The celebration was subdued at first. Just another day at the office for the Newburgh Free Academy football team.
Then the ceremony concluded and Newburgh coach Bill Bianco raised the Section 9 championship trophy in the air and let out a triumphant yell.

Then the celebration was on, as the Goldbacks clinched their second straight Section 9 Class AA championship and the program’s 13th overall with a 35-0 win over the Middletown Middies on Saturday afternoon at Academy Field.

“This feels great for me,” said senior wide receiver and linebacker Deondre Johnson. “Two section chips in two years. I can’t ask for anything better than that, especially with these guys, I love them all. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”

The outcome was really never in doubt, even though the Goldbacks only led 14-0 at halftime.

However, Johnson, after a quiet first half, made a huge impact to start the third quarter. On the third play of the quarter, he hauled in a 38-yard pass over the middle from sophomore quarterback Mason Hoover.

“My connection with the quarterback was very good,” Johnson said. “Mason’s a hell of a player. He’s young. He’s got another two years, so he’s got a lot of work to do.”
Then, Johnson finished the drive with a 28-yard touchdown run off a direct snap to give the Goldbacks a 21-0 lead, which started a 21-point third quarter to put the game away.

“We came out of the half to get that quick score right at the jump, that let us exhale and relax a little bit,” Bianco said. “We’re just trying to get the ball into our playmakers’ hands the best we can.”

Johnson also had a big play early in the first quarter. After the Middies controlled the ball for most of the first quarter, Johnson caught a 35-yard pass from Hoover along the sidelines, and Tajir Walker finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown to give the Goldbacks a 7-0 lead with 2:15 left in the first quarter.

The Middies had the ball for most of the first eight minutes without scoring. The Goldbacks put up a score in just over 2 minutes.

Walker added his second touchdown with a 6-yard run in the second quarter to give the Goldbacks a 14-0 lead.
By then, Johnson felt the Middies – led by seventh-grade quarterback Joseph Royal – was on the ropes.

“When it was 14-0 going into the half, we already knew our assignment was to finish the half,” Johnson said.

Hoover added a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Johnson, along with his brother Darryl Jackson, put the icing on the cake. Johnson hit Royal to knock the ball loose and then Jackson grabbed it and took it 65 yards for a touchdown.

“If he can play in a big-boy league, he’s got to get hit like a big boy,” Johnson said. “That’s what we came in with.”
Johnson was named the offensive player of the game and Jackson was the defensive player of the game.

“(Jackson) has been steady all year,” Bianco said. “He’s a very good player, so I think he did a great job today.”
The Goldbacks will advance to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association East Regional Semifinal at 3 p.m. Saturday at Faller Field in Middletown against Carmel or Mamaroneck.

“I think we can do big things,” Johnson said. “I don’t want to talk too high about it, but when it’s time, we will go.”