NEWARK, NJ- The Western CT Militia take their longest regular season road trip and win 21-0 against the NJ Hawkeyes in Newark, New Jersey. “We played just well enough to win in the first two weeks of the season” said Head Coach Lonnie Young, “tonight we put it all together”.

Western CT utilized both quarterbacks Rich Snowden and Kevin Oberg throughout the game. Snowden started the game and found a streaking Lew Edney for a 55 yard completing on his third play from scrimmage. A few plays later Oberg was inserted. He soon connected with receiver Vinnie Muli on a 17 yard passing play that turned into the first score of the game. “That was the theme of the night; we got great performances from the entire roster tonight and we played like a true team”. 

The second quarter saw the Militia utilize a three-man rotation at running back to go along with their oversized offensive line to control the Hawkeyes defensive pressure. Backs Aaron Taylor, Joe Pacheco and Justin Johnson used both speed and power to move their way into scoring position. When inside of the 5 yard line, a short scoring run by Pacheco gave the visiting team a 14-0 going into the half. 

After averaging 25 points in their first two outings, the Hawkeye’s scoring attack came to a halt at the hands of the Militia defense. “We asked a lot of our secondary tonight” said Young, “and they came through with flying colors”. Although slowed with injuries, the defense eliminated the Hawkeye’s running game and played opportunistic football when the ball was in the air.  “Our defense had a few big stops in the red zone tonight; they played big when they needed to and preserved our first shutout of the season”. 

After a failed attempt at a fake punt, the Hawkeyes turned the ball over to the Militia deep in their own territory. A combination of key passes and strong runs by Johnson (9 carries, 79 yards, TD) set the ball up near the end zone. A short scoring plunge by Johnson gave the Militia a 21- point lead and sealed the game for Western CT. 

“This win gives us a lot of confidence going forward” said Snowden, “It’s the start of a tough part of our schedule; if we can continue to play this way we will make some noise in the MLF (Major League Football)”. The Militia return home this weekend to take on their state-rival Connecticut (Waterbury) Bombers.