By Kim J. Harmon

Head coach Carl Strait was hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. Instead, he caught lightning in the sky.

Last Wednesday, Jonathan Law was in town to do battle with the Newtown High School baseball team and with Law leading, 2-0, in the fourth inning a bolt of lightning shattered the sky. The game was halted for a while and just before it was set to resume another bolt of lightning shattered the sky.

The game was officially called off, forcing Jonathan Law to return to Newtown the following day to start the whole thing over.

And the Nighthawks – mired in a long hitting slump – exploded for 18 hits on their way to a 10-5 win.

See, sometimes it’s not just the talent on the field, the coaching on the bench, or even a dash of luck that can get a team a key win.

Sometimes Mother Nature has to chime in.

Things worked out for the baseball team, but not for some others: the girls’ lacrosse team saw its nine game winning streak – and undefeated South-West Conference record – take a blow in a 6-2 loss to Masuk; the softball team lost a tight game to Bunnell while two of its best players were on the sidelines; and the girls’ track team suffered its first loss of the year … by just one point.

Read on –

Boys Track

The magic number is 19.

That is how many individual performers the Newtown High School boys’ track team will be sending to the South-West Conference championships next week – and head coach Ed Obloj could not be more excited.

“We have somebody in every event,” said coach Obloj, whose team moved to 11-3-1 this week with a sweep of Masuk and Joel Barlow. “This is probably the most qualifiers we have had since the last time we got this close (and finished second to Stratford). We have more depth and more maturity on this team. I’m expecting some surprises.”

The ‘Hawks defeated Joel Barlow 110-40 and then Masuk 106-44. Tim Carlisle captured the 110 and 300 hurdles and finished second in the 200-meter dash to lead the way. Joe Sgammato captured the long jump and triple jump while John Kostecki (high jump), Edmund Breitling (javelin), Pete Dittmar (1,600 meters) and Dan McIlrath (800 meters) were all individual winners.

The ‘Hawks swept the 800 meters, in fact, as Scott Nichols and Chris DeRoo came in second and third.

“I know we have Pomperaug, New Milford and Weston as major competition,” said coach Obloj, “but we’re gunning for them. To be honest, I’m excited.

Track Events

4x800 relay – 1. Newtown 9:16, 2. Masuk, 3. Barlow; 4x100 relay – 1. Newtown 46.6, 2. Masuk, 3. Barlow;110 high hurdles – 1. Tim Carlisle (N) 15.6, 2. Svenson (JB) 15.8, 3. John Kostecki (N) 18.4; 100 dash – 1. Moskalski (JB) 11.7, 2. Ryan (M) 11.8, 3. Collins (N) 11.9; 1,600 meters – 1. Pete Dittmar (N) 4:43.7, 2. Colonnese (JB) 4:46.6, 3. Appleby (M) 4:46.9;400 meters – 1. Mansson (M) 52.4, 2. Calabrese (M) 52.8, 3. Adam Konneker (N) 53.3; 300 intermediate hurdles – 1. Tim Carlisle (N) 42.8, 2. Svenson (JB) 42.8, 3. Jeff Lipnick (N) 43.4; 800 meters – 1. Dan McIlrath (N) 2:06.2, 2. Scott Nichols (N) 2:10.9, 3. Chris DeRoo (N) 2:14.5; 200 dash – 1. Mansson (M) 23.3, 2. Tim Carlisle (N) 24.3, 3. John Collins (N) 24.3;3,200 meters – 1. Colonnese (JB) 10:20.8, 2. Pete Dittmar (N) 10:29.6, 3. Appleby (M) 10:26.2; 4x400 relay – 1. Masuk 3:37.2, 2. Newtown 3:41.9, 3. Barlow 3:43.4.

Field Events

Shot put – 1. Bletsas (JB), Mike Cash (N) 40-4, 3. Edmund Breitling (N); Discus – 1. Dimitris (JB) 138-9, 2. Adam Konneker (N) 103-9, 3. Morton (M) 96-3;Javelin – 1. Edmund Breitling (N) 130-1, 2. Scott Forstrom (N) 127-4, 3. Ryan Peters (N) 124-7; High jump – 1. John Kostecki (N) 5-6, 2. Masuk, 3. Barlow; Long jump – Joe Sgammato (N) 18-111/2, 2. McKinnon (M) 18-101/2, 3. Scott Forstrom (N) 18-7; Pole vault – 1. Surfey (JB) 10-6, 2. Brian Poeltl (N) 10-0, 3. Matt Miller (N) 10-0; Triple jump – 1. Joe Sgammato (N) 39-4, 2. McKinnon (M) 38-81/4, 3. John Kostecki (N) 37-10.

Baseball

It could have been the last start of his baseball career – and if it was, it was a doozy.

Senior co-captain Matt Myslewski fired a one-hitter, leading the Newtown High School baseball team to a 6-1 win over Bunnell which had the Nighthawks just one win away from qualifying for the CIAC state tournament.

A win over either Bethel on Wednesday or Foran on Thursday (both after press time) would put the ‘Hawks into the tournament and probably get the ball into Myslewski’s hand at least one more time.

“He got a little crazy,” said coach Strait, “and found himself pitching out of a lot of jams. But it was a great effort.”

Myslewski walked six and struck out four and had to deal with three errors that put runners on base, but he knuckled down and won his third game of the year.

Brennan Coakley went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI while Mike Tibbetts, Pete Oggeri and Pat McCarthy collected two hits apiece. Both McCarthy and Myslewski doubled while Oggeri drove in two runs and Seth Hull drove in one.

“(Shulick) was pitching on the outside corner all day and we finally figured it out, moving closer to the plate,” said coach Strait. “Then the pitches looked like they were coming right down the middle.”

It has been a great hitting week for the ‘Hawks, who endured a dreadful slump and a five-game losing streak. In the win over Jonathan Law, the ‘Hawks banged out 18 hits and a day later banged out 12 more in an extra inning loss to Joel Barlow.

In the win over Law, Hull was 3-for-4 with three RBI while Nick Magoulas chipped in with three hits. McCarthy doubled twice while Coakley, Oggeri and Myslewski all doubled. Coakley also blasted his first home run of the season over the left centerfield fence at Newtown High.

Myslewski and Dolan teamed up on the mound, scattering 13 hits while striking out two and walking two.

The ‘Hawks led 6-0 in this game before Law hit its stride in the middle frames, inching to within one run. But the ‘Hawks broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth with four runs.

In the loss to Barlow, Magoulas collected three more hits while Coakley uncorked his second homer in as many games. The ‘Hawks scored four in the first and led 6-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth when the Falcons tied it up. The ‘Hawks took the lead in the top of the ninth on a single by Magoulas and a double by Oggeri, scoring Joe Devellis (who pinch ran) with the go-ahead run.

But in the bottom of the frame, Pete Friedman gave the Falcons the game with a two-run single.

The recent spate of hits has allowed the ‘Hawks to boost their team batting average to .312, which includes 39 doubles, seven triples and four home runs. And with Myslewski’s one-hitter leading the way, the pitching staff has allowed just 106 hits in 125 innings of work while compiling a 3.31 earned run average.

Brennan Coakley (.471), Pat McCarthy (.396), Pete Oggeri (.391), Seth Hull (.385) and Nick Magoulas (.371) boast the top five averages on the team. Myslewski leads the pitching staff with a 1.61 ERA and just 37 hits allowed in 521/3 innings of work (a .192 opponents batting average).

                                     R     H     E

Law                                5    13     1

Newtown                     10    18     2

Batteries: Law – Turner, DeFeo (5) and Sherrick; Newtown – Matt Myslewski, Alex Dolan (6) and Pete Oggeri. WP: Myslewski (2-4). LP: Turner (3-1). SO: Law – DeFeo 1; Newtown – Myslewski 2. BB: Law – Turner 2; Newtown – Myslewski 2. Extra bases: Law – Close-Reily (2B), Burns (2B); Newtown – Pat McCarthy (2B) 2, Brennan Coakley (2B, HR), Oggeri (2B), Myslewski (2B).

                                     R     H     E

Newtown                       7    12     1

Joel Barlow                    8    13     0

Batteries: Newtown – Steve Marks, Alex Dolan (6) and Pete Oggeri; Joel Barlow – Dylan Gandossy, Ricky Muir (7) and Jeff Pioli.

                                     R     H     E

Newtown                       6    10     3

Bunnell                           1      1     1

Batteries: Newtown – Matt Myslewski and Pete Oggeri; Bunnell – Brett Shulick, Edwin Garcia (6) and George Lisi. WP: Myslewski (3-5). LP: Shulick (1-1). SO: Newtown – Myslewski 4; Bunnell – Shulick 2, Garcia 1. BB: Newtown – Myslewski 6; Bunnell – Shulick 2, Garcia 2. Extra bases: Newtown – Pat McCarthy (2B), Brennan Coakley (2B), Matt Myslewski (2B), Oggeri (3B).

Girls Track

For want of a single point, a bid for an unbeaten season has come to an end.

The Newtown High School girls’ track team stormed through the South-West Conference schedule until the final quad meet of the season on Monday in Monroe. The Lady Nighthawks knew the only team that could upset the apple cart was Masuk, which had lost by 20 points to Weston ... a team the ‘Hawks had already beaten by nearly 30 points last week.

It seemed logical that an undefeated season was in the cards, but logic did not have a hand in the meet on Monday. The Pantherettes handed the ‘Hawks their only loss of the season, 75-74. But with wins over Joel Barlow (98-43) and Lauralton Hall (132-14), the ‘Hawks concluded the regular season at 14-1.

Over the course of the last two seasons, the ‘Hawks are 27-2-1 in the regular season.

Wow.

Sophomore Alex Konneker (100, 200, 400) was a triple winner while Jackie Curran (high jump), Ciara Simek (long jump), and Leah Herity (pole vault) were individual winners. The 4x400 relay foursome of Julie Landin, Sadie Ball, Simek and Konneker also captured a first-place finish with a new school record time of 4:09.2, which broke the five-year-old record of 4:11.

The ‘Hawks were without the services of Quincey Blanchard, a solid performer in the field events, who was recovering from an ankle injury suffered in a meet last week. Meanwhile, Dana Taylor performed well and averaged 9.25 points against the three opponents. Jessica Cosgrove also had a fine afternoon, averaging 7.25 points.

Last week, the ‘Hawks swept New Fairfield (103-43), Weston (891/2 –601/2) and Immaculate (133-12). Konneker was a triple winner while Taylor (shot put, javelin) and Jacky Curran (high jump, long jump) were double winners. Simek (triple jump), Cosgrove (discus) and Herity (pole vault) were also winners as the 4x400 relay of Landin, Ball, Simek and Konneker won with a 4:15 performance.

The results –

Team scores: Newtown 103, New Fairfield 43; Newtown 89½, Weston 60½; Newtown 133, Immaculate 12.

Track Events

4x800 relay – 1. New Fairfield (Jen Perricone, Laura Simons, Brittany Potter, Elissa Potter) 10:32, 2. Weston 10:44, 3. Immaculate 11:28; 4x100 relay – 1. Weston (Daigle, Christa, Brody, C. Sippin) 53.1, 2. Newtown 54.3, 3. Immaculate 57.5; 100 hurdles – 1. Nathens (NF) 17.1, 2. C. Sippin (W) 18.4, 3. A. Sippin (W) 18.5; 100 dash – 1. Konneker (N) 12.5, 2. Brody (W) 13.4, 3. (tie) Herity (N) and Daig (W) 13.5; 400 meters – 1. Konneker (N) 60.2, 2. Landin (N) 62.1, 3. Christ (W) 64.0; 1,600 meters – 1. Potter (NF) 5:36.6, 2. Krista Bonneau (W) 5:42.7, 3. Sadie Ball (N) 5:43.3; 300 hurdles – 1. Nathens (NF) 47.1, 2. C. Sippin (W) 50.6, 3. Neff (N) 50.7; 800 meters – 1. Hillary (NF) 2:36.2, 2. Stickles (N) 2:37.7, 3. Thursland (N) 2:38.8; 3,200 meters – 1. Potter (NF) 11:57, 2. Griffen (W) 13:12, 3. Brennan (N) 13:30; 200 dash – 1. Konneker (N) 26.6, 2. Landin (N) 27.7, 3. Nathens (NF) 27.9; 4x400 relay – 1. Newtown (Landin, Ball, Simek, Konneker) 4:15, 2. Weston 4:22, 3. New Fairfield 4:31.

Field Events

Pole vault – 1. Herity (N) 7-0, 2. Remy (W) 6-6, 3. Gillis (W) 6-0; Triple jump – 1. Simek (N) 31-10¼, 2. Curran (N) 30-9½, 3. Honeycomb (W) 26-9¾; Long jump – 1. Curran (N) 14-6½, 2. Daig (W) 14-6½, 3. McGregor (I) 13-11¾; Shot put – 1. Dana Taylor (N) 28-7½, 2. Eva Grenier (W) 28-3, 3. Pfeffer (W) 26-11; Javelin – 1. Taylor (N) 88-1, 2. Pfeffer (W) 87-5, 3. Tarvin (I) 81-8; Discus – 1. Cosgrove (N) 90-0, 2. Pfeffer (W) 69-1, 3. Taylor (N) 68-8; High jump – 1. Curran (N) 4-8, 2. (tie) Gaston (N) and Simonson (NF) 4-6.

Boys Lacrosse

It is not the explosive team it once was and a loss to Ridgefield puts it perilously close to not qualifying for the CIAC Division I playoffs, but the Newtown High School boys’ lacrosse team has still done pretty well … all things considered.

“For the most part, things have gone well,” said head coach Brian Micena following an 11-4 loss to Ridgefield on Tuesday night. “With so many young players, we didn’t focus on how many wins we wanted. Our goal was to be competitive and get better every day.”

The loss to Ridgefield dropped the Nighthawks to 7-6 overall, 5-1 in the South-West Conference. A win over Weston on Thursday would put the ‘Hawks into the CIAC Division I tournament while a trip to the SWC Division I playoffs has already been assured.

And while the firepower is no longer there, the new-look ‘Hawks are finding out a lot about the new cast of characters.

“With a guy like Grant Speer and some of the freshman who have stepped in and played so well, it’s been good,” said coach Micena. “And then there is a guy like Alex Read, a junior, who has come in and played well. We have a lot of young kids on this team and I have to keep reminding myself of that.”

After going 1-4 in their first five games (the only win a 10-9 overtime affair with Notre Dame), the ‘Hawks won six of their next seven games (the only loss a 10-5 decision to Joel Barlow). An 18-3 win over Immaculate last week gave the ‘Hawks their seventh win of the year.

Games with Weston (on Thursday) and Fairfield (on Saturday) will finish the regular season. The SWC Division I championship game will be Wednesday, June 2.

In an 11-7 win over Guilford last week, Kyle Kirch scored four goals and Speer scored three with an assist. Jeff Bell added a pair of goals while Tyler Law and Brendan O’Connor added solo goals. John Oliver chipped in with three assists.

The ‘Hawks rallied from a 3-2 first-period deficit to take a 6-4 lead at halftime. Guilford inched to within a goal following the third period, but the ‘Hawks put the game away in the fourth. Chris Body made 20 saves in the cage.

In the win over Immaculate, Speer scored six goals and assisted on one to lead the explosive attack. Oliver added four goals and an assist while Bell chipped in with two goals. Law scored twice as Zach D’Agostino, O’Connor and Pat Keating scored solo goals. Bob Pattison, O’Connor and Keating had two assists apiece while Mike Conroy and Dave Kugielsky each provided an assist.

O’Connor also came up with a team-high nine ground balls.

And in the loss to Ridgefield, Oliver scored a pair of goals while Speer and Kirch added solo goals. Speer also provided an assists as Body made 20 saves in the cage. The ‘Hawks were outshot 42-27 in the game as the Tigers took a 7-2 halftime lead (thanks to five second-period goals) and coasted to the finish.

Stats –

Players                        G      A     PT

John Oliver                21    24     45

Kyle Kirch                  32      6     38

Grant Speer               20      6     26

Jeff Bell                      10      4     14

Brendan O’Connor      6      3       9

Tyler Law                     6      0       6

Dan Gindraux              1      0       1

Dave Kugieslky           0      2       2

Pat Keating                  2      2       4

Bob Pattison                 0      2       2

Zach D’Agostino         1      0       1

Mike Conroy                0      1       1

Jim Davis                     0      1       1

Totals                         99    57   156

Girls Lacrosse

The Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team saw its nine-game winning streak (and undefeated South-West Conference record) get blown apart in a 6-2 loss to Masuk last Thursday in Monroe … just three days after the Lady Nighthawks defeated the Pantherettes at Blue & Gold Stadium.

Gone was a chance for the No. 1 seed in the upcoming SWC playoffs, but not gone is the chance that the ‘Hawks could still win another championship. The loss to Masuk and a win over Danbury on Tuesday night put Newtown at 11-2 overall, 7-1 in the SWC with the regular season finale on Thursday against New Fairfield.

In the loss to Masuk, Karli Beitel scored both Newtown goals – and both of those in the second half, after the Pantherettes had taken a 4-0 halftime lead. Lindsey Coyle and Kelly Collier provided the assists on those two goals.

The two teams took an equal number of shots, 19, with Newtown goaltender Kerrie Canavan making 12 saves.

Just three days before, the ‘Hawks earned a thrilling 9-7 win over the Pantherettes at Blue & Gold Stadium. The ‘Hawks dominated the game early, but had to withstand a couple of late charges by Masuk to hold on to the win in a non-conference matchup.

The locals recovered with a convincing 20-6 win over Danbury on Tuesday night (Senior night). Meg Regnery scored a season-high eight goals while Kate Fenton added two goals and four assists. Beitel, Heidi Ekstrom, and Collier scored two goals apiece as Kim Solheim, Casey Frobey and Beitel provided two assists apiece. Ekstrom also chipped in with an assist.

Canavan and Jenny Urfer combined to make seven saves.

The locals took an 11-4 advantage at the end of the first half and tallied nine more goals in the second half to pummel the 3-12 Lady Hatters.

Newtown                      2

Masuk                            6

GOALS: Newtown – Karli Beitel 2; Masuk – Nicole Fiore 3, Amanda Williams 2, Shelly Katz. ASSISTS: Newtown – Kelly Collier, Lindsay Coyle. SAVES: Newtown – Kerrie Canavan 12; Masuk – Lauren Johnson 13.

Danbury                        6

Newtown                    20

GOALS: Danbury – Emily Skarda 3, Jasmine Mucha 2, Sam Pandolfil; Newtown – Meg Regnery 8, Karli Beitel 2, Kate Fenton 2, Heidi Ekstrom 2, Kelly Collier 2, Casey Frobey, Moira Collier. ASSISTS: Danbury – Mucha, Allison Blansfield; Newtown – Fenton 4, Kimberly Solheim 2, Frobey 2, Beitel 2, Ekstrom. SAVES: Danbury – Susan Love 4; Newtown – Kerrie Canavan, Jennifer Urfer 1.

Girls Tennis

There were nine sets (and two tiebreakers) in three doubles matches and when it was all over the Newtown High School girls’ tennis team saw its 12-match winning streak come to a disappointing end in a 4-3 loss to Lauralton Hall on Monday.

With Brittany Meier (No. 1 singles), Lauren Nemeth (No. 2 singles) and Tara Ryan (No. 3 singles) all securing straight set wins and Michelle Serock (No. 4 singles) suffering a rare loss, it came down to doubles.

And three marathon matches.

The No. 1 doubles duo of Kim Allen and Jill Tanner was stopped 7-6 (12-10), 3-6, 6-3 by Jackie Steczkowski and Katherine Giambalvo while the No. 2 doubles duo of Ashley Gabor and Emily Fields was chilled 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 by Lindsay Trapp and Jen Schrader. And, finally, the No. 3 doubles duo of Sarah Salbu and Christina Elsenhans was stopped 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-2 by Katie O’Connell and Katherine Peck.

The loss dropped the Lady Nighthawks to 12-2, while bumping the Crusaders to 11-3.

The ‘Hawks were able to boost their winning streak to 12 matches this past week with 5-2 wins over both New Milford, Pomperaug and Foran.

Against New Milford, Nemeth and Ryan both had straight set wins while the doubles tandems of Allen/Tanner, Gabor/Fields and Salbu/Elsenhans all enjoyed straight set wins.

Against Pomperaug, Ryan – with Brittany Meier and Nemeth falling at No. 1 and No. 2 singles – earned a straight set win over Lauren Faber and Kristene Salbu followed up with a straight set win over Carli Cluney at No. 4 singles. Allen and Tanner defeated Kaitlyn Cates and Caitlyn Walker 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 1 singles while Gabor and Fields defeated Kathleen Heller and Erika Jaretty 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2 singles. Salbu and Elsenhans finished things off with a tough 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) win over Amanda Cohen and Julianne Rowland at No. 3 doubles.

And against Foran, Nemeth, Ryan and Serock all enjoyed straight set wins at No. 2, 3 and 4 singles. With Allen and Tanner falling 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to Amanda Guidice and Megan Wasilewski at No. 1 doubles, the ‘Hawks put the match away with straight sets wins by the No. 2 and 3 tandems of Gabor/Fields and Salbu/Stephanie Corleto.

The South-West Conference team semi-finals will be held this weekend, with the individual tournament to follow next week.

Softball

It certainly would have helped to have senior Trina Ramsdell and sophomore Ashley Ferris in the lineup on Monday against Bunnell, but the Newtown High School softball team still took one of the South-West Conference’s best teams into extra innings before falling, 3-2.

Ramsdell and Ferris were both suspended from the team for violating team rules, which left the door open to players like Annie Grills, Courtney Brunton and Emily Blewett to contribute. Still, the Lady Bulldogs escaped with the win on a run-scoring single by Carlie Minichino in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Meg LaFlamme and Christina Wolf collected two hits apiece in the loss and Brunton singled and scored a run. Erin Mudoch chipped in with an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth, which scored LaFlamme.

The loss dropped the Lady Nighthawks to 11-5 overall, 9-6 in the South-West Conference and put them on shaky ground in regards to the conference playoffs. Games with Bethel (on Wednesday) and Foran (on Thursday) closed out the regular season.

The ‘Hawks helped themselves with an impressive 2-1 win over Jonathan Law last Wednesday and followed up with a convincing 10-3 win over Joel Barlow last Friday.

In the win over Law, junior Lisa Morgan fired a no-hitter, walking two and striking out seven for her 10th win of the season. Stacy Gordon had a couple of base hits to fuel a five-hit attack, with LaFlamme driving in a key run.

In the win over Barlow, Ramsdell and Ferris both homered and combined to drive in six runs. The ‘Hawks – who banged out 13 hits on the afternoon – broke open a 3-2 game with a seven-run explosion in the top of the fifth inning.

Wolf and Gordon each drove in a run while Jenna Van Waalwijk tripled. Mariale Renna got her first start of the season, subbing in for Morgan, who was suffering from back problems, and all she did was scatter 12 hits, walk two and strike out four on her way to the win.

                                  R     H       E

Law                             1      0       1

Newtown                    2      5       3

Batteries: Law – Kelly Mullen and Jeanne Rosa; Newtown – Lisa Morgan and Ashley Ferris. WP: Morgan (10-5). LP: Mullen. SO: Law – Mullen 6; Newtown – Morgan 7. BB: Law – Mullen 2; Newtown – Morgan 2.

                                  R     H       E

Newtown                  10    13       0

Barlow                         3    12       3

Batteries: Newtown – Mariale Renna and Ashley Ferris. Barlow – Liz Voss, Kaitlin Torres (6) and Kristen Fallo. WP: Renna (1-0). LP: Voss (5-10). SO: Newtown – Renna 4; Barlow – Voss 4, Torres 1. BB: Newtown – Renna 2; Barlow - Voss 3. Extra bases: Newtown – Jenna Van Waalwijk (3B), Trina Ramsdell (HR), Ashley Ferris (HR).

                                  R     H       E

Newtown                    2      5       2

Bunnell                        3      5       1

Batteries: Newtown – Lisa Morgan and Annie Grills; Bunnell – Jackie Saad and Meghan Lance. WP: Saad (11-4). LP: Morgan (10-6). SO: Newtown – Morgan 6; Bunnell – Saad 4. BB: Newtown – Morgan 3; Bunnell – Saad 1. Extra bases: Newtown – Christina Wolf (2B); Bunnell – Nicky Castellucci (2B).

Golf

 

Joe DeFeo, Jake Maher, Dave Freeston and Matt Ronan did not figure into the scoring in any of eight previous matches of the Newtown High School golf team, but blistering performances by all four players last Thursday at the Newtown Country Club led the Nighthawks to a 154-180 win over Immaculate.

DeFeo and Maher both fired rounds of 4-over 38 to earn medallist honors. Freeston and Ronan followed with rounds of 5-over 39 to give the ‘Hawks (5-4 after the win) their lowest cumulative score of the season.

Mike Kozloewski was low man for the Mustangs with an 8-over 42.

The Newtown foursome was on the course because – at the same time – another match was going on with Masuk at Heritage Village. In that one, the ‘Hawks dropped a 182-192 decision on the back nine as Brett Jackson of Masuk earned medallist honors with a 6-over 42 while Chris Ela came in with an 8-over 44.

The ‘Hawks had trouble with the tract, as Moore carded a 9-over 45 and Shimko added a 10-over 46. Fiscella finished with an 11-over 47 and Nick Moser rounded out the foursome with a round of 18-over 54.

The ‘Hawks extended their record to 6-4 with a 168-174 win over Bethel at Rock Ridge Country Club on Tuesday afternoon. Things might have gotten off to a bit of a shaky start for a couple of Newtown golfers, but everyone settled down and Ben Moore earned medallist honors with a 4-over 35.

Ron Shimko – who started off the round with a colossal drive on No. 4 – finished with a 6-over 41 while Andrew Fiscella came in with a 7-over 42. Dave McLaughlin rounded out the foursome with an 11-over 46.

Brendan O’Grady was Bethel’s low man at 6-over 41.

The ‘Hawks traveled to Stratford on Thursday and will visit Foran on Monday before returning home to the Newtown Country Club next Tuesday to host Pomperaug. The Chappa Tournament at Longshore will follow on Thursday, June 2.

Boys Tennis

When Chris Martin took to the court last Saturday to finish up a match halted because of rain three days before, his effort not only handed the Newtown High School boys’ tennis team a win over New Milford, but may have set the Nighthawks up for a trip to the South-West Conference team playoffs this weekend.

Martin was down 2-0 to Dan Winkley in the first set when rain halted the match last Friday. The ‘Hawks were up 3-2 at the time, so a decision in that match and one between Jason Garbarino of Newtown and Santiago Tormec was crucial.

Martin returned to the court the following day and earned a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 win and allowed Garbarino to retire his match.

“It was perhaps the closest, most exciting and best-played match I have ever seen at that level:  both players were superb from the backcourt and at the net,” said head coach Marty Margulies, whose squad is now 10-3. “Chris won, I think, by being just a little calmer and more patient than his opponent, especially when it counted.”

Matt McFadden dropped a 6-2, 6-0 decision to Eric Wachs at No. 1 singles, but Drew Adamek earned a 7-5, 6-3 win over Graham Rogers at No. 3 singles after coming back from a love-three deficit in the first set. Bruno Moura and Tyler Hull defeated Chris Silverman and Tyler Hood 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 doubles and Jim Wilkins and Mike Coster defeated Eric Gundel and Alden Lee 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 doubles.

“For his entire two hours on that New Milford court,” said coach Margulies, “Chris knew that our season – and our playoff hopes as a team – rested entirely on his shoulders. True, Jason’s match was yet to be completed, but Jason was trailing late in the match and his comeback chances were a long shot. In the face of that pressure, Chris displayed a level of poise and focus that one rarely encounters in a teenager. It was a test of character as well as skill.”

With the win, the ‘Hawks clinched a spot among the top five SWC teams – which means they have earned the right to send the maximum number of players (three singles players, two doubles teams) to the individual conference playoffs under a new format that went into effect this year. Schools that finish below the top five can send, at most, two singles players and one doubles team.

Also, the win set the stage for the season finale against Brookfield on Wednesday (after press time). With Weston, Joel Barlow and Pomperaug already clinching spots in the team playoffs, the winner of the Newtown-Brookfield match would earn the fourth slot.

The SWC semi-finals will be held on Saturday.

In a 5-2 loss to Pomperaug last week, Martin – even after trailing 4-0 in the first set – captured the only singles win with a 7-5, 6-1 decision over Alex Alfano. At No. 3 doubles, the unbeaten combo of Jim Wilkins and Mike Coster edged Ryan Comasso and Vignesh Pakzam 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.

Garbarino had a tough match at No. 2 singles, falling 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 6-1 to Connor McNeish. The duo of Moura and Hull also lost a tough match at No. 2 doubles, falling 6-3, 6-4 to William Chan and Ryan Suter.

“The Pomperaug loss was not unexpected, for Pomperaug had very nearly beaten Barlow, and has outstanding players in all three of its first singles positions,” said coach Margulies. “I was impressed that we were able to make the match as close as we did. I give special credit to Chris Martin for his performances both at Pomperaug and at New Milford, and to our third doubles team; Mike Coster has been doing very well for us there since returning from a mid-season injury, and he and Jim have been unbeatable so far at that position.”