Youth Football Shoreline Conference semifinal playoff action from this past week is as follows:

Grade 4

Milford 31, Newtown 7: The Nighthawks traveled to Milford to take on the Eagles in a quarterfinal game Sunday. The Hawks started the game with a kickoff deep into Eagle territory, and Alexander King tackled the return player near the ten yard line. The Hawks’ defense followed with big tackles from Theo Prunty, Logan Smaldone, and Jack Callahan, but Milford made its way downfield and into the end zone. A big tackle from Carson Edwards stopped the run for the extra point, keeping the score at 6-0. Milford kicked off and recovered an onside kick to take possession again. Despite multiple holding penalties against them, the Eagles ran the ball wide and downfield for a second touchdown. Trevor Esposito tackled to stop the extra point, bringing the score to 12-0. Milford attempted another onside kick, recovered the ball, and followed with a run for a third touchdown. The Newtown defense line, including King, Esposito, Joey Bartolic, Robbie Baldyga, Teddy Caviston, Henry Held, and Colin D’Amico, held strong and pushed Milford back to prevent the extra point, keeping the score at 18-0. Milford once again attempted an onside kick, but Newtown recovered the ball, and the Hawks’ offense took the field. Hugo Borgerding and Dean Macaluso made solid runs, but illegal motion penalties kept bringing Newtown back. Prunty answered with more than 50 combined rushing yards to give the Nighthawks three first downs. Prunty completed a pass to Edwards for a short gain and followed this with another big run for ten yards to bring the Hawks into the red zone. Borgerding made a run for a short gain, and then Prunty ran the ball into the end zone for the first Nighthawk touchdown of the game. Prunty completed a pass to Edwards to secure the extra point, bringing the score to 18-7. Back on defense, Macaluso and PJ Enright made two strong tackles to end the first half.

Milford attempted another onside kick to open the second half, but the ball went out of bounds, and the Hawks started at the 40 yard line. Borgerding, Prunty, and Edwards combined for nine rushing yards, but Newtown’s pass was intercepted, and Parker Harriman and Logan Willinger brought the opponent down. Milford broke away for another touchdown, and the extra point attempt was good, bringing the score to 25-7. Milford sent another onside kick out of bounds, and the Nighthawk offense responded with a big run from Prunty for about 12 yards and a first down. Newtown was unable to convert on the fourth down, and Milford took possession at the 50 yard line. The Eagles made another strong run for a touchdown, but a tackle from Edwards stopped the extra point attempt, keeping the score at 31-7. On offense, Prunty returned the kick for 15 yards, and the Hawks continued to drive the ball. Prunty completed a pass to Willinger, but there was no gain on the play, and Newtown turned the ball over on downs. On defense, Macaluso, Willinger, and Jake Blank all made strong tackles to hold Milford in the final minutes of the game, and the Hawks regained possession just as time ran out. Newtown lost in a hard-fought playoff battle, but walked off the field proudly as the first team to have scored against the Eagles all year. This brings an end to their playoff run following an incredibly successful season.

Grade 5

Branford 26, Newtown 0: Newtown's season came to a close on Sunday in the semifinal game against Branford, ending what was an incredible season for the boys. Newtown could not keep up with Branford's offense and, after holding the Hornets to only seven points in the first half, gave up 19 in the second on the way to the loss. Newtown's offense was explosive all year with Bryce Memoli under center, and Chris Tortora, Tyler Deeb, and Fabbi Reyes at running back along with Brayden Stumpf as a running back/wide receiver. Newtown's offensive and defensive lines worked hard all season, improving week after week. The lines are made up of Carter Christensen, Jack Liberta, Jake Cascone, Lucas Preziosi, Richie Bartomioli, Roman Filipek, Sebastian Montaleza, and Brody Fritz. The Newtown defense played exceptional football this season with linebackers Brody Boshell, Brayden Stumpf, Chris Tortora, James Ragusa, and Bryce Memoli, along with Dalton Dudeck, Finn Rangel, and Kellan Kowalczyk all contributing all season.

The Hawks had five new players this year, all of whom were big additions to the team. Jackson Dimeglio, Alex Kokenos, Sherif Gordon, Dylan Golder, and Beckham Maslowski were all welcomed additions to the squad. Newtown had a lot to be proud of this year with shutout wins over Pomperaug, Bristol, Cheshire, and Guilford. The team put up 41 points in the quarterfinal win over Amity and scored 238 points overall this year.

Grade 6

Newtown 22, Bristol 8: On a sunny, windy day for high-stakes playoff football, Newtown punched its ticket to the championship game with an impressive semifinal win over Bristol. Led out by team captains Declan Kelley, Baer Rangel, Liam Calle, and Keegan Rosenschein, Newtown set the tone early after kicking off to start the game. Defensive standout play from Brody Conklin, Rangel, and DJ Macaluso locked down Bristol's opening drive. On offense, Newtown capitalized on a huge fourth down conversion when Rosenschein broke free for a thrilling 45-yard touchdown run. Mav Levy added the two-point kick to put Newtown up 8-0 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter showcased a resilient Newtown goal line defense. Despite Bristol pushing into the red zone, tackles by Keaton Ervin, Maddox Wilson, and Jack Cappelli kept the pressure on. Kelley and Nick Strong came up with massive stops inside the five yard line to deny Bristol a touchdown and force a turnover on downs. After Newtown took over, Greg Lewis ripped off a 20-yard run and Levy picked up ten yards for a first down. Bristol managed to answer late in the quarter with a touchdown and a successful two-point kick, sending the teams into halftime tied 8-8.

Newtown seized momentum right out of the break in the third quarter. Rangel recovered the kickoff return on the 46 yard line to set up excellent field position. Rosenschein then cut through the defense for a 25-yard run and completed a 16-yard pass to Joey Skura. Newtown’s defense held firm once again, holding Bristol to another turnover on downs to close out a scoreless third frame. The fourth quarter belonged entirely to Newtown. Starting deep in Bristol territory, Rosenschein drove to the eight yard line, and Skura pushed it to the two yard line before Rosenschein took it into the end zone for his second touchdown of the day. Levy’s two-point kick was money, extending the lead to 16-8. On Bristol’s next drive, Wilson delivered a big tackle and Skura racked up a tackle for loss to force another turnover on downs. Newtown’s offense then chewed up the clock with powerful runs by Skura (including gains of 20 and ten yards) and strong carries from Rosenschein and Wilson. With under two minutes remaining, Bristol mounted a final attempt from the Newtown ten yard line. Wilson and Ryan Stott made key stops before Macaluso sealed the victory in dramatic fashion, jumping a pass for a game-clinching pick-six touchdown to make it 22-8.

Grade 7

Newtown White 15, Monroe 6: Newtown White punched its ticket to the championship game with an impressive victory over a tough, physical Monroe team in a hard-fought semifinal playoff showdown. With determination, discipline, and outstanding performances on both sides of the ball, Newtown earned a highly-anticipated championship rematch against Pomperaug. The first quarter featured a fierce defensive battle, with Newtown’s defense holding Monroe in check. Newtown controlled the clock heading into the second quarter, fueled by powerful runs from Kieran Kane and strong blocking up front. A key 15-yard touchdown by Ben Weintraub put Newtown on the board first, and Colin Scholz delivered a successful two-point kick to give Newtown an 8-0 advantage. Monroe answered with a touchdown, but its conversion attempt failed, leaving Newtown ahead 8-6 at halftime.

Newtown wasted no time setting the tone in the second half, recovering the opening kickoff to regain possession. A perfectly-executed toss to from Chris Evans to Kane resulted in another touchdown, extending Newtown’s lead to 15-6. The Lions drove down the field, but were stalled inside the red zone led by a pass deflection by Ethan Lucian on fourth down. With the score still 15-6 entering the fourth quarter, Newtown refused to surrender its lead. Evans delivered a game-changing interception with four minutes remaining, and Weintraub powered through the Monroe defense for critical first downs that helped secure the victory. Newtown’s defensive unit was exceptional, with Noah Pape, Thomas Graffeo, Anthony Scaglione, Braxton Kuzma, Lucian, and Kane contributing to a tremendous team effort. The offensive line was equally impressive, as Charlie Tortora, Chase Ibbitson, Anthony Ripley, and Luke Gaugliano provided physical, determined blocking throughout the contest. Quarterback Evans showed outstanding leadership in the backfield, guiding the offense with confidence and composure. Now, all eyes turn to the championship.