Dec 16, 2019

Newtown High School wins state football championship on anniversary of Sandy Hook shooting

Newtown's Ben Pinto (#42). Photo: Kassi Jackson/Hartford Courant via AP

Newtown, Conn., marked the seventh anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School with a moment of joy when the high school football team — with a shooting victim's brother as linebacker — won the state championship Saturday in a last-minute thrill, AP reports.

The big picture: The Newtown High School Nighthawks won the Class LL state championship on a 36-yard touchdown pass as time expired, beating Darien 13-7.

  • Ben Pinto, whose brother Jack was among those killed in the shooting, played linebacker.

Color from Hartford Courant: "Newtown supporters were largely clad in green apparel and face paint," Sandy Hook's school color.

  • "Even fans from Darien wore green."

Go deeper:

Go deeper