Newtown High School’s football team overcame a rare deficit and rolled to a 42-21 victory over visiting New Milford, at Blue & Gold Stadium, on a warm November 6 evening.

The Nighthawks retain the Boot Trophy, which the South-West Conference rivals compete for each time they meet. Newtown remains unbeaten at 8-0, and the Green Wave fell to 4-4.

New Milford converted twice on fourth down for an early score after the Nighthawks fumbled on their first snap of the game. The Green Wave attempted an onside kick but the ball didn’t go the necessary ten yards before the visitors touched the ball and recovered. Newtown answered in a hurry as Hunter Cobb sprung free on a 50-yard dash to the end zone on the home team’s first play from scrimmage after the Green Wave claimed a 7-0 lead. The score was even at 7-7 with 9:15 to play in the opening quarter.

After a Christian Morlock quarterback sack, Jared Pearson intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards to the one yard line, before punching it in for a 14-7 Newtown lead with 7:42 left in the opening half.

The teams traded punts during the remainder of the first quarter and early stages of the second before the Nighthawks moved the chains and scored again. Ethan Carpenter’s two-yard TD run capped a drive that saw Justin Dunn complete a 23-yard screen pass to Cobb, a Ben Mason 33-yard catch in which three defenders were needed to bring Mason down, and a 19-yard rush by Cobb.

Newtown led 21-7 at halftime and scored the next two TDs to put the game out of reach. Dunn connected with Devin Luzietti on a 15-yard scoring strike, and Cobb had a three-yard rush into the paint to help the Hawks to a 35-7 cushion.

New Milford found the end zone twice more before Pearson’s five-yard touchdown run capped the scoring.

Members of the 1965 Newtown High team were honored before the game as the Newtown celebrated 50 years of football. Read more about the game and visit from the former players in the November 13 print edition of The Bee.