Newtown comeback falls just short against Shelton

NEWTOWN — In what was the third meeting in the state playoffs since 2015, the latest matchup had both sidelines’ heart rates rising by the second.

With 37 seconds left, Newtown missed what would have been the goahead field goal, securing seventh-seeded Shelton’s 21-20 upset victory over the Nighthawks to advance to the Class L semifinals.

Shelton will face third seeded Maloney, who defeated New Milford in the quarterfinals, on Sunday with a trip to the state championship game on the line.

The Gaels withstood two Newtown drives in the final five minutes.

After Newtown and Shelton each exchanged punts, Newtown started at their own 15-yard line, only to turn the ball over on the first play of the drive. Looking to pick up big yardage early, Newtown quarterback Jayden Cordova was picked off by Shelton linebacker Ayden Sepkaski, putting

Shelton at the Nighthawk 37-yard line with a chance to extend its lead.

“It was a super stressful situation when they got the ball back,” Sepkaski said. “We have been practicing that play all week and seeing it on film. I just made the right play.”

Shelton did not score on the ensuing drive but did the next best thing. After burning roughly three minutes of clock, Newtown found themselves on offense with :38 remaining, having to drive 74 yards with no timeouts.

Through a series of screen passes and running out of bounds, Newtown found itself at the Shelton 20-yard line and lined up to kick the go-ahead field goal and likely avoid the upset bid. The kick had the distance behind it, but sailed to the right of the goalpost, sending the Shelton sideline into a frenzy.

“I thought I was going to pass out,” Shelton head coach Mike DeFelice joked. “We told our guys to buckle down on the final drive and that we can’t give up. We knew they had no timeouts, so we tried to keep them in bounds and not give up a big play. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Shelton struck first in the brisk weather. After forcing a Newtown turnover on downs, junior running back David Dojlidko carried the ball 68 yards to the endzone on the Gaels’ second play from scrimmage to jump ahead 7-0.

Newtown answered two drives later, capped off by quarterback Dylan Magazu, who kept the option and scampered seven yards for the score. After a penalty on the PAT, the Nighthawks attempted and failed on a twopoint conversion, keeping New

town behind by a point.

Shelton and Newtown each added one more score down the stretch of the first half, leaving Shelton with a 14-13 lead.

After Shelton failed to score to open the second half, Newtown took its first lead of the evening. Cordova connected with Jayden Taylor for 27 yards and the score.

But like Shelton had done most of the night, they responded on its ensuing drive. On the second play of the fourth quarter, Michael Kinik found John De Camps from seven yards away to give Shelton the lead for good.

For Newtown, a strong season that included a conference crown ends prematurely in the eyes of head coach Bobby Pattison

“I’m proud of my guys and proud of their effort,” Pattison said. “We had a great year, and we came up short. Shelton did what

they needed to do. It came down to the very end. We got a little aggressive on a few drives and tried to take a shot.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME John De Camps, Shelton WR:

Had several catches including the eventual go-ahead seven-yard touchdown to give Shelton the lead for good.

QUOTABLE

“I told the boys to strive for greatness. I always use that phrase. We all came out like a bunch of dogs and a bunch of savages. We knew it was going to be a battle as soon as we stepped on this field.” — Shelton WR John De Camps