Newtown's fourth grade football team gave Glastonbury all it could handle in the Shoreline Youth Football Conference Championship game but came up just short, 21-6, at neutral site Guilford High School, on November 12.

The Newtown defense was ready to play right from the opening whistle, and the game was scoreless after the first quarter, thanks in part to the fumble recovery of linebacker Marcus Gerace, caused by linebacker Cole Stockwell and defensive back CJ Manfredonia. The second quarter saw the Tomahawks get on the board first and they led 7-0 at the half. While Newtown moved the ball well in the quarter, punctuated by a 15 yard run by Grady Marks, and two Gerace passes, one for 20 yards to Tanner Smith, the other for six yards to Manfredonia, Glastonbury kept the high-flying Nighthawk offense out of the end zone throughout the first 20 minutes of play. Newtown ended the half with a tremendous goal line stand, highlighted by a huge fourth down tackle by Gerace and Stockwell. Gerace finished the day with more than 15 tackles as well as over 100 yards of offense on the ground.

The second half, like the first half, started with an early Newtown fumble recovery, with Gerace again pouncing on the loose pigskin. Unfortunately for Newtown, the Nigthawks could not capitalize on the momentum swing and trailed heading into the fourth quarter, 21-0. Never giving up, Nick Pavia finally got the Nighthawks on the board with a fourth quarter run in from one yard out, led by the blocking up front of Luke Stewart, Jack Dunford, Ryan Hislop, Cole Stockwell, and Grady Marks, as well as receiver Connor Kelly. Newtown made one last stand in the fourth quarter, with Smith recovering another fumble, however, the Newtown team simply ran out of time.

Finishing with an overall record of 9-2, and capturing the conference's NFC divisional crown, the fourth grade team has high expectations heading into the 2018 campaign. Team members include: Logan Chacon, Mikey Corigliano, Colin Dirga, Jack Dunford, Mack Foss, Kieran Garrity, Marcus Gerace, Ryan Hislop, Connor Jopp, Kyle June, Reid Karnas, Brighton Karvoski, Connor Kelly, Cameron Longhi, Sebastian Los, Jake Maddox, CJ Manfredonia, Grady Marks, Aidan Molina, Christopher Moseman, Nick Pavia, Will Peterson, Lucian Place, CJ Previdi, Emmet Regan, Travis Rekos, Tanner Smith, Luke Stewart, Cole Stockwell, and Aidan Walker.

-Chris Manfredonia