much,” Pattison pointed out.

“It was always a tough game,” Lombardo recalls.

The most recent Newtown-Shelton battle had a bit of a postseason feel to it, much like the other crossover games.

“It was like a playoff atmosphere. We were down at one point. It shows we can come together as a team and keep it rolling,” Lombardo said.

The Nighthawks will look to keep it rolling right into the state playoffs. After a bye week they play their last nonconference game of the regular slate when FCIAC foe Danbury visits Blue & Gold Stadium on Friday, October 25 at 7 pm. NHS then has four games left.