Newtown Gold Wins Fifth-Grade Championship In Waning Seconds

A shorthanded Newtown fifth-grade Gold football team defeated Bridgeport 12-6 on a last second play to win the Candlewood Valley League championship this past weekend.

Newtown went to Bridgeport’s Kennedy Stadium on Sunday night with a 7-2 record and only 15 players to battle in the championship game. Vacations, sickness, and a few injuries plagued the team, but Newtown’s heart and determination overcame Bridgeport and its roster of 37 players.

Newtown kicked off to Bridgeport and fell behind 6-0 early in the game.

The Newtown coaches quickly rallied the boys on the sideline and reminded them that they had defeated this team earlier in the year. Newtown’s offense began to move the ball with halfback Michael Doyle exploding through the defense on a 37-yard run down to the Bridgeport 16-yard line only to have it called back on a penalty and stop their initial threat.

The Newtown defense was outstanding. Defensive end Bryan “Burger King” Kiley and cornerback Steven Faxlanger stopped the outside attack by Bridgeport and Ryan Shaw, Kyle Martinez, Shawn “Scooter” McCarthy, Matt Davis, and Declan Sullivan stopped the inside run attack. Bridgeport tried an aerial assault, but it was quickly shut down by safety Peyton Manning and linebackers Jared Pearson and Doyle.

In the second quarter, Bridgeport threatened to score but Pearson, Shaw, and Shawn Sanders made key tackles for losses. Faxlanger made a key tackle in the Bridgeport backfield for an 10-yard loss to get the ball back for the Newtown offense. Quarterback Ethan Carpenter connected on a 28-yard pass to Manning, and Nick Bourgeois was instrumental in getting Manning open with a great block on a Bridgeport player twice his size. Pearson ran behind Jeremy “Captain Crunch” Salaris for gains of eight and 11 yards respectively, but Bridgeport’s huge defense was able to stop Newtown’s momentum and at the half it was 6-0 Bridgeport.

Both teams made a stand in the third quarter; however, Bridgeport began to show some signs of wear and neither team was able to cross the goal line. The hard-hitting Newtown defense left Bridgeport players littered across the field on almost every play.

Early in the fourth quarter Pearson and Doyle ran the ball for a combined 40 yards and after a costly offside penalty, Carpenter caught a pass from Doyle to get the ball down to the Bridgeport 34 yard line for a first down. Bridgeport’s hard hitting defense held Newtown and then took over possession on its own 30. Newtown held Bridgeport once again and on fourth and eight Faxlanger and Sullivan caught the Bridgeport quarterback for an 11-yard loss. Newtown now had the ball on the six yard line. On the very next play, Tim Mamman and Salaris blew open a giant hole for Doyle to score the tying touchdown. The extra point would fail.

In the final minutes, kicker Shaw made a perfect onside kick that bounced off of a Bridgeport defender and was recovered by Shaw as Newtown took over on the Bridgeport 48 yard line. The next two minutes were nail-biters as Newtown fumbled and Bridgeport took over. On Bridgeport’s next play Doyle caught the quarterback and forced a fumble that was recovered by Kiley and Salaris.

Newtown got the ball back on the Bridgeport 49 yard line and Doyle threw a perfect strike to Carpenter down to the 16 yard line and an immediate timeout was called. The next play, Doyle ran down to the six yard line and Newtown called its last timeout with three seconds remaining.

Carpenter ran a bootleg behind a picture-perfect block from Shaw into the end zone to win the game as time expired.