Football Game Preview: Newington Nor'easters vs. Bristol Eastern Lancers

The Newington Nor'easters will head out to challenge the Bristol Eastern Lancers at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Bristol Eastern took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Newington, who comes in off a win.

Newington's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They blew past RHAM 42-0. The result was nothing new for the Nor'easters, who have now won three matchups by 35 points or more so far this season.

Josiah Sims

Rushing Yards

11/01/25 @ Edwin O. Smith	197
10/10/25 vs Farmington	168
09/26/25 @ Enfield	154
09/19/25 @ Tolland	118
11/08/25 @ RHAM	104
+ 3 more games

Josiah Sims continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, while also picking up 104 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Newington is undefeated when Sims posts 80 or more rushing yards, but 1-2 otherwise.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Newington was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 260 rushing yards. They are a perfect 5-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.

Newington didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Givanni Benjamin, Jaden Manguel, and Lavonne Jr. Ellison picked up one apiece. Newington got some further help from Heath Weeden: he made 13 total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Meanwhile, after soaring to 38 points the game before, Bristol Eastern was a bit more limited in their contest on Friday. They received a blow as they fell 24-8 to Edwin O. Smith. The defeat continues a trend for the Lancers in their meetings with the Panthers: they've now lost three in a row.

Newington pushed their record up to 6-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 5.0 points on average over those games. As for Bristol Eastern, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.

Everything came up roses for Newington against Bristol Eastern in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 28-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Nor'easters since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.