By Kim J. Harmon

When the cycle started last Friday, there were five Newtown High School teams still sporting undefeated records.

Two of ‘em are no more as the football (22-15 to Bunnell) and boys’ soccer (1-0 to Pomperaug) teams suffered their first losses of the year … but the volleyball team moved to 10-0 with a pounding of New Fairfield while the two cross country teams (the boys defeating New Milford for the first time in more than seven years) completed an undefeated regular season.

Read on –

VOLLEYBALL

Newtown 3, Pomperaug 0

Newtown 3, Notre Dame 0

Newtown 3, New Fairfield 0

Despite winning their first nine matches of the season, there are some who may have been wondering just how good the Newtown High School volleyball team really was.

Sure, the Lady Nighthawks have only gone to a fifth game once and have six sweeps in their last seven matches, but four of those sweeps have been over Notre Dame (1-7), Pomperaug (2-8), Brookfield (1-7) and Stratford.

Well, the ‘Hawks may have quieted some of their doubters on Tuesday night when they not only swept an 8-1 New Fairfield team, but did it to the incredible tune of 25-9, 25-15, 25-8 and improved to 10-0 on the season.

That start may have surprised some people, but are the ‘Hawks – who lost two dominant hitters in Jenna Van Waalwijk and Diana Grimaldi – surprised by all this?

“Yes and no,” said co-captain Jill Logan. “We all knew it would be hard work, but we worked really hard to get here.”

And where is here? Right behind 11-0 Bunnell, which has run the table without losing a single game. The two schools will clash next Saturday in Newtown.

“It will be hard,” said Logan, “but we have as good a chance as any and, hopefully, we can come out with a win.”

In the win over New Fairfield, Morgan Knees registered 11 aces with a wicked top-spin service and added eight kills into the mix. Christie Iwanicki had five kills and six digs, the best one coming with the ‘Hawks in the midst of a 10-0 run to open the third game but only slightly better than the one with Newtown leading 6-4 in the second game.

Jenn Blauvelt was a solid force on the outside and helped the locals take charge of the match right away. Jordan Good and Emily Loose, who had a key kill in game three, played well at the net. Meghan Casey added a service ace in game three to put the ‘Hawks ahead, 19-7.

Logan added 11 assists and five digs on the night.

In a 25-6, 25-22, 25-15 win over Notre Dame last week Knees knocked down nine services aces while Emily Loose had eight kills. Logan chipped in with three service aces and 11 assists. And in a 25-15, 25-19, 25-23 win over Pomperaug last week, Knees had eight kills and three blocks while Blauvelt added five aces and five kills.

The ‘Hawks took on Masuk, in Monroe, on Wednesday and will be in Bethel on Friday before returning home on Monday to host Kolbe-Cathedral. The girls will hit the road again next Wednesday to face Weston before returning home for the Bunnell match.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Newtown 26, New Milford 29; Newtown 15, Notre Dame 50

Newtown – 4th at Wickham

The Newtown High School boys’ cross country team has finished ahead of arch-nemesis New Milford before – like last year, at the CIAC State Open.

But one would have to go back at least seven years – and probably more – since the Nighthawks bested the Green Wave during the regular season … which is exactly what the ‘Hawks did on Tuesday when they snapped the Wave’s 75-meet South-West Conference win streak and captured the Colonial Division title.

“There were three passes made on the track with 100 meters to do,” said head coach Dave Foss, “and two of them were by New Milford. It was an intense race. You don’t get the close ones like that too often and it’s real exciting when it happens.”

With both teams sitting there at 10-0, no one had any doubts the Tuesday meet would be close. But, then again, the Green Wave hadn’t lost a regular season meet since September of 2001. Why should it happen now?

So, plenty of people were surprised when the ‘Hawks earned their exciting 26-29 win.

“The New Milford kids were really pumped and I think they just went out too fast,” said coach Foss. “The first time I saw them was about 800 yards in and New Milford had nine guys in the top 10. Zach (Schwartz) was the only one breaking things up. But then Zach, Charlie (Baldour) and Eric (Macknight) kind of picked ‘em off, one at a time, slowly but surely.”

Dan DeCreszeno finished first overall at 15:19, a second ahead of Newtown’s Zach Schwartz. Eric Macknight (15:41) and Charlie Baldour (15:52) had solid finished on the three-mile New Milford course and that 2-3-4 finish gave the locals some cushion as New Milford then took sixth, seventh and eighth place.

Ultimately, the meet may have been decided at the back end. Kevin Hoyt and Scott Nichols came in eighth and ninth overall, just a second (four in the case of Hoyt) ahead of New Milford’s Ryan Cheng.

Ryan Morrissey (12th – 16:31) and Kevin Donahue (17th – 17:17) had strong races.

All of that gives the ‘Hawks – and the Green Wave – a lot of incentive heading into the SWC championship race next Thursday in Bethel.

At the Wickham Invitational last Saturday, the ‘Hawks – ranked sixth in the state according to mysportsresults.com – took fourth overall as Schwartz finished seventh at 16:51 – almost a minute behind Donn Cabral of Glastonbury. Baldour (13th), Macknight (23rd), Hoyt (30th), Nichols (43rd) and Jordan Reed (80th) all factored into the scoring.

Newtown 26, New Milford 29; Newtown 15, Notre Dame 50.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Dan DeCrescenzo (NM) 15:19; 2. Zack Schwartz (N) 15:20; 3. Eric McKnight (N) 15:41; 4. Charlie Baldour (N) 15:52; 5. Anthony Vento (NM) 15:59; 6. Mike Viklund (NM) 16:03; 7. Dan Watson (NM) 16:04; 8. Kevin Hoyt (N) 16:06; 9. Scott Nichols (N) 16:09; 10. Ryan Cheng (NM) 16:10. 11. Kyle Anderson (NM) 16:27; 12. Ryan Morrissey (N) 16:31; 13. Ryan Drost (NM) 16:48; 14. Craig Hunt (NM) 16:49; 15. Frank Stewart (NM) 16:59; 16. Jordan Reed (N) 17:15; 17. Kevin Donahue (N) 17:17; 18. James Hastings (NM) 17:19; 19. Mike Drost (NM) 17:50; 20. Evan Akselrad (NM) 17:52. COURSE: 3 miles at New Milford.

Wickham Invitational

TEAMS: Glastonbury 41, Norwich Free Academy 89, Norwich Free Academy 97, Newtown 112, Amity Regional 120, Manchester 184, Conard 185, Griswold 202, Simsbury 241, Southington 246, Naugatuck 251, Woodstock Academy 270, Shelton 345, Fairfield Warde 358, Notre Dame-West Haven 372.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Donn Cabral (Glastonbury) 15:58; 2. Andrew Judd (Conard) 16:27; 3. Robbie Dugger (Glastonbury) 16:35; 4. Dan DeCrescenzo (New Milford) 16:39; 5. Luke Albertson (NFA) 16:40; 6. Wesley Halstead(Amity Regional) 16:45; 7. Zack Schwartz (Newtown) 16:51; 8. Anthony Colabella (Cheshire Academy) 16:51; 9. James Llamas (Glastonbury) 16:52; 10. Chris Klobedanz (Glastonbury) 16:54; 11. Jason Wagner (NFA) 16:56; 12. Craig Babcock (NFA) 17:05; 13. Charlie Baldour (Newtown) 17:06; 14. Colby Welch (Manchester) 17:08; 15. Paul Kichar (Amity Regional) 17:09; 16. Mike Berkowicz (Woodstock Academy) 17:10; 17. Tim Rosenbaum (Griswold) 17:10; 18. Mike Viklund (New Milford) 17:13; 19. Dan Watson (New Milford) 17:14; 20. Mike Kane (Fairfield Warde) 17:14; 23. Eric Macknight (Newtown) 17:16; 30. Kevin Hoyt (Newtown) 17:25; 43. Scott Nichols (Newtown) 17:42; 80. Jordan Reed (Newtown) 18:41; 100. Kevin Donahue (Newtown) 19:24.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Newtown 18, New Milford 43, Newtown 15, Notre Dame 50; Newtown 15, L. Hall 50

Newtown – 4th at Wickham

For the last half a decade, the Newtown High School girls cross country team had been the most dominant in the South-West Conference. But after losing one of the top runners in the conference with the graduation of Sadie Ball, some had to question whether or not the ‘Hawks could do it again.

Oh, they could.

No one in the SWC has come close to the ‘Hawks all year and with wins over undefeated New Milford (18-43), Notre Dame (15-50) and Lauralton Hall (15-50) the girls completed their second consecutive undefeated regular season in the SWC on Tuesday in New Milford.

“Once they started running I knew they would be good,” said head coach Doug Russell, whose team is ranked seventh in the state at mysportsresults.com. “This team is probably one of the deepest we’ve ever had and I’m not surprised with the determination and commitment they have shone. They don’t ever back up.”

Elise DeRoo, Jen Brill and Moira Collier stormed to a 1-2-3 finish at 15:22, 15:29 and 15:31 with Sara Pollock coming in fifth at 15:42 and Michelle Brennan coming in seventh at 15:47. The ‘Hawks were so dominant that Christie Attanasio finished eighth (15:56) and Erin Nemeth ninth (16:06) and neither runner factored into the scoring.

Keegan Frobey (17th – 16:35) and Carolyn Gingras (19th – 17:06) also ran strong races.

The SWC conference championship meet will be next Thursday in Bethel and the ‘Hawks will be seeking their fifth straight title.

The Lady Nighthawks were coming off a stellar fourth-place finish at the Wickham Invitational last weekend in Manchester. DeRoo was the first Newtown runner to cross and she did it in 26th place (24th in the scoring), but Brill (27th), Pollock (39th), Collier (44th) and Brennan (47th) followed in rapid succession.

Newtown 18, New Milford 43; Newtown 15, Notre Dame 50; Newtown 15, Lauralton Hall 50

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Elise DeRoo (N) 15:22; 2. Jen Brill (N) 15:29; 3. Moira Collier (N) 15:31; 4. Leanna Jabbonsky (NM) 15:37; 5. Sara Pollock (N) 15:42; 6. Morgan Fisher (NM) 15:44; 7. Michelle Brennan (N) 15:47; 8. Christie Attanasio (N) 15:56; 9. Erin Nemeth (N) 16:06; 10. Steph Tyler (NM) 16:26; 11. Becca Martin (NM) 16:30; 12. Kate Welton (NM) 16:30; 13. Sam Dougherty (NM) 16:33; 14. Michaela Morales (NM) 16:34; 15. Erika Schlicht (NM) 16:34; 16. Katie Doyle (LH) 16:35; 17. Keegan Frobey (N) 16:35; 18. Michelle Borsavage (NM) 16:49; 19. Carolyn Gingras (N) 17:06; 20. Jenny Cahalane (NM) 17:13.

Wickham Invitational

TEAMS: Lyman Memorial 95, Glastonbury 108, Simsbury 130, Newtown 173, Portland 174, Amity Regional 189, Griswold 193, Conard 196, Fitch 219, Cheshire 231, RHAM 235, William Hall 270, St. Bernard 275, Darien 277, Canton 367, Fairfield Warde 387.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Jamie Olson (Glastonbury) 15:57; 2. Emma Perron (Conard) 16:15; 3. Kristin Mitchell (Glastonbury) 16:18; 4. Dana Troy (Lyman Memorial) 16:19; 5. Caitlin Cannon (Conard) 16:27; 6. Kathryn Vollinger (EHHS) 16:30; 7. Kelly Sorrell (Lyman Memorial) 16:33; 8. Stacey Marion (Simsbury) 16:39; 9. Stephanie Bohannon (William Hall) 16:47; 10. Jenna London (William Hall) 16:52; 11. Stephanie Eldridge (RHAM) 16:52; 12. Irene Kalbian (Cheshire) 17:01; 13. Katherine Fitton (Lyman Memorial) 17:03; 14. Samantha Troy( Lyman Memorial) 17:05; 15. Caroline Riley (St. Bernard) 17:07; 16. Kelsey Rooth (Portland) 17:17; 17. Kim Powell (Canton) 17:20; 18. Paige Pallotto (Amity Regional) 17:25; 19. Krystyna Chester (Griswold) 17:26; 20. Christine Vogel (Glastonbury) 17:29; 26. Elise DeRoo (Newtown) 17:44; 27. Jen Brill (Newtown) 17:45; 39. Sara Pollock (Newtown) 18:11; 44. Moira Collier (Newtown) 18:21; 47. Michelle Brennan (Newtown) 18:24; 49. Erin Nemeth (Newtown) 18:27; 66. Christy Attanasio (Newtown) 18:51.

FOOTBALL

Bunnell 22, Newtown 15

It was to be a defining moment for the Newtown High School football team.

A couple of years ago a one-point loss to Bunnell in Stratford kept the Nighthawks out of the CIAC state playoffs and a win on Friday at Blue & Gold Stadium would give the ‘Hawks a big boost on their drive for the playoffs this year.

But Bunnell quarterback Steve Smith was an offensive force the ‘Hawks were only able to slow down. Smith – playing almost exclusively out of the shotgun – rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries while completing 6-of-17 passes for 77 more yards.

“We knew we weren’t going to shut them down,” said head coach Ken Roberts, “but I thought we played very well defensively.”

Using an unusual formation to open the game – seven players split wide left, one player split wide right and the halfback hiking to the quarterback – Bunnell went 65 yards on 10 plays for the first score of the game, a 17-yard run by Mario Guerrera.

That’s how it stood until the third quarter, when Smith took the ball in from three yards out to put the Bulldogs ahead, 14-0. The ‘Hawks answered back about five minutes later, though, when Chris Potter bulled his way in from six yards out to pull the locals to within seven.

That was all the ‘Hawks could muster until late in the fourth quarter when Tucker Kass (15-of-31 for 168 yards on the night) fired a 28-yard scoring pass to Joe DeVellis (nine grabs for 114 yards) to pull the locals to within eight.

“We were one step away,” said coach Roberts. “A couple of dropped balls, a couple of missed blocks. Our timing wasn’t where it has been this year and their quarterback made things happen.”

The ‘Hawks will host Joel Barlow on Friday night at Blue & Gold Stadium.

Bunnell 22, Newtown 15

First Quarter: Bunnell – Guerrera 17 run (Smith run). Third Quarter: Bunnell – Smith 3 run (run failed); Newtown – Potter 6 run (Nelson kick). Fourth Quarter: Bunnell – Smith 4 run (Easley pass from Smith); Bunnell – Joe DeVellis 28 pass from Kass (Lapple pass from Jake DeVellis).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

 

Rushing: Bunnell – Smith 29-128, Guerrera 13-79, Aurelia 3-8, Campbell 2-3; Newtown – Jake DeVellis 10-41, Potter 11-23, Kass 3-10, Tarantino 1-2, Joe DeVellis 2-minus 1. Passing: Bunnell – Smith 6-17-0 for 77 yards; Newtown – Kass 15-31-3 for 168 yards, Jake DeVellis 1-1-0 for 8 yards. Receiving: Newtown – Joe DeVellis 9-114.

 

GIRLS SOCCER

Newtown 7, Stratford 0

Newtown 4, Immaculate 1

Newtown 2, Pomperaug 0

Ever since dueling arch-rival Masuk to a 0-0 draw back on October 3, the Newtown High School girls’ soccer team has moved its offense into a higher gear.

Sophomore Kasey Schulz scored five goals over the course of the last week and helped lead the Lady Nighthawks to wins over Stratford (7-0), Immaculate (4-1) and Pomperaug (2-0) while improving to 9-1-1 on the season.

The locals have out-scored their opponents 27-4 on the year.

In the win over Stratford, Schulz scored four times while Chelsea Fay had two goals and an assist, Ally Modzelewski tallied a goal as Tania Domingos notched three assists. Jen Brewer, Monica Warek and Brittany Papaj all had assists.

Newtown did not allow a single shot.

In the win over Immaculate, Darcy Fiscella scored twice as Schulz added a goal and an assist. Megan Hansen scored while Kyla Miles registered a pair of assists and Erica Vacaro registered one.

And in the win over Pomperaug, Miles and Domingos scored second-half goals to snap a scoreless tie and lead the ‘Hawks to the win. Domingos and Hansen added assists as the ‘Hawks out-shot the Lady Panthers, 24-6.

Emily Kluga recorded the shutout with six saves.

The locals hosted Weston on Thursday night and will be in Redding on Tuesday to take on Joel Barlow before returning home next Thursday to host Bunnell.

Newtown 7, Stratford 0

GOALS: Newtown – Kasey Schulz 4, Chelsea Fay 2, Ally Modzelewski. ASSISTS: Newtown – Tania Domingos 3, Chelsea Fay, Jen Brewer, Monica Warek, Brittany Papaj. SHOTS: Newtown – 17; Stratford – 0. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 0, Jess Halloran 0; Stratford – Allison Hermann 10.

Newtown 4, Immaculate 1

GOALS: Newtown – Darcy Fiscella 2, Megan Hansen, Kasey Schulz; Immaculate – Catherine Stascavage. ASSISTS: Newtown – Kyla Miles 2, Erica Vacaro, Kasey Schulz; Immaculate – Carolyn McMullin.

Newtown 2, Pomperaug 0

GOALS: Newtown – Kyla Miles and Tania Domingos. ASSISTS: Newtown – Tania Domingos and Megan Hansen. SHOTS: Newtown – 24; Pomperaug – 6. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 4; Pomperaug – Molly Miller 17.

BOYS SOCCER

Newtown 6, Stratford 1

Newtown 5, Immaculate 0

Pomperaug 1, Newtown 0

It was bound to happen.

But while the Newtown High School boys’ soccer team survived overtime draws with Joel Barlow (2-2) and Masuk (1-1) and rallied to beat Bethel with two late goals, it couldn’t pull one out against Pomperaug on Tuesday afternoon.

Despite controlling the action and out-shooting the Panthers, 20-5, the Nighthawks fell on a goal by Shayan Riahi near the five-minute mark of the first half. The loss dropped the locals to 8-1-2 on the year.

Newtown had secured easy wins over Stratford (6-1) and Immaculate (5-0) last week before running into Pomperaug.

In the win over Stratford, Tony Magliocco and Mike Klein scored two goals apiece as Brian Conroy and Matt Wright (the first of his varsity career) scored solo goals. Conroy added a pair of assists while Nick Sando, Magliocco and Justin Miller notched one assist each.

Newtown peppered the goal with 21 shots.

In the win over Immaculate (a game played in honor of former coach and youth soccer founder Al Taubert), Magliocco had two goals while Klein had a goal and two assists. Justin Miller and Matt Wright also scored.

The ‘Hawks will be in Weston on Friday night before returning home next Tuesday to host Joel Barlow at Blue & Gold Stadium. The locals will visit Stratford next Thursday to take on Bunnell.

Newtown 6, Stratford 1

GOALS: Newtown – Tony Magliocco 2, Mike Klein 2, Brian Conroy, Matt Wright; Stratford – Ever Serna. ASSISTS: Newtown – Brian Conroy 2, Nick Sando, Tony Magliocco, Justin Miller; Stratford – Ricardo Serna. SHOTS: Newtown – 21; Stratford – 5. SAVES: Newtown – Kyle DiNicola 5; Stratford – Steven Cedeno 1, William Vanderhurs 5.

Newtown 5, Immaculate 0

GOALS: Newtown – Tony Magliocco 2, Mike Klein, Justin Miller, Matt Wright. ASSISTS: Newtown – Mike Klein 2. SAVES: Newtown – Dan Smith and Kyle DiNicola; Immaculate – Ryan McDonald 7.

Pomperaug 1, Newtown 0

GOALS: Pomperaug – Shayan Riahi. SHOTS: Newtown – 20; Pomperaug – 5. SAVES: Newtown – Dan Smith 2; Pomperaug – Tom Berlenbach 9.

FIELD HOCKEY

Weston 3, Newtown 2 (OT)

Newtown 2, Immaculate 0

H-K 2, Newtown 0

New Milford 1, Newtown 0

With three wins in four games, things had been looking up for the Newtown High School field hockey team.

But trips to visit two tough opponents – non-conference foe Haddam-Killingworth and New Milford – have added a couple of losses to the slate and the Lady Nighthawks have fallen to 3-6-0-0 (2-1-0-1) with slightly less than half the season to go.

It started with a 3-2 overtime loss to Weston down in Weston. Stephanie Paproski and Sam Wong both scored for the ‘Hawks, but a goal by Kelly Baker in the extra session lifted the Lady Trojans to the win.

The locals out-shot Weston on the afternoon.

The ‘Hawks recovered the following day with a dominating performance against Immaculate at Treadwell Park. Katie Datin and Wong scored the goals that lifted the girls to the win, but the Newtown offense peppered the cage with shots all afternoon and finished with 15. Lisa Isabella and Dana Metzger combined to make four saves for the shutout.

The busy week continued with a trip up Route 9 to Haddam-Killingworth and after a 2-0 loss their on Saturday afternoon, the ‘Hawks visited New Milford on Tuesday and dropped a second-straight one-goal decision to the Green Wave.

The locals fell to New Milford 2-1 on opening day back in September. On Tuesday, Alexa Carlson scored the lone goal off an assist from Sarah DaRos. The Green Wave out-shot the ‘Hawks, 9-5, with Isabella making six saves.

The girls will host Masuk on Friday at Treadwell Park and will host Pomperaug next Tuesday at the DeGroat/Anderson Athletic Complex behind the high school.

New Milford 1, Newtown 0

GOALS: New Milford – Alexa Carlson. ASSISTS: New Milford – Sarah DaRos. SHOTS: New Milford – 9; Newtown – 5. SAVES: New Milford – Amelia Taylor 4; Newtown – Lisa Isabella 6.

 

Newtown 2, Immaculate 0

GOALS: Newtown – Katie Datin and Sam Wong. SHOTS: Newtown – 15; Immaculate – 5. SAVES: Newtown – Lisa Isabella 3, Dana Metzger 1; Immaculate – Nora Allen 6.

Weston 3, Newtown 2 (OT)

GOALS: Newtown – Stephanie Paproski, Sam Wong; Weston – Alexandra Atkinson, Emily Lewis, Kelly Baker. SAVES: Newtown – Lisa Isabella 1; Weston – Erin Gerena 11.