Nighthawks Rebound From SWC Loss With State Playoff Win

By Andy Hutchison

WEST HARTFORD — Newtown High School’s football team erased a 22-14 third-quarter deficit with three unanswered touchdowns en route to a 36-22 win over host Hall High in the Class LL state playoff quarterfinals on Tuesday, November 29. The game was played in an on and off — mostly on, and frequently heavy — rain.

Newtown (9-2), the No. 6 seed, advanced to face No. 2 Staples of Westport (10-0) in the Saturday, December 3, semifinals (2 pm at Bunnell High in Stratford). No. 3 Hall (9-2) saw its season end thanks to some big plays by the Nighthawks, who rebounded following a 46-7 loss to Masuk of Monroe in the South-West Conference championship game on Thanksgiving Eve.

Newtown Coach Steve George was impressed that his Nighthawks bounced back not only from that defeat, but also falling behind in the state playoff opener.

“A group of losers could have just gone in the tank right there and suffered another loss, but these kids are fighters,” George said. “It says a lot about the kids, their heart, and their effort.”

Newtown opened the scoring on a Lou Fenaroli nine-yard touchdown run. The Warriors came back with 14 unanswered points — two on a safety and a pair of touchdowns. A two-point conversion attempt and point-after kick failed, leaving the Nighthawks just seven points behind at halftime. The game seemed destined to be tied heading into the break, but Hall, behind a last-second touchdown, carried a 14-7 lead into the intermission. The Nighthawks answered with a game-tying score only 14 seconds into the third quarter when receiver Dan Hebert lined up in the pocket and took a direct snap, then took the ball straight up the gut for a 59-yard dash into the paint for a touchdown.

Just over two minutes later, the Warriors again broke the tie and made their own break when a bobbled extra point snap turned into a two-point conversion for a 22-14 lead. Quarterback/kick holder George Lund, who was pressured by Newtown’s defenders throughout the game, ran the ball in for the eight-point advantage.

The Nighthawks responded with Fenaroli’s second rushing TD of the game, this one from eight yards out, with 6:38 remaining in the third. The two-point conversion attempt failed and Hall held onto the lead, for the time being, 22-20. Fenaroli’s score was set up by a crucial fourth-down pickup when quarterback Drew Tarantino connected with Hebert to move the chains in Hall territory.

Newtown defensive lineman Hunter Bassett came up with his second quarterback sack of the night — this one for a whopping 17-yard loss — helping the Hawks get the ball back following a Hall punt. On Newtown’s ensuing drive, Fenaroli picked up a pivotal first down on third and 12 when he bounced to the outside, dodged a pair of would-be tacklers, and turned the left-side corner for a 14-yard gain. The big running back punched it in from two yards out to give NHS the lead with 48 seconds left in the third, then added a two-point conversion run for a 28-22 advantage that carried over into the fourth.

Fenaroli, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound back, generally mixes his size and agility to run over or around defenders. On this soggy scene he also proved to be extra slippery and rushed for close to 150 yards with the help of some strong blocking.

The Warriors struggled to move the ball in the second half thanks to Newtown’s clampdown defensive effort. Hall, seconds into the fourth, punted following a three and out. Hebert did a nice job to grip the wet ball for a fair catch on the punt, then made a not-so-subtle big play on the next play. He took another direct snap and quickly turned it into six more points, darting through the middle and scampering 66 yards to pay dirt.

Just as Hall turned an apparent miscue into two points earlier in the game, the Hawks did the same. Tarantino lost the handle on the snap as Newtown went for two, but the quarterback scooped up the ball, eluded a Hall player to buy some time, then completed a pass to Fenaroli who barged into the end zone for two points and a 36-22 advantage with 11:33 to play.

Newtown’s defense continued to stymie the Warriors. Mac Morlock had a QB sack, and fellow defensive lineman Mike Lord sealed the win with an interception with just over a minute remaining.

“We felt like we had some good matchups and we were able to exploit them,” George said. “So the kids are all focused and they’re all business right now.” The coach said he believed this was Newtown’s first state playoff win since 1992.

“We were confident, we came out, we played our best. We started off a little bit slow but we never gave up. You know that’s the heart of a champion, so that’s the first step. Now we’ve got to get ready for next week,” Hebert said.