Newtown High ‘9’ In CIAC Tournament For First Time In Eight Years

By Kim J. Harmon

Apparently, it took the nine Newtown High School sports teams a little time to get limbered up in 2005. In the first 14 days of the season, the Nighthawks – be it softball, baseball, boys lacrosse or girls lacrosse – muddled through and collectively only won 21 of their 39 contests (that’s a mediocre .538 winning percentage).

But since then, those nine teams have combined to win 29 of their 36 contests (a much more robust .806 winning percentage).

Yep – it just took a little time to get limbered up.

BASEBALL

Bunnell 7, Newtown 0; Newtown 9, Notre Dame 0; Newtown 8, Bethel 3

It was a raucous bus ride home … and who could blame ‘em?

With an 8-3 win over Bethel on Monday afternoon, the Newtown High School baseball team improved to 8-4 and qualified for the CIAC state tournament for the first time under third-year head coach Carl Strait … and the first time since 1997 when Dan Winsett led the squad to an 11-9 record.

“The kids were just ridiculous on the bus ride home,” said coach Strait. “But it was nice to see them so focused on winning the game. We still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do, but it’s nice to have that in our back pocket.”

The game on Monday was quite a juxtaposition for the Nighthawks, who have been accustomed – despite a load of bright, young talent – to suffering through periodic bouts of ineptitude where fly balls are muffed, ground balls are booted, and routine throws are, well, thrown away.

But this time the shoe was on the other foot.

Facing a 2-0 deficit in the top of the sixth inning, the ‘Hawks finally banged out their first hit against Wildcat starter Mike Oskandy and then took advantage of an infield hit, three walks, and three errors to score six runs.

“It was like looking at ourselves in the mirror,” said coach Strait. “In all of our losses we’ve had that one bad inning that has done us in.”

But on Monday the ‘Hawks were pretty solid in the field (one error) while receiving a gutsy effort from junior pitcher Steve Marks. Just three days after a commanding two-hit shutout of Notre Dame, Marks was back toeing the slab and while not quite as commanding he was every bit as effective despite allowing 12 hits.

Marks ran his personal record to 6-1 and dropped his earned run average to a mere 1.09.

And while the Wildcats were busy collecting 12 hits off the Newtown ace, the Nighthawks were having trouble getting anything except for a couple of walks off Oskandy. But errors and free passes opened the door in the sixth and Steve Vichiola, Ryan McGrath, Brian Shimko and Matt Nicoll took advantage with RBIs.

The offense was a bit more visible last Friday as the ‘Hawks banged out 11 hits, scored four runs in the first inning and rolled to a 9-0 win over Notre Dame. Pete Oggeri had the big blow, a home run over the left centerfield fence. Oggeri finished with three RBI.

Vichiola had two hits and two RBI while Shimko, Nick Magoulas and Mike Tibbetts collected two hits apiece.

Things did not go quite so well against Bunnell last week.

Ryan McGrath got the start for the ‘Hawks and had good stuff, but a disastrous second inning (two errors and a fly ball that got whipped around by the wind and fell for a double) allowed the Bulldogs to score all seven of their runs (and all unearned) in a 7-0 win.

McGrath and Tibbetts combined on a four-hitter with seven strikeouts.

Bunnell 7, Newtown 0

BATTERIES: Newtown – Ryan McGrath, Mike Tibbetts (5) and Pete Oggeri; Bunnell – Edwin Garcia, Michael Lee (7) and George Lisi. WP: Garcia (3-0). LP: McGrath (0-1). SO: Garcia 3, McGrath 4, Tibbetts 3. BB: Garcia 2, Lee, McGrath 3, Tibbetts. 2B: Lisi (B). RBI: Lisi 2, Steve Smith 2.

Newtown 9, Notre Dame 0

BATTERIES: Notre Dame – Bonaventura, Shields (3) and Magliocco, Plude (5); Newtown – Steve Marks and Peter Oggeri. WP: Marks (5-1). LP: Bonaventura (0-1). SO: Marks 10, Shields. BB: Shields. 2B: Almeida (ND), Halpin (ND), Nick Magoulas (N). HR: Oggeri (N). RBI: Newtown – Oggeri 3, Steve Vichiola 2, Brian Shimko, Matt Nicoll.

Newtown 8, Bethel 3

BATTERIES: Newtown – Steve Marks and Peter Oggeri; Bethel – Mike Oskandy, Jay Wogksch (7) and Matt Lehane. WP: Marks (6-1). LP: Oskandy (4-2). SO: Marks 2, Oskandy 7, J. Wogksch 1. BB: Marks 3, Oskandy 5, J. Wogksch 1. 2B: Adam Pratt (B), Oskandy (B). RBI: Newtown – Steve Vichiola, Ryan McGrath, Brian Shimko, Matt Nicoll; Bethel – Lehane.

SOFTBALL

Newtown 26, Notre Dame 0; Newtown 7, Bethel 2

Maybe a four-game losing streak was what they needed.

Ever since scoring just two runs and dropping four games in a row in only six days, the Newtown High School softball team has been on an incredible tear. Starting with a 7-0 win over Weston on April 18, the Lady Nighthawks have reeled off six straight wins while out-scoring their opponents 63-2.

Senior pitcher Lisa Morgan – who has been doing it at the plate as well as on the mound – ran a personal scoreless innings streak to 38 before Bethel finally reached her for a couple of runs on Monday afternoon.

The latest wins in the streak came at the expense of Notre Dame (26-0) and Bethel (7-0).

Against Notre Dame, Morgan banged out three hits (one of those a triple) and drove in five runs in a mercy-shortened five-inning affair. Christina Wolf collected four hits (one of those a double) and drove in two runs while Sam Ciaccia banged out three hits (one of those a homer) and drove in four runs. Ashley Ferris doubled twice, singled and drove in three runs.

On the mound, Morgan whiffed 11 batters … but did allow a hit.

However, Morgan did not allow a hit on Monday as the ‘Hawks exploded for seven runs in the first inning and rolled to a 7-2 win over Bethel. Ferris belted a home run and drove in three runs in that first inning.

With the win, the ‘Hawks improved to 8-4 and qualified for the CIAC state tournament. They will now look to solidify their CIAC ranking and secure a spot in the South-West Conference tournament while hosting Immaculate on Wednesday, visiting New Milford on Friday, and hosting Pomperaug next Monday and Bunnell next Wednesday.

Bunnell pinned a 2-1 loss on the ‘Hawks back on April 13.

Newtown 26, Notre Dame 0

BATTERIES: Notre Dame – Casey Jennenien and Hollie Brandstatter; Newtown – Lisa Morgan and Ashley Ferris. WP: Morgan (7-4); LP: Jennenien. SO: Jennenien, Morgan 11. BB: Jennenien 9, Morgan. 2B: Ferris (N) 2, Christina Wolf (N), Morgan (N), Jennenien (ND). 3B: Morgan (N). HR: Sam Ciaccia (N). RBI: Newtown – Morgan 5, Ciaccia 4, Ferris 3, Wolf 2.

Newtown 7, Bethel 2

BATTERIES: Newtown – Lisa Morgan and Ashley Ferris; Bethel – Emily Albin and Sara Oberhammer. WP: Morgan (8-4). LP: Albin (4-4). SO: Morgan 11, Albin 7. BB: Morgan 3, Albin 4. 2B: Christina Wolf (N). HR: Ferris (N). RBI: Newtown – Ferris 3.

GIRLS LACROSSE

Newtown 19, Bethel 1; Newtown 15, Hall 2

The Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team has been forced to come to terms with an awful truth – and yet it hasn’t buckled under.

In the second half of a critical victory over archrival Masuk early last week, senior co-captain Megan Regnery was lost for the season when she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus tear.

But faced with the prospect of fighting for a South-West Conference championship without their leading scorer, all the Lady Nighthawks did was respond with a 19-1 shellacking of Bethel last week and a 15-2 hammering of Lauralton Hall on Tuesday night at Blue & Gold Stadium.

Regnery may be on the sidelines, but so far everything seems okay.

“A couple of players have really stepped up for us,” said first-year head coach Maura Fletcher. “Karli Beitel and Katie Sudbey have been great.”

In the two wins since Regnery went down, Beitel – an enormous offensive force in her own right – has scored 12 goals and assisted on five others. And Sudbey (2-1-3) has become part of an offense that has gotten some amazing contributions from people like Rachel Maley (5-4-9), Katie McNulty (5-0-5) and Kim Solheim (4-0-4).

And freshman Courtney Gleason, pulled up from the junior varsity team to fill in for a couple of inactive players, scored a pair of goals in the win over Hall.

The ‘Hawks are going to need a lot of help to fill the vacuum left behind by Regnery’s absence. The senior – who will play lacrosse at Sacred Heart next year – scored 27 goals in her seven games, giving her 137 for her career.

In the win over Bethel, Beitel scored six goals and assisted on two others while Maley scored four goals and assisted on two others. McNulty scored three times while Solheim and Sudbey popped in two goals apiece. Libby Feltch and Moira Collier scored while Brianna Berg and Lauren Clark notched assists.

In the win over Hall, Beitel had another monster game with six goals and three assists while McNulty and Gleason each added a pair of goals. Maley scored a goal and assisted on two others while Erica Vacaro and Feltch scored solo goals and Sudbey notched an assist.

Junior Varsity –

Hannah Tenenbaum, Stephanie Soder, Christine Ercole and Courtney Gleason scored two goals apiece and Lauren Clark added one as the junior varsity team upended Bethel, 9-2, last week.

Ercole also had a pair of assists while Lucy Remitz, Cathy Urfer, Nikki Rua and Tenenbaum had one assist apiece. Goaltender Lisa Isabella recorded five saves in the cage.

Newtown 19, Bethel 1

GOALS: Newtown – Karli Beitel 6, Rachel Maley 4, Katie McNulty 3, Kim Solheim 2, Katie Sudbey 2, Libby Feltch, Moira Collier. Bethel – Cantor. ASSISTS: Newtown – Karli Beitel 2, Rachel Maley 2, Brianna Berg, Lauren Clark. SAVES: Newtown – Kerri Canavan 1; Bethel – Coles 9.

Newtown 15, Lauralton Hall 2

GOALS: Newtown – Karli Beitel 6, Kim Solheim 2, Courtney Gleason 2, Rachel Maley, Erica Vacaro, Libby Feltch. ASSISTS: Newtown – Karli Beitel 3, Rachel Maley 2, Kate Sudbey.

GOLF

Newtown 175, Notre Dame 193; New Milford 172, Newtown 173; Newtown 158, Immaculate 175

The lineup keeps changing and the team keeps getting better.

The Newtown High School golf team turned in its most impressive performance of the 2005 season on Tuesday afternoon with Nick Moser carding a 4-over 38 and Brendan Reilly carding a 5-over 39 to lead the Nighthawks to a 158-175 win over Immaculate at the Newtown Country Club.

Matt Taylor and Pat Daly also played well on the short, but tight NCC layout with Taylor coming in at 40 and Daly coming in at 41.

“I’m pleased with the way they’ve come around,” said head coach Jen Huettner, “and I know now who I can count on.”

The ‘Hawks opened with three losses, but those were all non-league matches. With their win over Immaculate and a win over Notre Dame last week, the locals have improved to 2-1 in the South-West Conference.

“I like the way the format works with the non-league matches coming up first,” said coach Huettner. “It works sort of like a pre-season and gives us a chance to get it together.”

In the win over Notre Dame last week, Dave Freeston shot a 6-over 42 at Fairchild Wheeler to lead the way with Jon Cain reaching the clubhouse with a 7-over 43. Brendan Reilly (45) and Steve Oberstadt (45) also figured in the scoring.

On Monday, though, the ‘Hawks dropped a narrow one-stroke decision to New Milford at a soggy Candlewood Country Club.

The locals entertained Weston on Thursday and will hit the road next week – visiting Brookfield on Monday, Joel Barlow on Wednesday and Masuk on Thursday.

Newtown 175, Notre Dame 193

NEWTOWN (175) – Dave Freeston 42, Jon Cain 43, Brenden Reilly 45, Steve Oberstadt 45; NOTRE DAME (193) – Jake Stearns 44, Pat Moriarty 48, John Ross 48, Andrew Voylek 53. MEDALIST: Dave Freeston (N) 42. COURSE: Fairchild Wheeler.

Newtown 158, Immaculate 175

NEWTOWN (158) – Nick Moser 38, Brenden Reilly 39, Matt Taylor 40, Pat Daly 41; IMMACULATE (175) – Tim Campbell (39), Mike Von Seggern 43, Ryan Soaves 46, Jon Nelson 47. MEDALIST: Nick Moser 38. COURSE: Newtown Country Club.

BOYS TENNIS

Newtown 4, New Milford 3

This week is a critical one for the Newtown High School boys’ tennis team.

With Brookfield coming up on Friday (in a match postponed from Monday) and matches against Immaculate on Wednesday and New Fairfield on Thursday, the Nighthawks could have their playoff fate decided.

The first step in securing a spot in the postseason was a 4-3 win over New Milford on Tuesday afternoon at the NHS courts. With the win, the ‘Hawks improved to 4-3 overall and 4-1 in the South-West Conference.

The match was decided on the doubles court as all three of Newtown’s doubles tandems came away with wins. Those, coupled with Chris Martin’s 6-2, 6-0 win over Graham Rogers at No. 2 singles, lifted the ‘Hawks to the victory.

“The real heroes were the three doubles teams, who kept their poise knowing that the match – and our playoff chances – depended on them,” said head coach Marty Margulies. “They deserve tremendous credit for playing, under pressure, the kind of smart, patient tennis that I’ve been urging them to play all year.”

Mike Coster and Jim Wilkins slipped past Tyler Hood and Mike Quinn 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 while Mario Roehrs and Baj Ahtchi defeated Robert Wojchewski and Mike Carey 6-1, 6-3. Dave Wilkins and Ben Wicki finished it off at No. 3 doubles with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Andy Janaitis and Matt Liberman.

“Our first doubles threw a scare into me,” said coach Margulies, “because they lost focus after winning the first set easily, and that can be hard to recover.  But they got it back in the third set, when the other matches were over and everything hinged on theirs. They stayed calm, and that was why they prevailed.”

In singles, Drew Adamek had a tough match against Eric Wachs, one of the top players in the SWC, and battled well before falling 6-4, 8-7 (7-4). Chris Meier and Max Margulies also put forth strong efforts, but were beaten in straight sets.

Newtown 4, New Milford 3

SINGLES: Eric Wachs (NM) def. Drew Adamek, 6-4, 7-8 (7-4), Chris Martin (N) def. Graham Rogers, 6-2, 6-0, Kelsey Rogers (NM) def. Chris Meier 6-4, 6-2, Chris Silverman (NM) def. Max Margulies 6-4, 6-4. DOUBLES: Mike Coster/Jim Wilkins (N) def. Tyler Hood/Mike Quinn 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, Mario Roehrs/Baj Ahtchi (N) def. Robert Wojchewski/Mike Carey 6-1, 6-3, Dave Wilkins/Ben Wicki (N) def. Andy Janaitis/Matt Liberman 6-4, 6-0.

GIRLS TENNIS

Newtown 5, New Milford 2

They battled the cold, they battled the wind, and they battled New Milford and in the end remained undefeated.

The Newtown High School girls’ tennis team was challenged by a number of factors last Thursday in New Milford but managed a 5-2 win over the Green Wave. A 6-1 win over Masuk the following day, under much nicer conditions, helped the Lady Nighthawks improve to 7-0.

“We did a great job against New Milford,” said head coach Maureen Maher. “The conditions were terrible. It was very cold and we had that terrible windstorm came through. We debated about postponing the match, but the girls continued and played great tennis under those conditions.”

Lauren Nemeth and Tara Ryan enjoyed straight sets wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles – Nemeth with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ali Karadimas and Ryan with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Christina Natale. Although Sarah Salbu and Kristene Salbu were stopped at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, neither one went down without a fight – Kristene Salbu extended Becky Riddle to three sets before falling 6-7, 6-3, 6-3.

“Our singles remain strong,” said coach Maher, “but our doubles teams are incredible. My first and second doubles teams are very strong and extremely exciting to watch.”

Jill Tanner and Emily Fields pinned a 6-0, 6-3 loss on Kaytee Lozier and Bethany Neill at No. 1 doubles but the Ashley Gabor/Kristene Salbu and Jenna Moser/Katie Serock tandems had much easier times at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.

The ‘Hawks were at Immaculate on Wednesday and in New Fairfield on Thursday and will return home on Friday to take on Brookfield in a match postponed from Monday. Next week, the locals will host Stratford on Monday before visiting Joel Barlow on Wednesday and Pomperaug on Thursday.

Newtown 5, New Milford 2

SINGLES: Lauren Nemeth (N) def. Ali Karadimas 6-4, 6-3, Tara Ryan (N) def. Amanda Durno 6-2, 6-2, Christina Natale (NM) def. Sarah Salbu 6-3, 7-6, Becky Riddle (NM) def. Salbu, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3. DOUBLES: Jill Tanner/Emily Fields (N) def. Kaytee Lozier/Bethany Neill 6-0, 6-3, Ashley Gabor/Kristene Salbu (N) def. Alyssa Durno/Kaitlin Thomas 6-0, 6-1, Jenna Moser/Katie Serock (N) def. Caryn Lieberman/Tiffany Yuh 6-0, 6-0.

BOYS LACROSSE

Brookfield 6, Newtown 5; Ridgefield 13, Newtown 2; Newtown 8, Pomperaug 1

A four-game losing streak, an overtime loss to Brookfield, a shellacking at the hands of Ridgefield and a lot of battered bodies on the sidelines had the Newtown High School boys’ lacrosse team badly in need of a win … a win that finally came on Tuesday afternoon.

Grant Speer scored five goals and Brendan Martin added two goals and an assist to lead the Nighthawks to an 8-1 win over Pomperaug and put a halt to a losing streak that began with a 10-4 loss to Amity on April 19 and ended with a 13-2 loss to Ridgefield last Saturday.

Brendan O’Connor recorded a pair of assists as Dan Gindraux scored a goal and Scott Perry notched an assist. Goaltender Drew Harmata made just seven saves in the cage.

Last week, the ‘Hawks fell to Brookfield in overtime on a Doug Sutherland goal. Zach D’Agostino scored two goals and assisted on two others for the locals while Speer, Kevin Regan and Martin scored one goal apiece and Travis Speer recorded an assist.

In the loss to Ridgefield on Saturday, D’Agostino and Jeff Bell scored the only goals.

The ‘Hawks were in Redding on Thursday to take on Joel Barlow and will be in West Hartford on Saturday to take on Conard. The locals will return to the rode next Thursday when they take a trip to Guilford.

Brookfield 6, Newtown 5 (OT)

GOALS: Brookfield – Zach Isaacs 3, Colin Fitzgerald, Doug Sutherland, Nate Dew; Newtown – Zach D’Agostino 2,Grant Speer, Kevin Regan, Brendan Martin. ASSISTS: Brookfield – Isaacs, Sean Tarrant, Greg Moro; Newtown – D’Agostino 2, Travis Speer. SAVES: Newtown – Drew Harmata 14; Brookfield – Dave Holmes 12.

Ridgefield 13, Newtown 2

GOALS: Ridgefield – VJ Pannozzo 3, Matt Walsh 3, Gary Garafalo 3, Derek Nault, Paul Cerone, Jim Frankum, Tom Shaw; Newtown – Jeff Bell, Zach D’Agostino. ASSISTS: Ridgefield – Matt Biehl 2, Shaw 4, Garafalo 2, Walsh 1. SAVES: Newtown – Drew Harmata (N) 11; Ridgefield – Jake Lee 5, Bob Thommessen 3.

Newtown 8, Pomperaug 1

GOALS: Newtown – Grant Speer 5, Brendan Martin 2, Dan Gindraux; Pomperaug – Brian Whitney. ASSISTS: Newtown – Brendan O’Connor 2, Martin, Scott Perry; Pomperaug – Colin Ruane. SAVES: Newtown – Drew Harmata 7; Pomperaug – Brian Fincanne 9.

BOYS TRACK

Newtown 137, Notre Dame 13

With the South-West Conference competition proving a little light this week, the Newtown High School boys’ track and field team focused on the O’Grady Relays last Saturday and came home with a second-place finish in Division A.

The ‘Hawks finished with 81 points, behind first-place Danbury (119) but well ahead of SWC foe New Milford (49).

The 1,600 sprint medley relay foursome of Marcus Tracy, Ryan Davies, Nick Mentesana and Pete Dittmar earned a first-place finish at 3:42.24 – more than three seconds ahead of Danbury and more than four seconds ahead of New Milford.

The 4x200 relay team grabbed a fifth-place finish and the 4x800 relay team grabbed a fourth-place finish. In the field events, Tyler von Oy had a strong second-place finish in the shot put with a toss of 48-8 and Ryan Peters earned a third-place finish in the javelin with a throw of 137-0.

On Monday afternoon, the ‘Hawks entertained Notre Dame and had the opportunity to mix up their lineup quite a bit. Jeff Lipnick (110 – and 300-hurdles) and Kevin Quinn (high jump, long jump) were double winners while Ben Tirigall (100 dash), Scott Nichols (1600 meters), Chris DeRoo (400 meters), Tracy (800 meters), Davies (200 dash), Ryan Kraft (3200 meters), Adam Drummond (triple jump), Peters (javelin), von Oy (shot put) and Matt Corbeil (discus) were all individual winners.

The ‘Hawks will be in Monroe on Monday to take on Masuk, Bunnell and Brookfield in one of their final two meets of the regular season.

Newtown 137, Notre Dame 13

Track Events

4x800 relay – 1. Newtown 8:52.2; 4x100 relay – 1. Notre Dame 48.8; 110 high hurdles – 1. Lipnick (N) 18.6; 2. Cawley (N) 18.7; 3. (tie) Cox (N) and Morrisey (N) 19.5; 100 dash – 1. Tirigall (N) 12.1; 2. (tie) Varga (N) and Meekins (ND) 12.2; 1,600 meters – 1. Nichols (N) 4:56.9; 2. Howe (N) 5:24; 3. Schwartz (N) 5:28.4; 400 meters – 1. DeRoo (N) 54.1; 2. Mentesana (N) 54.4; 3. Nastri (N) 54.7; 300 intermediate hurdles – 1. Lipnick (N) 44.7; 2. Morrisey (N) 47.5; 3. Cox (N) 48.4; 800 meters – 1. Tracy (N) 2:00.5; 2. Dittmar (N) 2:01.4; 3. Baldour (N) 2:06.3; 200 dash – 1. Davies (N) 24.1; 2. Varga (N) 25.4; 3. Defilippe (N) 25.8; 3,200 meters – 1. Kraft (N) 10:47.8; 2. Nichols (N) 10:56.5; 3. Zigman (N) 11:59.1; 4x400 relay – 1. Newtown 3:52; 2. Newtown 3:54; 3. Newtown 3:56.

Field Events

High jump – 1. Quinn (N) 18-2; 2. Miles (N) 5-6; 3. Morrisey (N) 5-0; Long jump – 1. Quinn (N) 18-2; 2. Hudock (N) 16-5; 3. Poetl (N) 16-3½; Triple jump – 1. Drummond (N) 35-5½; 2. Poetl (N) 34-10½; 3. Quinn (N) 34-0; Javelin – 1. Peters (N) 153-1; 2. Tierney (ND) 141-1; 3. Rossetti (ND) 114-6; Shot put – 1. Von Oy (N) 44-6; 2. Cash (N); 3. Tierney (ND); Discus – 1. Corbiel (N) 100-3; 2. Tenenbaum (N) 98-4; 3. Sorrentino (ND) 96-9; Pole vault – 1. Goodwick (N) 8-6; 2. Newley (N) 8-6; 3. Podel (N) 7-6.

O’GRADY RELAYS

Division A – 1. Danbury 119, 2. Newtown 81, 3. Staples 79, 4. Naugatuck 64, 5. New Milford 49, 6. Trumbull 27. Division B – 1. Brookfield 102, 2. New Canaan 90, 3. Jonathan Law 56, 4. Bethel 46, 5. Pomperaug 28. Division C – 1. Holy Cross 105, 2. Coginchaug 90, 3. Hyde 60, 4. St. Joseph 41, 5. Hopkins 38, 6. Wamogo 6. 

Track Events

2,000 steeplechase – 1. Andrew Baummer (Naugatuck) 6:57.91, 2. Andrew Freitas (Danbury) 7:01.54, 3. Tim Isselee (Bethel) 7:02.28, 4. Brendan Rickert (Danbury) 7:04.11, 5. Michael DeCrescenzo (New Milford) 7:08.18, 6. Kevin Peterson (Staples) 7:13.71; 4x100 relay – 1. Hyde 43.73, 2. Brookfield 44.13, 3. Danbury 44.15, 4. Staples 44.59, 5. New Milford 46.07, 6. Naugatuck 46.21; 4x400 relay – 1. Danbury 3:31.36, 2. Staples 3:33.09, 3. Hopkins 3:34.60, 4. Jonathan Law 3:45.76, 5. New Milford 3:46.16, 6. Brookfield 3:46.54; 300 intermediate hurdles – 1. James Packard (Hopkins) 42.46, 2. Bruce Clarke (Danbury) 43.15, 3. Andrew DaSilva (Pomperaug) 43.89, 4. Andrew Corridore (Naugatuck) 44.42, 5. Chaz Pacific (Danbury) 44.53, 6. Perry Salvagne (Pomperaug) 44.89; Distance medley – 1. Hopkins 10:54.96, 2. Staples 20:58.40, 3. New Milford 10:58.48, 4. Newtown 11:05.36, 5. New Canaan 11:15.05, 6. Danbury 11:18.59; 1600 sprint medley – 1. Newtown (Marcus Tracy, Ryan Davies, Nick Mentesana, Peter Dittmar) 3:42.24, 2. Danbury 3:45.42, 3. New Milford 3:46.91, 4. Hopkins 3:54.96, 5. Trumbull 3:56.73, 6. Naugatuck 4:00.71; 4x200 relay – 1. Hyde 1:30.92, 2. Brookfield 1:34.19, 3. Staples 1:34.25, 4. Naugatuck 1:35.66, 5. Newtown 1:37.09, 6. Danbury 1:38.58; 4x800 relay – 1. Staples 8:31.01, 2. New Canaan 8:31.97, 3. Trumbull 8:52.16, 4. Newtown 8:58.66, 5. New Milford 8:59.84, 6. Brookfield 9:02.78.

Field Events

Javelin – 1. Kyle Hannon (Jonathan Law) 147-11, 2. Mike Simmon (Coginchaug) 140-9, 3. Ryan Peters (Newtown) 137-0, 4. Nate Boyarsky (Bethel) 136-5, 5. Matt D’Amico (St. Joseph) 135-6, 6. Steve Sobolewski (Jonathan Law) 133-7; Long jump – 1. Joe Ardito (Naugatuck) 19-4, 2. Judson Brown (Naugatuck) 19-3.75, 3. BD Shaheed (Hyde) 19-1.75, 4. (tie) Ram Dealy (Coginchaug), Justin Staugaitus (Brookfield) 18-3, 6. Tim Murphy (New Canaan) 18-2.75; High jump – 1. Bruce Clarke (Danbury) 5-10, 2. (tie) Tim Murphy (New Canaan), Tom McIntyre (St. Joseph), Robert Noble (New Canaan), Brian McDonald (Pomperaug), Judson Brown (Naugatuck) 5-8; Discus – 1. Kieran Frinton (Danbury) 135-1, 2. Bruce Campbell (Hyde) 126-8, 3. Kyle Hannon (Jonathan Law) 124-7, 4. Ryan Pacific (Brookfield) 114-3, 5. Paul Cortese (Danbury) 113-3, 6. Lawrence Jones (Hyde) 112-10; Triple jump – 1. Brian McDonald (Pomperaug) 40-4, 2. Robert Walker (Hyde) 37-11, 3. Shawn Stasko (Brookfield) 37-6, 4. BD Shaheed (Hyde) 37-4, 5. Eric Knapp (Pomperaug) 35-11, 6. Jesse Foster (Hyde) 35-2; Shot put – 1. Bruce Campbell (Hyde) 50-5, 2. Tyler Van Oy (Newtown) 48-8, 3. Ryan Pacific (Brookfield) 46-4, 4. Luke Baddaracco (Brookfield) 45-9, 5. Paul Cortese (Danbury) 43-11, 6. Kieran Frinton (Danbury) 43-4; Pole vault – 1. Steven Bourdeau (Danbury) 11-6, 2. Eric Fitzgerald (Staples) 11-0, 3. (tie) Kyle McClave (Staples), Mike Dealy (Coginchaug) 10-6, 5. (tie) Chris Slight (Coginchaug), Robert Noble (New Canaan), Shawn Wilhelm (Jonathan Law) 10-0.

GIRLS TRACK

Newtown 135, Notre Dame 15

With Sadie Ball and Elise DeRoo going one-two in the 2,000-meter steeplechase and Ciara Simek taking first in the triple jump the Newtown High School girls’ track and field team took second place in Division A at the annual O’Grady Relays last weekend.

Ball finished first at 7:49.54 with DeRoo following her in at 8:36.87. Stephany Sabio of Danbury (8:41.68) and Tara DaSilva of Naugatuck (8:48.19) were the next closest competitors.

Simek took first in the triple jump with a leap of 31-7 … eight inches ahead of Brianne Guyton of Danbury.

Meanwhile, Jessica Cosgrove finished second in the discus with a toss of 99-7; Alex Konneker took fourth in the 300 intermediate hurdles; Lindsay Weber was sixth in the 300 intermediate hurdles; and Simek was sixth in the long jump.

Newtown also took fifth in the 4x400 relay, fourth in the 4x800 relay and sixth in the 1600 sprint medley relay.

That was all much more warm up than was necessary for a South-West Conference battle with Notre Dame on Tuesday. The Lady Nighthawks earned a 135-15 win as Konneker (100 dash, 300 hurdles), Ball (800- and 1,600-meters), Julie Landin (200, 400 dash) and Jacky Curran (high jump, triple jump) were all double winners.

The locals will be in Monroe next Tuesday to take on Masuk, Bunnell and Brookfield.

Newtown 135, Notre Dame 15

Track events

4x800 relay – 1. Newtown (Fiscella, Miles, Stickles, Ball) 10:51.3; 4x100 relay – 1. Newtown (Herity, Landin, Blanchard, Simek) 53.9; 100 hurdles – 1. Weber (N) 19.5, 2. Borruso (N) 19.7, 3. Young (N) 19.8; 100 dash – 1. Konneker (N) 12.8, 2. Nowak (N) 13.4, 3. Marah (ND) 13.79; 1600 meters – 1. Ball (N) 5:36, 2. DeRoo (N) 5:46, 3. Vechtiene (ND) 5:55; 400 dash – 1. Landin (N) 64.3, 2.McEmber (N) 65.0, 3. Maros (N) 67.5; 300 hurdles – 1. Konneker (N) 55.9, 2. Borruso (N) 56.5, 3. Weber (N) 56.8; 800 meters – 1. Ball (N) 2:31, 2. Stickles (N) 2:39, 3. Miles (N) 2:43; 200 dash – 1. Landin (N) 28.2, 2.Herity (N) and Nowak (N) 28.8; 3200 dash – 1. DeRoo (N) 12:38, 2. Brennan (N) 12:58., 3. Brill (N) 13:03; 4x400 relay – 1. Newtown (McEmber, Moros, Alison, Loudin) 4:38.5.

Field events

High jump – 1. Curran (N) and Weber (N) 4-8, 3. Blanchard (N) 4-8; Long jump – 1. Nastri (N) 14-5½, 2. Curran and Levigne (ND) 14-4½; Triple jump – 1. Curran (N) 30-8¾, 2.Nastri (N) 30-3½, 3. Simek (N) 28-6¾; Javelin – 1. Parushotom (ND) 90-9½, 2. Cooper (N) 81-1, 3. Taylor (N) 74-7; Shot put – 1. Williams (ND) 30-8½, 2. Cooper (N) 29-2½, 3. Edwards (ND) 26-1¾; Discus – 1. Cosgrove (N) 103-3½, 2. Cooper (N) 89-1, 3. Taylor (N) 84-6½; Pole vault – 1. Herity (N) 7-0, 2. Ball (N) 6-6, 3. Mesko (N) 6-6.

O’GRADY RELAYS

Division A – 1. Danbury 114, 2. Newtown 85, 3. Naugatuck 71, 4. Trumbull 60, 5. New Milford 24, 6. Greenwich 10. Division B – 1. Darien 92, 2. Brookfield 85, 3. New Canaan 76, 4. Sacred Heart 62, 5. Jonathan Law 50, 6. St. Joseph 20. Division C – 1. Coginchaug 82, 2. Bethel 68, 3. Hyde Leadership 44, 4. Holy Cross 42, 5. Hopkins 28, 6. Wamogo 3.

Track Events

2,000 steeplechase – 1. Sadie Ball (Newtown) 49.54, 2. Elise De Roo (Newtown) 8:36.87, 3. Stephany Sabio (Danbury) 8:41.68, 4. Tara DaSilva (Naugatuck) 8:48.19, 5. Becky Wilterdink (Naugatuck) 8:48.46, 6. Malissa Bolton (Naugatuck) 9:00.56; 4x100 relay – 1. Danbury 52.58, 2. Hopkins 53.02, 3. Darien 53.55, 4. Hyde 53.82, 5. Bethel 54.58, 6. Sacred Heart 54.72; 4x200 relay – 1. Danbury 1:52.94, 2. Trumbull 1:55.88, 3. Naugatuck 1:59.36, 4. Hyde 2:00.09, 5. Brookfield 2:00.71, 6. Coginchaug 2:02.59; 300 intermediate hurdles – 1. Lauren Tanz (Brookfield) 49.54, 2. Jessie Belden (Brookfield) 51.56, 3. Liz LaMontagne (New Milford) 52.76, 4. Alex Konneker (Newtown) 53.04, 5. Kristen Rogers (Coginchaug) 53.94, 6. Lindsay Weber (Newtown) 54.80; 4x400 relay – 1. Darien 4:19.54, 2. Hyde 4:28.59, 3. New Canaan 4:31.16, 4. Danbury 4:37.96, 5. Newtown 4:48.59, 6. Trumbull 4:50.26; 4x800 relay – 1. New Canaan 10:24.51, 2. Coginchaug 10:46.32, 3. Danbury 11:06.16, 4. Newtown 11:23.39, 5. Trumbull 11:24.89, 6. Hopkins 12:00.27; 1600 sprint medley – 1. Hopkins 4:28.66, 2. Holy Cross 4:40.42, 3. Coginchaug 4:40.49, 4. Danbury 4:42.79, 5. Darien 4:44.36, 6. Newtown 4:44.72; Distance medley – 1. Coginchaug 13:20.35, 2. Naugatuck 13:38.12, 3. Darien 13:40.41, 4. Danbury 14:01.65, 5. Bethel 14:20.15, 6. Trumbull 14:39.38.

Field Events

Javelin – 1. Tina Closius (Bethel) 101-4, 2. Alice Hughest (New Canaan) 100-8, 3. Katherine Pendzick (Danbury) 98-9, 4. Kelly Veras (Trumbull) 91-4, 5. Sarah Ciarleglio (Holy Cross) 87-8, Jaclyn Seigel (Coginchaug) 84-3; Long jump – 1. Shahiba Baptiste (Danbury) 16-2, 2. Katie Sabal (Naugatuck) 15-4.5, 3. Alex Broderick (Sacred Heart) 14-10, 4. Lauranne Kline (Danbury) 14-4.5, 5. Emily Bucciferro (Sacred Heart) 14-4.25, 6. (tie) Liz Reiss (New Canaan) and Ciara Simek (Newtown) 14-4; High jump – 1. (tie) Alex Broderick (Sacred Heart) and Katie Faughnan (New Canaan) 4-10, 3. (tie) Lauren Tanz (Brookfield), Jessie Belden (Brookfield) 4-8; Discus – 1. Yvonne Perkins (Danbury) 104-7, 2. Jess Cosgrove (Newtown) 99-7, 3. Grace Chang (Bethel) 91-8, 4. Jasmine Jackson (Hyde) 90-7, 5. Alexandra Brandt (Bethel) 88-2, 6. Crasheena Ward (Danbury) 88-0; Triple jump – 1. Ciara Simek (Newtown) 31-7, 2. Brianne Guyton (Danbury) 30-11, 3. Naiomi Weiss-Goldman (Trumbull) 29-11; Shot put – 1. Yvonne Perkins (Danbury) 35-8, 2. Jasmine Jackson (Hyde) 33-0, 3. Caaitlin Bloszko (Jonathan Law) 31-11, 4. Christian Wright (Trumbull) 31-7, 5. Alison Story (Coginchaug) 31-4; Pole vault – 1. Barbara Skidmore (Danbury) 7-6, 2. (tie) Kiara Tulla (New Canaan), Carly Annecchino (Darien).