Senior quarterback Jaiseon Barnwell threw for 205 yards and four touchdowns, and Newburgh Free Academy’s defense forced three fumbles in a 31-0 win over Cornwall on Friday night.

The Goldbacks (3-1) have won three straight. It was their first win over the Dragons (1-3) since the 2009-10 season.

Barnwell completed seven of eight passes, five of them to running backs Justin Lassic and Nyeir Johnson, both seniors.

“I thought he did a great job managing the game tonight and not throwing throws that are going to put him in a bind,” NFA coach Bill Bianco said. “If it wasn’t there, he’d try to scramble and keep us ahead of the sticks.”

Cornwall’s problems with ball security began on the opening kickoff. Junior cornerback and receiver Aydan Ayala returned it to the NFA 23-yard line but fumbled when hit, and the Goldbacks recovered.

Johnson opened NFA’s first drive with a 26-yard run that helped the Goldbacks overcome a false start penalty. The drive consumed most of the first quarter and ended in a field goal, giving NFA a 3-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Lassic scored on a 76-yard touchdown reception on a running back screen to make it 10-0. Cornwall then had a chance to answer when junior receiver Jayon Robinson got behind the NFA coverage, but junior quarterback Sage Caesar’s pass was overthrown. The drive ended when junior receiver TJ Muhlfeld fumbled after a short catch.

The turnover set NFA up on a short field, and Johnson scored on another running back screen for a 17-0 lead. Cornwall senior kicker Jack Baloga missed a 30-yard field goal wide left to end the half.

Cornwall’s defense tightened in the third quarter. Junior defensive end Quadir Truluck forced a fumble, and junior outside linebacker Zion Felix had a sack.

NFA scored twice through the air in the fourth quarter, including a touchdown catch by senior receiver Jeron Underwood, and sacked Caesar on back-to-back plays to complete the shutout. Underwood finished with two catches for 40 yards.

Lassic had two receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown and led NFA’s ground game with 19 carries for 72 yards. Johnson carried 11 times for a 6.6-yard average and caught three passes for 50 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s dynamic and he has a lot of rushing yards for the first part of the season,” Bianco said of Lassic. “He can make things happen when he gets out in space. We try to get him in space as much as we can.”

Johnson also starred on defense with six tackles, one for a loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.

“He makes plays on both sides of the ball; he’s a two-way guy,” Bianco said. “He can catch and run the ball and is very versatile.”

Johnson described his running style as aggressive and hard-nosed and said he models his game after former NFL running back Leonard Fournette. He credited his blockers.
“It’s really all about the blockers,” he said.

Sophomore outside linebacker James Lilla had 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Senior Chris Mack and junior Tavio Johnson combined for three sacks as defensive ends, rarely allowing Caesar a comfortable pocket.

Cornwall couldn’t get its ground game going. Junior Michael Cooper and freshman Aidan

Russo found gains of four to five yards at times but never broke a big run.
Bianco said he was more focused on his team’s progress than on the history between the programs.

“They’re a good program. It’s another win and I’m not sweating it too much, it’s a non-league opponent,” Bianco said. “They’ve kind of had our number recently, generally speaking. I’m happy we played well, but it’s not really because we played them.”
NFA hosts Monroe-Woodbury on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.