Led by standout Soheib Dissa with a strong supporting cast of runners this could be a magical fall for Newtown High School’s boys’ cross country team.

“We return one of the best runners in the country in Soheib. We have a ton of talented runners — hope to contend for SWC Championship, and strive to qualify as a team for Connecticut Opens for the first time since 2017,” Coach Carl Strait said.

Newtown’s coach said perennial powerhouse New Milford is down, as is Joel Barlow of Redding, making the Nighthawks poised to make a run at the top of the league. Strait expects Brookfield and Bethel to be strong.

Captains are Brady Brosius, Andrew Corey, Dissa, Marty Dunn, Andrew Faircloth, Charlie Massett, Trevor Saunders, Brian Sibley, and James Walton.

As the preseason winds down, there is a solid group of nine runners in contention for the top seven. Dissa leads the way, followed by sophomores Orion Lowery and Duncan Kolb, seniors Brian and Stephen Sibley, sophomore Ubay Dissa, seniors Grayson Renkert and Mitchell Greenhaw, and sophomore Mauricio de la Garza.

The Hawks have a squad of 30 runners, a notable change given the roster has been loaded with 60-plus in recent years. Although there is some validity to power, or depth in numbers, there is a case to be made that the significantly smaller roster can yield better results, Strait notes.

“I think the smaller team lends itself to being able to individualize with student athletes more, making practices more meaningful and unique. Interested to see how it plays out,” the coach said. “I am excited to see how far we can go. It has been a long time since we had this much talent and most of the team is very young. A sign of things to come?”

Strait said a lot of the success team members have comes from offseason preparation as always.

“Kids that trained will be great; kids that couldn’t train this summer or didn’t will use the first half of the season to build a base. They will get faster, but don’t come in with a base to build on,” the coach said.

On the girls’ side, Coach Christina Caron and the Nighthawks are looking to be among the best in the conference. The goal is not only to do well now but in the future — throughout high school and beyond.

“We are aiming to be one of the top three teams in the SWC and qualify as a team for the state open meet. Our goal every year is also to help all the girls be more confident athletes and give them the training and endurance to be lifelong runners,” Caron said.

Captains are Grace Lyons, Annabelle Foley, Isabella Rodgers, and Britta Peterson. Claire DiNoto is another runner to watch, with newcomers Kelsey Brennan, Jesse Moore, and Natalie McLean all providing potential to succeed.

“We have a solid top seven right now with several girls not far behind them giving us depth. We don’t have a standout runner — yet — but if the top girls work as a team, we will be tough to beat,” Caron said. “We are really excited for the season and happy to have gained several new runners to replace our strong graduating seniors from last year.”

New Milford and New Fairfield will be the toughest competition, Caron anticipates.

Regular-season competition begins Tuesday, September 10 with a visit to Joel Barlow of Redding as the Hawks take on the host Falcons along with Bunnell of Stratford. NHS has one home meet, as Bethel and Brookfield visit the Reed School trails Tuesday, September 24. The girls race at 4:30 pm, followed by the boys at 5 o’clock in each meet. The SWC Championship is set for Wednesday, October 16, at Bethel High; the girls run at 3:30, followed by the boys at 4 pm.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.