Newtown Football Team Could Play Championship on Shooting Anniversary

Nov. 27, 2013— -- The Newtown High School football team dedicated its season this year to the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook massacre and finished the season this week with an undefeated record.

The team will now head into the state championship tournament which is tentatively scheduled to be completed on Dec. 14 -- the anniversary of the school shooting.

On Tuesday, the Newtown Nighthawks finished regular season play with a 12-0 record, according to school athletic director Greg Simon.

"They're a great team, they played a great season," Simon said.

The Newtown team beat Masuk High School Tuesday night in their annual Thanksgiving game, which was moved to Tuesday because of expected bad weather. The Nighthawks won 42-7.

The team won their conference championship for the second year in a row and will now enter the state tournament. They'll have to make it through the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals to get to the championship game.

The championship is scheduled to be played on either Dec. 13 or Dec. 14, which is the anniversary of the school shooting in which 20 students and six teachers were killed in 2012.

Throughout the season, players have worn the number "26" emblazoned on their helmets to commemorate the victims from the Sandy Hook school.

The students and staff members died when gunman Adam Lanza walked into the school and opened fire on the morning of Dec. 14, after killing his mother at the home they shared. Lanza then shot himself.