NEWTOWN - Newtown High football went to work during its bye week, and head coach Dan Farina and his staff asked players to trust the process.
The Nighthawks trusted the work they put in and pulled off an upset of previously unbeaten Notre Dame Prep, which was ranked No. 7 in the latest GameTimeCT Top 10 poll, winning 20-9 on Thursday night at Blue and Gold Stadium.
Notre Dame Prep (4-1) lost sophomore standout running back Ja'cari Harris to an injury in the second quarter after a 20-yard run. Harris took a helmet to his left knee, sat out the rest of the first half, then was sent for X-rays, according to head coach John Johnson.
Newtown, which trailed 9-6 at halftime, got a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown from freshman Devin Santacroce with five seconds left in the third quarter to completely change the momentum of the game.
The Nighthawks (2-3) forced a Notre Dame punt on the ensuing possession, then drove 63 yards on their next possession. After a steady diet of runs by junior quarterback Jack Colonel, senior Luke Gagnon finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run. Fellow senior Spencer Maddox, playing through a groin injury, kicked his second extra point of the second half for a 20-9 lead with 6:47 to play in the game.
Colonel (46 yards) and Gagnon (17) accounted for all 63 yards on the drive.
Notre Dame Prep drove to the Newtown 8-yard line, but an interception by senior Caden Cuomo squelched a potential rally.
The Nighthawks took the game's initial lead, 6-0, on a 4-yard touchdown run by Gagnon with 3:10 left in the first quarter. Two plays into the second quarter, Lancer senior quarterback Jordan Razor threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to JJ Studeny to tie the score, 6-6. Both teams missed their extra points.
Notre Dame Prep had the ball with 5:28 left in the second quarter at its own 47. Harris ran for 19 yards, then gained another 20 to the Newtown 14-yard line, but he stayed down after being tackled. Harris had to be helped off the field, and the Lancers gained just 2 yards on their next three plays before Santiago Mazo-Lopez's 29-yard field goal gave them a 9-6 lead at the 3:05 mark of the second quarter.
The Nighthawks drove to the Lancers' 21-yard line, but Maddox missed a 38-yard field goal. The visitors took a knee to take a 9-6 lead into halftime.
In a game that was going to be won by defense, Newtown's stood tallest of all.
The Nighthawks face Joel Barlow next Friday, while the Lancers go up against New Milford, also next Friday.
Player of the Game
Jack Colonel, Newtown quarterback: The junior took on more of the running load in the second half and helped open up the offense enough to get the Nighthawks to a big win.
Newtown 20, Notre Dame Prep 9
ND Prep 0 9 0 0- 9
Newtown 6 0 7 7-20
New-Luke Gagnon 4 run (kick failed)
NDP-JJ Studeny 15 pass from Jordan Razor (kick failed)
NDP-Santiago Mazo-Lopez 29 field goal
New-Devin Santacroce 43 interception return (Spencer Maddox kick)
New-Gagnon 15 run (Maddox kick)
Records: Newtown 2-3; ND Prep 4-1.
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This article originally published at Newtown football scores big win over previously unbeaten No. 7 Notre Dame Prep.