The Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks and the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders came in on two different trajectories.

The Goldbacks won three straight after a season-opening loss and the Crusaders were still looking for their first win. Despite that, they entered on equal footing in Section 9 Class AA.
Not anymore.

The Goldbacks never trailed and scored 31 unanswered points on their way to a 38-7 win over the Crusaders on Friday at Academy Field in Newburgh. It was the Goldbacks’ first win over the Crusaders since a Section 9 Class AA semifinal victory on Nov. 3, 2023.

“It feels great,” said Nyeir Johnson who had a rushing and receiving touchdown. “We had little mess-ups, but it’s OK because we came back together as a team and beat them.”

The Goldbacks broke a 7-7 tie on Justin Lassic’s 5-yard touchdown run. Griffen Robinson’s extra point gave the Goldbacks a 14-7 lead. After the defense held the Crusaders to a three-and out, Jaiseon Barnwell found Lassic for a 14-yard touchdown pass. It was Lassic’s third touchdown of the game. He scored the game’s first touchdown in the first quarter.

The Goldbacks added 17 points in the third quarter on Johnson’s five-yard touchdown run with 9:36 left in the third quarter. Then Johnson caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Barnwell with 4:32 left in the quarter.

Jeron Underwood intercepted Monroe-Woodbury quarterback Kuper Lopez, returning the ball to the 5-yard line, setting up Robinson’s 22-yard field goal to put the Goldbacks up 38-7 to end the third quarter.

“We ran the ball and stayed on schedule pretty well,” Newburgh coach Bill Bianco said. “Even with all the penalties and being off schedule, we didn’t punt, and we didn’t turn the ball over on four downs, and we didn’t turn the ball over. You go a whole game in varsity football and you don’t punt, you don’t turn the ball over, and you don’t get stopped, that’s usually pretty good.”

The Goldbacks showed they weren’t going to be stopped, especially after they stopped the Crusaders’ cold on the first drive of the game, forcing a three-and-out and pushing them back five yards.

Since their 35-28 loss to Curtis the open the season, the Goldbacks have limited opponents to 6.25 points per game.

“We know our defense is going to do what they’re going to do,” Barnwell said. “I think the most points that got put up on our defense was the first game. First-game jitters are a thing, and I don’t really see anybody being able to score on our defense. Our defense gives people fits.”

So does the offense, which followed that game opening drive with a methodical seven-minute march from their own 47 to the end zone for the game’s first score. However, the Goldbacks gave up the game-tying touchdown early in the second quarter when Lopez hit Braylon Shillingford with a 4-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.

The score was set up by Lopez’s 42-yard pass to Shillingford that switched the field and two Newburgh penalties.

“The one drive was all penalties on us,” Bianco said. “Credit to them a little bit, but some of it was self-inflicted. We’ve just got to play cleaner.”

The Goldbacks haven’t left Newburgh since their 42-6 win over the Warwick Wildcats on Sept. 10 and just finished a stretch of three straight home games. Three of their next four will be on the road. First up are the Pine Bush Bushmen, who suffered a 28-13 loss to the Middletown Middies on Friday.

“We definitely have still got some work to do, but we’re getting there,” Johnson said. “I feel like we could really go somewhere with this team.”