New Fairfield, CT — Sparked by its defense, Newtown High School's football team ran away with a 41-6 road victory over the New Fairfield Rebels on October 13. The Nighthawks had three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and overcame a bit of a slow offensive start to build a commanding 20-0 halftime lead. Quarterback Jayden Cordova completed a 40-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Taylor to open the scoring. A penalty moved the ball half the distance to the goal line on the ensuing point after attempt, prompting the Hawks to go for a two-point try which failed. The Rebels twice drove into Nighthawk territory before the Hawk offense struck again. Both times, the Rebels were picked off. First, Ryan Zaniewski intercepted a pass to end a New Fairfield scoring threat and kept the Nighthawks in front 6-0 heading to the second quarter. Then Aydyn Gonzalez proved sometimes your best offense is your defense when he intercepted a pass and returned it 86 yards to paydirt, helping the Hawks to a 13-0 lead with 9:30 to go in the half. Newtown's defense continued to dominate with a combination of tackles in the backfield and a Rebel penalty pushing the hosts 14 backwards on a late-quarter wrong-way drive. Gonzalez and Zaniewski had consecutive tackles for losses, and Jack Chappa and J.J. Haddick combined on another tackle to help back the Rebels to their 21 and facing fourth and long. Newtown called a timeout on defense to preserve some time on the clock, with 2:33 to go before the break. Newtown ended up punting the ball back the other way, but a Bryan Reyes interception, what else, got the ball back in the hands of the offense — at the Rebel 34 — with 1:19 to play. Taylor made a great catch on a deflected pass, near the back of the end zone, a 24-yard scoring strike from Cordova to extend the lead with 42 seconds left. It was more of the same in the second half. Cordova connected with Taylor yet again, this time on a ten-yard TD pass play 3:38 into the third. After another stand on defense, the Hawk offense continued to pile on points. Haddick took a direct snap and rushed for a first down on fourth and one to keep a drive alive, and a long reception by Kaelen Schmitt down the sideline set up an 11-yard James Hartigan TD reception. It was 34-0 after three quarters. Late in the third, a leaping deflection by Reyes and an open-field pass breakup by Evan Nikolis helped keep the Rebels in check. New Fairfield finally got on the board in the fourth, with 10:18 to play. Ayden Paulos had three straight catches and Cole Stockwell added a carry to set up Cordova's one-yard QB keeper for a touchdown to cap the scoring. Up next, the Hawks host Weston on Senior Night, Friday, October 20, at 7 pm. Read more about the win over New Fairfield in the October 20 print edition of The Bee. https://www.newtownbee.com/10132023/defense-dominates-as-hawk-gridders-romp-rebels/