Naugatuck’s football team took charge of the field during Woodland’s senior night. The Naugatuck Greyhounds (8-1) and the Woodland Hawks (7-2) met on Hawk territory November 11, 2022 at 3:30 P.M. for Woodland’s last Friday football game. In the first quarter, the Greyhounds had a great start; they reached the end zone three times, putting the score at 21-0. All three touchdowns occurred within 20 minutes of each other. Two minutes into the second quarter, Naugatuck’s Cayden Martin, senior player, scored with a six yard rushing touchdown, putting the score at 27-0 with the extra point to follow.
“Woodland had a few good plays, but they could not jump over the hardships of the inclement weather,” said Jenna Chicano, Woodland Hawk superfan.
The players faced the challenge of pouring rain, causing the dirt to turn to mud. Players lost hold of the ball, resulting in unnecessary turnovers.
Darren Gasparri, Hawks captain and quarterback, knew it was not Woodland’s strongest game.
“The turnovers were the biggest issues,” said Gasparri. “It was soaking wet, so it was hard. We could not really hold onto the ball.”
With the weather in mind, the Hawks attempted to make a comeback toward the end of the second quarter. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Michael Deitelbaum, Naugatuck middle linebacker and running back, scored another six points with a nineteen yard rushing touchdown.
At 4:52 PM, Naugatuck kicked off to Woodland Regional to start the third quarter. Within the first ten minutes, after taking back the ball, Martin scored a one yard rushing touchdown, bringing the score to 41-0, including the extra point kicked by Domonic Desousa, the Greyhounds kicker. This was the last touchdown of the game, as neither team scored in the fourth quarter.
“Woodland’s run game was the strongest part of the offense as Christian Morales, sophomore running back, was basically carrying the offense for the Hawks,” said Chicano.
Following the game, Naugatuck players posted a few Tiktok videos with the intention to mock the opponent’s loss. The Tiktoks had a long train of comments emphasizing the hardship on senior night.
“They out for blood,” stated one.
“Zero points on senior night is crazy,” stated another.
“They came into our student section at the end of the game, but they had a right to do that,” said Gasparri. “They won.”
Woodland players took no offense to the actions, as it only made them more motivated to win their upcoming games.
After an exciting last Friday night game, the Hawks are prepared to defend the nest from afar on December 4th for the State Semifinals at Derby High School.
