New Stars Begin To Emerge At Newtown High School

By Kim J. Harmon

As Newtown High School moved into its second week of the 2005 fall season, some new stars have begun to emerge.

Remember the names of Tucker Kass (football), Dana Gnerre (swimming), Liz Anne Kroon (swimming), Erin Clark (field hockey), Tania Domingos (soccer) and Chris Hoagland (soccer) for they are the one who will be making most of the headlines for the next several weeks.

Whether or not it was Kass passing for 170 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-0 win over Weston or Gnerre setting a new school record in the 50 freestyle in a 102-76 win over Joel Barlow, the emerging stars have already started making those headlines.

And there will be more to come.

FOOTBALL

Newtown 42, Weston 0

Head coach Ken Roberts never really had a chance to unveil his new passing attack in the Newtown High School football team’s 10-7 season opening win over Pomperaug back on September 16. Mostly because it was a rainy night, the field was slick and the Panthers came is as the defending CIAC Class S state champions.

But last weekend there were none of those restrictions or caveats (it was warm and sunny afternoon, the brand new grassy turf was in perfect condition, and the Trojans of Weston are rebuilding rather than defending) and the passing attack was showcased in full.

Junior quarterback Tucker Kass was a near perfect 10-of-12 for 170 yards and three touchdowns as the Nighthawks pounded the Trojans, 42-0.

Kass was 6-for-6 for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone.

He was on.

His first throw (on the first play from scrimmage) was a 23-yard rollout right to Marc Ingerman that led to the Chris Potter’s 25-yard touchdown run and his second throw (on only the third play from scrimmage) was a 41-yard seam pass to Joe DeVellis that led to Kass’ seven-yard touchdown pass to Ingerman.

Before the first period was even halfway complete, the ‘Hawks had a 14-0 lead.

Kass then hit Bob Lapple for 16 yards before hitting DeVellis for 18 yards and Travis Speer for 18 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter to stake the Nighthawks to a 28-0 lead. The offense was so dominating, it was easy to overlook a fumble-causing wallop by DeVellis in the first quarter and an interception by Tom Hutchison in the second quarter.

Kass finally failed to complete a pass in the third quarter, but hit Grant Speer for 24 yards and 14 yards (that one was good for another touchdown) to put the ‘Hawks ahead 35-0. That effectively ended Kass’ afternoon, allowing Greg Rodden to take the reins the rest of the way and giving guys like Tyler Tarantino, Scott Perry and Brian Cullinan a chance to carry the football.

Cullinan scored the final Newtown touchdown in the fourth quarter on a four-yard jolt.

Newtown accumulated 369 yards of total offense while limiting the Trojans to just 87 yards of total offense. Ingerman – who also had an interception in the game – led a punishing defense that was in the face of quarterback Brian Noveck (6-of-22) all afternoon.

At 2-0, the ‘Hawks will be facing their toughest test of the season when they travel to Brookfield to take on the Bobcats.

Newtown 42, Weston 0

First period: N – Potter 25 run (Nelson kick); N – Ingerman 7 pass from Kass (Nelson kick); N –Ingerman 14 run (Nelson kick). Second period: N – T. Speer 18 pass from Kass (Nelson kick). Third period: N – G. Speer 14 pass from Kass (Nelson kick). Fourth period: N – Cullinan 4 run (Nelson kick).

Individual Stats

Rushing: N – Scheunemann 11-45, Beatty 5-43, Potter 6-35, Tarantino 3-25, Perry 4-23, Ingerman 1-14, Kass 2-9, Cullinan 3-5 (TOTALS: 35-199); W – Hannum 10-20, Noveck 8-minus 3 (TOTALS: 18-17). Passing: N – Kass 10-of-12 for 170 yards and 3 TDs; W – Noveck 6-of-22 for 67 yards. Receiving: N – DeVellis 2-56, G. Speer 2-35, Ingerman 2-31, T. Speer 2-20, Lapple 1-17, Bowen 1-11; W – Curtis 4-58, Palmer 1-6, Morgan 1-3.

SWIMMING

Newtown 102, Joel Barlow 76

Just how sick is this?

Losing a couple of high quality performers like Amy Robinson and Maggie Hemingway should have given the Newtown High School swim team reason to worry – just a little – if it had the tools to repeat as South-West Conference champions.

Well, with head coach Mary Atkinson plugging holes like those with swimmers like Dana Gnerre and Liz Anne Kroon no one has cause to worry about anything at all.

After Kroon took first in the 200 individual medley, Gnerre followed up by finishing first and setting a new school record in the 50 freestyle and, together, the two helped lead the Lady Nighthawks to a 102-76 win over Joel Barlow on Tuesday night.

Gnerre was a double winner on the night (she also finished first in the 100 butterfly at 1:03.10), as was Abby Atkinson (200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke) and Maricate Conlon (100 freestyle and 100 backstroke). Nicole Borruso (diving) and Sarah Harmonay (500 freestyle) also earned first-place finishes.

The ‘Hawks – who had a 102-38 lead before swimming the final three events unofficially – took first in every event and went first and second in all three relay events.

At 2-0, the ‘Hawks have pushed their dual meet win streak to 24 and right now seem like a mortal lock to repeat as SWC champions. But they will receive a couple of tougher tests this week as they host Pomperaug on Friday and Lauralton Hall on Monday.

Newtown 102, Joel Barlow 76

200 medley relay – 1. Newtown (Conlon, A. Atkinson, Tabler, Gnerre) 1:59.98, 2. Newtown 2:08.45 (Smith, E. Atkinson, Taylor, Gugino), 3. Joel Barlow 2:09.36. 200 freestyle – 1. Kroon (N) 2:14.19, 2. Iassogna (N) 2:15.86, 3. Neeves (JB) 2:16.08, 4. Harmonay (N) 2:19.60, 5. Probst (JB) 2:29.22. 200 individual medley – 1. A. Atkinson (N) 2:15.97, 2. Tabler (N) 2:22.01, 3. McAdam (JB) 2:30.71, 4. Remitz (N) 2:33.83, 5. Christiani (JB) 2:55.49. 50 freestyle – 1. Gnerre (N) 25.20, 2. J. VanWaalwijk (N) 26.70, 3. Kelly (JB) 27.96, 4. Gugino (N) 27.96, 5. Kelly (JB) 30.27. Diving – 1. Borruso (N) 143.85 points, 2. Dionne (N) 126.40. 100 butterfly – 1. Gnerre (N) 1:03.10, 2. McAdam (JB) 1:09.75, 3. E. Atkinson (N) 1:10.17, 4. Taylor (N) 1:11.12, 5. Seewald (JB) 1:33.82. 100 freestyle – 1. Conlon (N) 58.26, 2. J. VanWaalwijk (N) 58.63, 3. Kelly (JB) 1:00.64, 4. Frank (JB) 1:03.49, 5. Hull (N) 1:03.46. 500 freestyle – 1. Harmonay (N) 6:06.62, 2. Torres (JB) 6:07.05, 3. Carnali (N) 6:22.82, 4. Christiani (JB) 6:07.05, 5. Nieves (JB) 7:50.40. 200 freestyle relay – 1. Newtown (E. Atkinson, Taylor, Hull, J. VanWaalwijk) 1:52.74, 2. Newtown 1:59.50 (Smith, Hoolehan, Remitz, Iassogna), 3. Joel Barlow 2:01.61. 100 backstroke – 1. Conlon (N) 1:03.86, 2. Kroon (N) 1:08.15, 3. Deakin (JB) 1:08.45, 4. Frank (JB) 1:11.27, 5. Gugino (N) 1:12.58. 100 breaststroke – 1. A. Atkinson (N) 1:12.98, 2. Tabler (N) 1:16.31, 3. Tanaka (JB) 1:23.87, 4. Beatty (JB) 1:26.70, 5. Bergeron (JB) 1:26.89. 400 freestyle relay – 1. Newtown (Van Waalwijk, Gnerre, Tabler, A. Atkinson) 3:56.43, 2. Newtown (Taylor, Gugino, Kroon, Conlon) 4:12.77, 3. Joel Barlow 4:16.78.

FIELD HOCKEY

Newtown 6, Joel Barlow 1

Years? Decades?

Without a lot of mind-numbing research, it would be hard to determine when was the last time the Newtown High School field hockey team scored six goals in a single game. But never mind that – after graduating Cat Williams and Meg Regnery, their top two offensive threats from 2004, a six-goal effort is amazing.

It came in a 6-1 win – a come from behind win – against winless Joel Barlow last week.

The Lady Falcons scored first on a goal from Jennie Mazzucco and the Lady Nighthawks evened it up on a goal from co-captain Erin Clark. The game went into the halftime break deadlocked at 1-1, but Clark followed up with her second goal to put the ‘Hawks ahead for good, 2-1. She had assistance from Rita Magliocco and Kerrie Canavan.

With the kind of strong defense the ‘Hawks possess, a one-goal lead should have been good enough. But just in case, the locals exploded for four goals over the final 10 minutes of the second half to put the game away.

Sam Wong, Magliocco, Hannah Tenenbaum and Corey Stokes all scored goals. Magliocco chipped in with another assist while co-captain Lisa Alberico notched one of her own. Goaltender Alissa Gross faced just two shots on the afternoon and registered one save.

The ‘Hawks improved to 2-1-0-1 and were all set to host New Fairfield on Saturday night at Blue & Gold Stadium. They will then visit Bethel on Thursday, October 6, before hosting Haddam-Killingworth on Saturday, October 8, at Treadwell Park.

Newtown 6, Joel Barlow 1

GOALS: Newtown – Erin Clark 2, Sam Wong, Rita Magliocco, Hannah Tenenbaum, Corey Stokes; Joel Barlow – Jennie Mazzucco. ASSISTS: Newtown – Rita Magliocco 2, Kerrie Canavan, Lisa Alberico. SAVES: Newtown – Alissa Gross 1; Joel Barlow – Megan Canny 2. PENALTY CORNERS: Newtown – 13; Joel Barlow – 2.

GIRLS SOCCER

Newtown 4, Brookfield 0; Newtown 7, New Fairfield 0

With a bevy of freshmen and in the absence of Casey Frobey and Kyla Miles, the Newtown High School girls’ soccer team may still be feeling things out five games into the season.

But while they are feeling things out, they have been punishing their opponents. The Lady Nighthawks recorded their fourth shutout in a row after blanking Brookfield (4-0) and New Fairfield (7-0) this week.

An offense that should have been weakened in Frobey’s absence had scored 16 goals in that span and a defense that should have been weakened in Miles’ absence has allowed only 12 shots and, obviously, no goals.

In the win over Brookfield, Darcy Fiscella and Megan Hansen each scored a goal and recorded an assist while Kasey Schulz and Alex Konneker scored goals. Freshman Emily Kluga needed to make just two saves as the ‘Hawks out-shot the Lady Bobcats, 23-3.

In the win over New Fairfield, Konneker scored three times – one off a tremendous cross by Fiscella, who scored a goal of her own along the way. Erica Vacaro had a goal and two assists while Schulz and Brewer scored goals and Sara Peters, Gabby Nastri, Tania Domingos and Monica Warek notched assists.

The ‘Hawks hosted New Milford on Thursday (on the new grassy turf at Treadwell Park) and will head to Lauralton Hall on Saturday for a 10 am game before returning home next Thursday to host Bethel.

Newtown 4, Brookfield 0

GOALS: Newtown – Kasey Schulz, Darcy Fiscella, Alex Konneker, Megan Hansen. ASSISTS: Newtown – Darcy Fiscella, Megan Hansen. SHOTS: Newtown – 23; Brookfield – 3. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 2; Brookfield – Cameron Meyers 16. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 6; Brookfield – 1.

Newtown 7, New Fairfield 0

GOALS: Newtown – Alex Konneker 3, Kasey Schulz, Darcy Fiscella, Jen Brewer, Erica Vacaro. ASSISTS: Newtown – Erica Vacaro 2, Sara Peters, Darcy Fiscella, Gabby Nastri, Tania Domingos, Monica Warek. SHOTS: Newtown – 9, New Fairfield – 2. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 2; New Fairfield – Vanessa Martins 2. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 6; New Fairfield – 0.

BOYS SOCCER

Newtown 4, Brookfield 2; Newtown 6, New Fairfield 0

The largest soccer crowd of the year – there at Blue & Gold Stadium last Thursday to take part in the first annual Soccer Fest – saw what may end up being the most exciting game of the year.

Even with the Soccer Fest activities, the size of the crowd and the anticipation surrounding the game were certainly helped by the fact that two of the bitterest rivals in the South-West Conference were knocking heads for the second time in the 2005 season.

Newtown defeated Brookfield, 2-0, in the opener on September 15 and had an even tougher time last week putting their rivals away.

For every goal the Nighthawks scored, the Bobcats seemed to have an answer.

First it was Marc Doherty putting the locals on top, 1-0, but then it was Colin Fitzgerald tying things up. Then it was Brian Conroy putting the locals back on top, 2-1, at the close of the first half and then it was JD Canells tying things back up, 2-2, in the second half.

But the ‘Hawks – already putting enormous pressure on goaltender Chris Smart – turned up the heat some more and put the game away on goals by Aron Fay and Chris Hoagland. The ‘Hawks finished with 32 shots on net.

The ‘Hawks recorded a much easier time against New Fairfield on Tuesday afternoon. Justin Miller scored two goals and assisted on another and Hoagland scored two goals to lead the locals to a 6-0 win as they improved to 4-0 on the season. Fay scored a goal and notched an assist while Doherty scored a goal.

Louis Ritzinger recorded the shutout, making just three saves.

The ‘Hawks were in New Milford on Thursday and will be home on Saturday, at 11 am, to host Kolbe Cathedral. Then they will visit Bethel next Thursday for a 3:45 pm contest.

Newtown 4, Brookfield 2

GOALS: Newtown – Marc Doherty, Brian Conroy, Aron Fay, Chris Hoagland; Brookfield – Colin Fitzgerald, JC Canells. ASSISTS: Newtown – Chris Hoagland 2, Alex Meisel, Justin Miller; Brookfield – Mike Shaker. SHOTS: Newtown – 32; Brookfield – 7. SAVES: Newtown – Louis Ritzinger 4; Brookfield – Chris Smart 11. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 9; Brookfield – 2.

Newtown 6, New Fairfield 0

GOALS: Newtown - Justin Miller 2, Chris Hoagland 2, Aron Fay, Marc Doherty. ASSISTS: Newtown – Aron Fay, Justin Miller. SHOTS: Newtown – 30; New Fairfield – 3. SAVES: Newtown – Louis Ritzinger 3; New Fairfield – Lee Testor and Greg Marecki 18. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 4; New Fairfield – 0.

Jayvees 3-0

Blake Barreto and Cody Cullens scored two goals apiece as the Newtown High School junior varsity boys’ soccer team blanked Brookfield, 4-0, to run its record to 3-0. Ryan Hudock and Andrew Meisel had assists.

Kyle DiNicola and Dan Smith shared the goal once again for their third straight shutout.

 BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Wait just a minute.

Even as the Newtown High School boys’ cross country has made tremendous strides and maintained its focus on front-runner New Milford in its quest for a South-West Conference championship, a new challenger has emerged.

Weston.

The Nighthawks suffered their first loss of the season, a 24-31 decision to the Trojans on Tuesday afternoon at Moorehouse Park in Weston. Even with Alister Ratcliff running a sparkling 15:25, John Loeser and Ryan Lane finished first and second to lead Weston to the win.

The ‘Hawks – who finished second to New Milford at the Bethel Invitational on Saturday – pounded both Pomperaug (15-45) and Notre Dame (15-50) to run their record to 7-1. The Trojans took three of the top four spots at the race, but Ratcliff (third – 15:25), Eric MacKnight (fifth – 15:36), Scott Nichols (sixth – 15:55), Matt Cole (eighth – 16:01) and Ryan Morrissey (ninth – 16:27) were right there in the neighborhood.

The ‘Hawks will visit Monroe next Thursday to take on Masuk and Stratford and will close out the regular season on Tuesday, October 11, when they host New Milford and Bethel at Fairfield Hills.

Weston 24, Newtown 31; Newtown 15, Pomperaug 45; Newtown 15, Notre Dame 50.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. John Loeser (W) 15:18, 2. Ryan Lane (W) 15:20, 3. Alister Ratcliff (N) 15:25; 4. Adam Tobin (W) 15:30, 5. Eric MacKnight (N) 15:36, 6. Scott Nichols (N) 15:55, 7. Tim Anderson (W) 15:58, 8. Matt Cole (N) 16:01, 9. Ryan Morrissey (N) 16:27, 10. Eric Brenn (P) 16:28, 11. Matt Mello (W) 16:30, 12. Dan Theleen (P) 16:30, 13. Jake Sullivan (N) 16:39, 14. Harrison Kass (N) 16:45, 15. Zack Schwartz (N) 16:46, 16. Joe Stiles (P) 16:48, 17. Kevin Donohue (N) 17:14, 18. Zach Carter (W) 17:17, 19. Brian Whitney (P) 17:20, 20. Kevin Kauffman (P) 17:23.

Bethel Invitational

1. New Milford 21, 2. Newtown 58, 3. Staples 117, 4. Cheshire 146, 5. St. Joseph 160, 6. Fairfield Prep 225, 7. Immaculate 240, 8. Jonathan Law 267, 9. Bethel 283, 10. Joel Barlow 285, 11. Greenwich 316, 12. Foran 358, 13. Brookfield 361, 14. Xavier 399, 15. New Fairfield 436, 16. Bunnell 490, 17. Notre Dame 545

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Ho hum – the Newtown High School girls’ cross country team improved to 8-0 on Tuesday afternoon with a matter-of-fact sweep of Weston, Notre Dame and Pomperaug at Moorehouse Park in Weston.

Sadie Ball was the top finisher at 15:53, rolling in ahead of Jeanne Theleen of Pomperaug by 27 seconds. Moira Collier (third – 16:20), Elise DeRoo (fourth – 16:38), Michelle Brennan (fifth – 16:44) and Sarah Pollock (sixth – 16:53) all had strong races.

The Lady Nighthawks – who finished second to E.O. Smith at the Bethel Invitational last weekend and well ahead of all their South-West Conference competition – will be at Great Hollow Lake next Thursday to take on Masuk, Stratford and Lauralton Hall and will close out the regular season on Tuesday, October 11, when they host New Milford and Bethel.

Newtown 15, Weston 50; Newtown 15, Notre Dame 50; Newtown 19, Pomperaug 37.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Sadie Ball (N) 15:53; 2. Jeanne Theleen (P) 16:20; 3. Moira Collier (N) 16:20; 4. Elise DeRoo (N) 16:38; 5. Michelle Brennan (N) 16:44; 6. Sarah Pollock (N) 16:53; 7. Kasey Sullivan (P) 17:12; 8. Jackie Johannes (P) 17:19; 9. Olivia Lawson (P) 17:26; 10. Carolyn Gingras (N) 17:48; 11. Marry Stocking (P) 17:50; 12. Kerry McKenna (P) 17:51; 13. Elaine McCafferty (P) 17:54; 14. Liz Ericson (N) 17:55; 15. Lillie Philpott (W) 17:56; 16. Katherine Ciaccio (P) 17:57; 17. Julie Landin (N) 17:59; 18. Katie Whitney (P) 18:02; 19. Ellen Reid (N) 18:15; 20. Courtney Rechtiere (ND) 18:46.

Bethel Invitational

1. E.O. Smith 47, 2. Newtown 52, 3. Cheshire 79, 4. New Milford 129, 5. Staples 137, 6. Pomperaug 205, 7. New Fairfield 226, 8. St. Joseph 227, 9. Brookfield 248, 10. Lauralton Hall 259, 11. Joel Barlow 279, 12. Greenwich 280, 13. Ridgefield 369, 14. Bethel 400, 15. Jonathan Law 436, 16. Immaculate 459, 17. Notre Dame 469.

VOLLEYBALL

Masuk 3, Newtown 1; Joel Barlow 3, Newtown 0

After soaring through the first three matches of the 2005 season, the Newtown High School volleyball team has been grounded.

The Lady Nighthawks opened the new campaign at 3-0 with sweeps of Tolland, Cromwell and New Fairfield, but in the past week suffered losses to Masuk (3-1) and undefeated Joel Barlow (3-0) to drop to 3-2.

The match with Masuk had the look and feel of one of those epic Newtown-Masuk matches. The locals dropped first game, 25-19, but then recovered to win the second game, 25-15, as Christie Iwanicki reeled off 10 straight service points in a row – including two spectacular back line aces.

The third game was a clunker, a 25-17 loss to put the Lady Panthers on top, 2-1.

The locals rallied again in the fourth game, though, as a big block and strong kill by Jen Blauvelt set the tone early. A kill by Jenna Van Waalwijk had the ‘Hawks ahead, 11-6, and they kept that lead in the neighborhood of four points as Jill Logan made a nice recovery bump from her knees, Diana Grimaldi recorded to solid kills, Iwanicki came up with a nice dig, and Becky Huot registered a kill.

But with the ‘Hawks clinging to a 20-17 lead, the Lady Panthers made a move and scored six consecutive points to take a 23-20 lead before a Van Waalwijk kill stopped the bleeding. The locals regained the lead, 24-23, on a kill by Huot but then were facing match point, down 25-24. Grimaldi made the kill put the game back at deuce, but then the Panthers reeled off two quick points to put the game and the match away.

The ‘Hawks went down much quieter against Joel Barlow on Monday, a 26-24, 25-18, 25-19 loss.

The ‘Hawks were in Stratford on Wednesday night to take on Bunnell and will return home on Friday to face Stratford in a 5:15 pm contest.

Frosh 2-0

The Newtown High School freshman volleyball team is 2-0 after wins over Masuk (2-1) and Trumbull (2-0).

In the win over Masuk, Erin Fish was 14-of-15 from behind the service line with four aces. Emily Leidlein had an ace and a kill while Taylor Ansbro and Emily DeMarco each had a kill and served well.

In the win over Trumbull, Fish had seven aces, Leidlein had five aces and three kills, and DeMarco had two kills.

The frosh will be participating in a jamboree this weekend at Masuk High School in Monroe.