Newtown High School's girls' and boys' lacrosse teams both scored resounding wins over their South-West Conference foes from New Milford - the girls in a 19-5 triumph at Blue & Gold Stadium on May 4, and the boys in a 20-4 blowout on the road the next night.

In the girls' game, the Nighthawks led 16-2 at the half and cruised to their second lopsided win in three days.

Charli Condon had four goals, and Julia Sughrue, Alex Futterman, and Brianna Sclafani all netted hat-tricks to lead the offense. Olivia Hage scored twice, and Nevan Gattey, Keeley Kortze, Dori Farley, and Lindsey Merrifield also hit the back of the net.

"We played our pace and we didn't back down," Newtown Coach Amanda Mastera said. "We have a seamless midfield transition right now and I think we're more patient on attack and making smarter decisions."

Mastera noted that defensive standouts include Cassidy Kortze, Megan Kelleher, Brittany Meisenheimer, and Ali Paynter.

Newtown carries an overall record of 5-6 into its final five games, beginning with a Saturday, May 7, visit to FCIAC school Ridgefield (which boasts an 11-1 record), starting at 5 pm.

The boys' matchup took place on the turf at Brookfield's Cadigan Park because of field renovations at New Milford High. Newtown led 10-3 at the half and pulled away to improve to 7-5 overall.

Jared Pearson scored six goals, Layton Harrell had five tallies, and Matt Meyers notched four goals and five assists to pace the offense. Evan Eggleston had two goals, Scott Bauer had a goal and two assists, and Peyton Manning and Colin McCafferty both added a goal and an assist.

Newtown Coach Scott Bulkley notes that New Milford, which has just two wins, has plenty of promise given its skill level of younger players.

Games stand to be tough down the stretch.

The Nighthawks, beginning with a Saturday, May, 7 visit to Glastonbury (which has lost just once), at 4 pm, face three very tough nonconference schools among their remaining four tilts.

They'll visit Simsbury (unbeaten through its first ten games) on Tuesday, May 10, beginning at 6 pm, and host Staples of Westport (which has fallen only twice to perennial state powerhouse/FCIAC rivals Darien and New Canaan) on Thursday, May 12, starting at 7 pm. The regular season finale is a makeup clash at SWC opponent Bethel on Saturday, May 14, beginning at 5 pm.

"It'll be a challenge but we're up for it - we're excited for it," Pearson said of the demanding late-season stretch of games.

Bulkley sees these matchups as being good opportunities for the Nighthawks to prepare for the start of the playoffs.

"The regular season is always a way to prepare yourself for the postseason," the coach said. "We get a good idea of where we are and what we need to work on."

Given the level of opponents Newtown is matching up against in the final week of the campaign, it's a win-win scenario for the Nighthawks as they stand to gain from these tilts - win or lose.

"I think you learn more from losses," Bulkley said. "You taste a loss and you know how much you hate it. Hopefully that drives you."

Pearson, who has been a top goal-producer en route to helping the Nighthawks log double-digit scoring efforts six times, is optimistic based on what he's seen.

"We're one of the top contenders in the state when everything's clicking," he said.

"When they move the ball well and when they shoot the ball well they look good," Bulkley concurs. "We have to find out how we can consistently do that."