Newtown’s seventh grade football team is championship game-bound. Taking to the road again on November 9, the Hawks soared to 30-16 victory over Southington in the Shoreline Youth Football Conference semifinals.

The Hawks struck first after a nine-play drive, with Nate Preziosi using the space provided by the blocks of lineman Cam Cronin and Mason Jackson to run the ball in the final nine yards for a score. Brady Merrifield added two points with a successful kick for an early 8-0 lead.

On the first play of the next defensive series Bryce Antoinette snagged his first interception of the game, sending the Hawks’ offense back to work. The Newtown offense came up big again as Joey Pedwano cleared a path by knocking a Southington defender out of the way, giving Nate Preziosi room to take the ball on the run, fighting through defenders to push the ball over the end line for a touchdown. Another kick by Merrifield extended the lead to 16-0.

On the next defensive series, Antoinette remained sharp, reading a pass play with perfection, stepping up to intercept the pass and running the ball 12 yards, setting up the Hawks with prime scoring position. Two plays later, Nate Preziosi ran into the end zone for his third QB keeper of the game, and Merrifield’s kick made it 24-0 Hawks.

After the defense came back on the field Shane Lovett knocked the ball loose, leading to an Andrew Adams fumble recovery. QB Nate Preziosi sailed the ball 30 yards to Zach Preziosi, who took it to the house, bringing the score to 30-0 Hawks. As the second half played out, Southington found the end zone twice and tapped in successful kicks. As the final seconds of the game wound down, the Hawks completed their mission, securing a spot against Guilford for the Championship.