By Kim J. Harmon

While a couple of teams saw their seasons come to a quiet end, three others extended theirs for at least another day as the 2006 fall season began taking its last breaths.

And while the Newtown High School field hockey, girls’ soccer and boys’ cross country team advanced on their respective post-season paths, the football team made a serious bid to extend their season into the SWC and CIAC Class L playoffs with a win over Pomperaug.

Read on –

FOOTBALL

Newtown 14, Pomperaug 13

Its South-West Conference playoff hopes were on the line.

Its CIAC Class LL playoff hopes were on the line.

And with less than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Newtown High School football team – with less than 200 yards of total offense through the first three and a half quarters – was facing a very unsettling 13-point deficit.

The Nighthawks pulled out tough wins before (i.e., the season opener against Stratford) but how could they pull this one out?

Well, it started with a 30-yard scoring pass from Tucker Kass to Bob Lapple with 6:52 left in the fourth quarter that shaved the Pomperaug lead to 13-6. But senior John Nelson – who only missed one kick all season, a field goal attempt against Stratford in the season opener – saw his kick blocked and the ‘Hawks remained seven points down.

On the ensuing kick, though, John Aminti forced a fumble and Newtown had the ball back on the Pomperaug 31. And on the third play from scrimmage, Kass struck Lapple with a 28-yard scoring pass to pull the ‘Hawks to within one.

Head coach Ken Roberts had been in that situation before and had elected to go for the two points and the win. On Friday night, his thinking was no different – except he decided to disguise his plan with a fake kick and with the ball in the hands of Joe DeVellis, the ‘Hawks secured their most important win of the season.

Although his completion percentage was low, Kass had a decent night going 10-of-28 for 215 yards and Lapple was on the receiving end of half of that production with six catches for 105 yards. Tyler Tarantino was the top rusher in a virtually non-existent running game, picking up 19 yards on five carries.

The win propelled the ‘Hawks into third place in the CIAC Class LL rankings (see related story), ahead of Fairfield Prep. The locals will square off with winless Weston this weekend before taking on Masuk in the traditional Thanksgiving brouhaha.

With their CIAC playoff hopes seemingly in solid shape, the ‘Hawks are looking forward to this weekend – not so much for their game against Weston, but for the contest between Stratford and Masuk. Should Stratford win, Newtown would be propelled into the South-West Conference championship game with undefeated Bunnell.

Newtown 14, Pomperaug 13

First quarter: Pomperaug – Thomas Piccolo 34 pass from Steven Sheppard (Bryan Wrabel kick). Second quarter: Pomperaug – Christopher Miller 46 interception return (kick blocked). Fourth quarter: Newtown – Bob Lapple 30 pass from Tucker Kass (kick blocked); Newtown – Bob Lapple 28 pass from Tucker Kass (Joe DeVellis run).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Pomperaug – Conor Tidgwell 14-69, Shane Bannon 12-51, Michael Leonetti 9-18, Graham Clark 1-3, Timothy Miller 2-0, Steven Sheppard 4-0 (Totals: 42-141). Newtown – Tyler Tarantino 5-19, Chris Potter 4-14, Jake Devellis 8-10, Tucker Kass 2-3, Joe Devellis 2-3, Bob Lapple 1-1 (Totals: 22-50).

Passing: Pomperaug – Steven Sheppard 3-8-1, 46 yards, Charles Benson 0-1-1; Newtown – Tucker Kass 10-28-1, 215 yards, Jake DeVellis 0-1-0.

Receiving: Pomperaug – Thomas Piccolo 1-34, Andrew Mastriani 1-11, Tidgwell 1-1; Newtown – Bob Lapple 6-105, Joe Bowen 1-54, Mike Kennedy 1-44, Travis Speer 1-8, Joe Devellis 1-4.

 

GIRLS SOCCER

Masuk 2, Newtown 0

Newtown 3, Staples 2

There will come a time when the Newtown High School girls’ soccer team will figure out how to defeat its biggest nemesis – Masuk.

That time could some as early as Saturday should both Newtown and Masuk, that is, sneak past their second-round opponents in the CIAC Class LL state tournament. But when the Lady Nighthawks really would have liked to figure it out was last week, in the South-West Conference championship game.

As it turns out, they couldn’t, and the Lady Nighthawks’ dreams of an SWC title ended with a 2-0 loss to the Lady Panthers last week at Joel Barlow High School in Redding.

The loss dropped the ‘Hawks to 16-2-1 on the year … 0-2-1 against Masuk and 16-0-0 against the rest of their opponents.

The Panthers stifled the powerful Newtown offense, shutting down Kasey Schulz and Tania Domingos and limiting the locals to just two shots on the night. That has been the case all season, though, as the ‘Hawks posted 61 goals – but none against the Panthers.

Melanie Matera and Lauren Matthews scored the goals, both off corner kicks. The Panthers registered 14 shots on goal, forcing Newtown goaltender Emily Kluga – who posted 14 shutouts this year – to make four saves.

The locals rebounded with a 3-2 win over Staples in the first round of the CIAC Class LL tournament. The No. 4 seeded ‘Hawks scored three easy goals within the first 10 minutes of the game – Megan Hansen (2) and Brittany Papaj recording those goals – but then had to hold on as the Lady Wreckers staged a furious rally in the second half.

Sophia Vallone scored two goals – the second on a blistering shot outside the left corner of the penalty box – early in the half to trim the Newtown lead to one. The ‘Hawks, who had gotten a bit lackadaisical after taking such a quick lead – buckled down and held on for the win.

Kluga made a pair of saves as the ‘Hawks out-shot the Wreckers, 14-4.

The locals were slated to host No. 12 Naugatuck, 2-0 winners over New Milford, on Thursday at Treadwell Park. A win there could pit Newtown against Masuk, which faced No. 13 Cheshire on Thursday in Monroe.

Masuk 2, Newtown 0

GOALS: Masuk – Melanie Matera, Lauren Matthews. ASSISTS: Masuk – Erika Mansson, Jackie McSally. SHOTS: Newtown – 2; Masuk – 14. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 4; Masuk – Hillary Singer 1. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 3; Masuk – 6.

Newtown 3, Staples 2

GOALS: Staples – Sophia Vallone 2; Newtown – Megan Hansen 2, Brittany Papaj. ASSISTS: Newtown – Megan Hansen, Ally Modzelewski, Kasey Schulz. SHOTS: Staples – 4; Newtown – 14. SAVES: Staples – Charlotte McCleary 7; Newtown – Emily Kluga 2.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

3rd at CIAC State Open

No one expected the Newtown High School boys’ cross country team to defend its 2005 CIAC State Open championship and, anyway, with Danbury and Glastonbury in the field it was an awfully long shot to begin with.

Nevertheless, as Danbury and Glastonbury battled for first the Nighthawks took third at the Opens last week at Wickham Park in Manchester and earned a second consecutive trip to the New England championships this weekend at Ponaganset High School in North Scituate, Rhode Island.

Danbury took first overall with 74 points while Glastonbury trailed in second with 78 points. The locals scored 127, well ahead of Xavier (148), Amity (201) and 2006 South-West Conference champion New Milford (201).

“Realistically, we were looking at third place,” said head coach Dave Foss. “We had hopes of taking Glastonbury, but they ran a really strong race.”

Zach Schwartz was the top Newtown finisher, coming in 14th overall (and 12th in the scoring) at 16:40. Eric Macknight and Charlie Baldour came in 30th and 33rd overall (25th and 26th in the scoring) at 16:58 and 17:01. Kevin Hoyt (36th overall – 17:06) and Ryan Morrissey (46th overall – 17:16) rounded out the scoring for Newtown.

“Morrissey had the big race,” said coach Foss. “He dropped 36 seconds from his Class LL time.”

Scott Nichols (59th overall – 17:28) and Jordan Reed (115th overall – 18:08) also competed for the ‘Hawks.

It was the fourth time the ‘Hawks bested their arch-rival, the Green Wave, in 2006 – first at the Bethel Invitational, then during the regular season finale, and then in the CIAC Class LL and State Open championships.

The only time the Wave topped Newtown was at the South-West Conference championships.

“It would have been nice to win an SWC title,” said coach Foss, “but these are the really big races. The Open, I think, is the best race of the year.”

And the ‘Hawks excelled at it.

The results –

TEAMS: 1. Danbury 74, 2. Glastonbury 78, 3. Newtown 127, 4. Xavier 148, 5. Amity 201, 5. New Milford 201, 7. Conard 241, 8. Griswold 254, 9. Norwich Free Academy 256, 10. Manchester 277, 11. Woodstock Academy 286, 12. Joel Barlow 312, 13. Simsbury 327, 14. Thomaston 340, 15. Hall 374, 16. Staples 391, 17. Guilford 402, 18. Newngton 408, 19. East Hampton 426, 20. Weston 452, 21. Bolton 462.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Donald Cabral (Glastonbury) 16:02, 2. Matt Terry (Danbury) 16:07, 3. Adam Vess (Xavier) 16:13, 4. Andrew Judd (Conard) 16:15, 5. Willie Ahearn (Danbury) 16:26, 6. Robert Dugger (Glastonbury) 16:29, 7. Daniel Pilz (Newington) 16:30, 8. William Griffin (East Catholic) 16:30, 9. Wesley Halstead (Amity) 16:31, 10. Michael Levene (Joel Barlow) 16:34, 11. Everett Hackett (Hall) 16:35, 12. Colby Welch (Manchester) 16:36, 13. Matt Kane (Fairfield Warde) 16:39, 14. Zach Schwartz (Newtown) 16:40, 15. Joshua Olsen (Thomaston) 16:40, 16. Matthew Fahey (Xavier) 16:41, 17. Scott Johnson (Old Lyme) 16:43, 18. Jeremy Garavel (Joel Barlow) 16:43, 19. Richard Klauber (Thomaston) 16:44, 20. William Edgington (Manchester) 16:45, 21. Joseph Bubniak (Danbury) 16:45, 22. James Llamas (Glastonbury) 16:47, 23. Chris Klobedanz (Glastonbury) 16:47, 24. Forrest Misenti (Xavier) 16:48, 25. Justin Rau (Danbury) 16:48, 30. Eric Macknight (Newtown) 16:58, 33. Charlie Baldour (Newtown) 17:01, 36. Kevin Hoyt (Newtown) 17:06, 46. Ryan Morrissey (Newtown) 17:16, 59. Scott Nichols (Newtown) 17:28, 115. Jordan Reed (Newtown) 18:08.

FIELD HOCKEY

Shepaug 2, Newtown 1

Newtown 1, NFA 0

Three times this season the Newtown High School field hockey team met New Milford on the pitch and three times it lost.

The Lady Nighthawks earned a fourth crack at the Green Wave with a 1-0 win over Norwich Free Academy in the first round of the CIAC Class L state tournament on Monday at Treadwell Park. Stephanie Paproski scored the lone goal of the game less than three minutes into the first half when she re-directed a hard smash by Hannah Tenenbaum into the netting at the top of the cage.

The ‘Hawks (10-8-0-1) continued to put enormous pressure on the NFA defense, but was unable to sneak another one past goaltender Nikki Boushee. The locals registered 22 shots on the afternoon and took 13 penalty corners, but had to settle for just one goal.

Meanwhile, the Lady Wildcats managed just one shot on the cage and that came with 1:57 left in the first half. But Newtown goaltender Lisa Isabella made the save, hitting the deck to stop the ball and give the defense a chance to clear it out of the circle.

With the win, the No. 14 seeded ‘Hawks earned the right to meet the No. 3 seeded Green Wave. The game was originally slated for Wednesday, but rain forced a postponement until Thursday down in New Milford.

Meanwhile, the ‘Hawks closed out the regular season with a 2-1 loss to non-conference rival Shepaug. Courtney Weaving and Bonny Davis scored for the Lady Spartans in the first half and Paproski answered back. The Spartans out-shot the ‘Hawks, 10-8, with Isabella making seven saves in the cage.

Shepaug 2, Newtown 1

GOALS: Shepaug – Courtney Weaving, Bonnie Davies; Newtown – Stephanie Paproski. ASSISTS: Shepaug – Ella Curren, Becca Hora. SHOTS: Shepaug – 10; Newtown – 8. SAVES: Shepaug – Catherine Drosseler 2, Nicole Brant 2; Newtown – Lisa Isabella 7. PENALTY CORNERS: Shepaug – 5; Newtown – 5.

Newtown 1, NFA 0

GOALS: Newtown – Stephanie Paproski. ASSISTS: Newtown – Hannah Tenenbaum. SHOTS: Newtown – 22; Norwich Free Academy – 1. SAVES: Newtown – Lisa Isabella 1; Norwich Free Academy – 14. PENALTY CORNERS: Newtown – 13; Norwich Fee Academy – 0.

BOYS SOCCER

E.O. Smith 1, Newtown 0

It ended quietly, with little fanfare.

A week after suffering a heartbreaking shootout loss to Joel Barlow in the South-West Conference semifinals, the Newtown High School boys’ soccer team saw its season come to an end with a 1-0 loss to E.O. Smith in the first round of the CIAC Class LL state tournament.

After going 8-0-2 in their first 10 games, the Nighthawks – who lacked that explosive offensive force they have become accustomed to over the last few years – were 3-5-0 down the stretch with three losses in their last four games.

On Monday, Dan Wilson scored the lone goal of the game in the second half off an assist from Carl Stensland. Wilson took a shot that bounced off the crossbar and past Newtown goaltender Danny Smith.

The 11 wins was the fewest for the team earned since 2000, when it went 11-4-4, and the five losses was the most the team has suffered since 1998, when it went 14-6-0. And the .667 winning percentage was the lowest since 1997, when the ‘Hawks went 7-6-3.

E.O. Smith 1, Newtown 0

GOALS: E.O. Smith – Dan Wilson. ASSISTS: E.O. Smith – Carl Stensland. SAVES: Newtown – Danny Smith 4; E.O. Smith – Rob Cardinal 5.

VOLLEYBALL

Bethel 3, Newtown 2

Defeating Bunnell for a South-West Conference championship would be a daunting – some would say impossible – task, but the Newtown High School volleyball team still would have liked to try.

The Lady Nighthawks never got the chance, though, as they were stopped, 3-2, by Bethel in the SWC semi-finals last week. And only to prove what kind of task beating Bunnell would have been, Bethel was then easily swept by the Lady Bulldogs 25-12, 25-11, 25-6 in the SWC championship.

In the semi-finals it was a much tougher battle between Newtown and Bethel as the ‘Hawks fell 27-25, 15-25, 25-16, 23-25, 7-15. Krystal Garvin registered 15 kills, 13 digs and five blocks for the Lady Wildcats while Morgan Knees powered the ‘Hawks with 11 kills and five blocks.

After winning their first 11 matches of the season, the ‘Hawks dropped a 3-1 decision to Bethel back on October 13 – a Friday. It seemed to have some effect as the locals were not sharp down the stretch despite winning four of their final five regular season matches.

They seemed to have righted the ship, however, when they swept Joel Barlow in the first round of the SWC tournament and a second consecutive trip to the SWC championship – albeit to face one of the top teams in the state of Connecticut – looked very possible.

Bethel had other ideas, though.

The ‘Hawks dropped to 15-3 and earned a No. 2 seed in the CIAC Class LL tournament. They opened the competition on Wednesday night against 12-7 Hall of West Hartford, a 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23) first-round winner over New Britain.

A win would pit the ‘Hawks against the winner of the Greenwich (14-4)/Cheshire (15-4) match on Saturday.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

7th at CIAC State Open

For the lack of 14 measly points, the Newtown High School girls’ cross country team saw its 2006 season come to an end.

Even while winning their fifth consecutive South-West Conference tournament, the Lady Nighthawks had their sights set on a CIAC Class LL state championship, a strong finish in the CIAC State Opens, and a berth in the New England championships.

But at the Opens last week at Wickham Park in Manchester last week – where a sixth-place finish would earn a team a trip to Rhode Island for the New Englands – the ‘Hawks finished seventh, 14 points behind Guilford.

Lyman Memorial won the Open title with 136 points while Simsbury came in second with 155 points.

Jen Brill was Newtown’s top finisher and came in 50th overall (32nd in scoring) at 17:21. Elise DeRoo was 66th overall (and 45th in scoring) at 17:34 while Sara Pollock (87th overall – 17:48), Moira Collier (97th overall – 17:59) and Michelle Brennan (98th overall – 18:00) rounded out the scoring for the Lady Nighthawks.

Christie Attanasio (108th overall – 18:07) and Erin Nemeth (134th overall – 18:29) also competed.

The results –

TEAMS: 1. Lyman Memorial 136, 2. Simsbury 155, 3. Glastonbury 166, 4. Ridgefield 186, 5. Griswold 233, 6. Guilford 263, 7. Newtown 277, 8. Hall 282, 9. Amity 288, 10. Manchester 299, 11. Wilton 309, 11. Portland 309, 13. Guilford 319, 14. Fitch 329, 15. E.O. Smith 333, 16. Conard 337, 17. Mercy 363, 18. Old Lyme 374, 18. St. Barnard 374, 20. Darien 434, 21. RHAM 447, 22. Bristol Central 457, 23. Northwest Catholic 523.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Jamie Olson (Glastonbury) 15:46,  2. Heather Stephens (Ridgefield) 15:58, 3. Emma Perron (Conard) 16:04, 4. Erica Hines (Fermi) 16:15, 5. Kristin Mitchell (Glastonbury) 16:17, 6. Stacey Marion (Simsbury) 16:18, 7. Courtney Dinnan (Hamden) 16:19, 8. Amanda Sumner (Bristol Eastern) 16:19, 9. Kelly Sorrell (Lyman Memorial) 16:19, 10. Moira Kenny (Immaculate) 16:20, 11. Dana Troy (Lyman Memorial) 16:20, 12. Caitlin Cannon (Conard) 16:26, 13. Christina Wells (Shepaug Valley) 16:26, 14. Lilly Spratt (Old Lyme) 16:27, 15. Jenna London (Hall) 16:27, 16. Christine Vogel (Glastonbury) 16:28, 17. Abby Singer (Fitch) 16:29, 18. Stephanie Bohannon (Hall) 16:30, 19. Kathleen Elliot (Guilford) 16:31, 20. Irene Kalbian (Cheshire) 16:32, 21. Katherine Fitton (Lyman Memorial) 16:33, 22. Katherine Bossardet (Ledyard) 16:36, 23. Kendall Lyons (Wilton) 16:37, 24. Faye McKenna (Mercy) 16:44, 25. Stephanie Slonski (Griswold) 16:46, 50. Jennifer Brill (Newtown) 17:21, 66. Elise DeRoo (Newtown) 17:34, 87. Sara Pollock (Newtown) 17:48, 97. Moira Collier (Newtown) 17:59, 98. Michelle Brennan (Newtown) 18:00, 108. Christie Attanasio (Newtown) 18:07, 134. Erin Nemeth (Newtown) 18:29.

SWIMMING

7th at SWC Championships

Jaclyn Van Waalwijk grabbed a fourth-place finish in the 50 freestyle and a sixth-place finish in the 100 freestyle and at the end of the day it was the best performance for Newtown High School last week at the South-West Conference swimming and diving championships.

The Lady Nighthawks – the defending SWC champions who suffered some tough graduation losses along with the losses of key swimmers who decided to concentrate on their club programs – slipped all the way to seventh place this year with Pomperaug, Lauralton Hall and New Fairfield garnering the top three positions and Weston, Brookfield and Masuk following.

Van Waalwijk was a mere .34 seconds off the winning time in the 50 freestyle but almost a full two seconds off the winning time in the 100 freestyle. Meanwhile, Nicole Borruso earned a fourth-place finish in diving with 295.95 points, coming in behind a triumvirate of Weston divers.

The 200 freestyle relay team had Newtown’s only other top six finish, coming in fifth.

The results –

TEAMS: 1. Pomperaug 389, 2. Lauralton Hall 359, 3. New Fairfield 347, 4. Weston 333, 5. Brookfield 267, 6. Masuk 224, 7. Newtown 195, 8. Bunnell 194, 9. New Milford 156, 10. Barlow 143, 11. Stratford 99.

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

 

200 medley relay – 1. New Fairfield (Donovan, Cassidy, Stockmann and Walker) 1:57.10, 2. Pomperaug 1:58.58, 3. Lauralton Hall 1.58.68, 4. New Milford 2:01.01, 5. Bunnell 2:01.62, 6. Weston 2:02.48.

200 freestyle – 1. O’Leary (Brookfield) 2:01.70, 2. Pappas (Bunnell) 2:02.14, 3. Fortin (Weston) 2:03.17, 4. Bette (Pomperaug) 2:03.27, 5. Finnerty (New Fairfield) 2:04.24, 6. Phillips (Weston) 2:04.70.

200 individual medley – 1. O’Neil (Lauralton Hall) 2:14.63, 2. Lang (Masuk) 2:15.92, 3. Border (Weston) 2:18.79, 4. Magin (Brookfield) 2:20.94, 5. Librizzi (Brookfield) 2:21.35, 6. McAdams (Joel Barlow) 2:22.38.

50 freestyle – 1. Garrity (Pomperaug) 25.97, 2. Cihi (Lauralton Hall) 26.16, 3. Reilly (Pomperaug) 26.20, 4. Vanwaalwijk (Newtown) 26.31, 5. Chmielewski (Bunnell) 26.48, 6. Massey (Stratford) 26.50.

Diving – 1. DiMarco (Weston) 371.15 points, 2. Brasco (Weston) 337.80, 3. Dittmar (Weston) 299.55, 4. Borruso (Newtown) 295.95, 5. Serock (Masuk) 284.15, 6. Forsythe (Weston) 266.10.

100 butterfly – 1. Lang (Masuk) 1:01.48, 2. Librizzi (Brookfield) 1:02.79, 3. McAdams (Joel Barlow) 1:03.80, 4. Marrese (Brookfield) 1:04.12, 5. Cassidy (New Fairfield) 1:04.46, 6. Border (Weston) 1:05.04.

100 freestyle – 1. Mesavage (Bunnell) 55.49, 2. Fortin (Weston) 55.73, 3. Magin (Brookfield) 56.66, 4. Garrity, 56.95, 5. Reilly (Pomperaug) 57.07, 6. Vanwaalwijk (Newtown) 57.46.

500 freestyle – 1. Pappas (Bunnell) 5:25.64, 2. O’Leary (Brookfield) 5:28.93, 3. Honrath (Masuk) 5:31.81, 4. Bette (Pomperaug) 5:33.17, 5. Finnerty (New Fairfield) 5:33.68, 6. Broderick (Pomperaug) 5:40.

200 freestyle relay – 1. Brookfield (Librizzi, Lanchak, Magin and O’Leary) 1:43.63, 2. Pomperaug 1:44.69, 3. Weston 1:46.02, 4. Lauralton Hall 1:48.30, 5. Newtown 1:48.46, 6. New Fairfield 1:49.14.

100 backstroke – 1. McKnight (Weston) 1:02.58, 2. Mesavage (Bunnell) 1:02.63, 3. Bohn (Lauralton Hall) 1:04.39, 4. Cassidy (New Fairfield) 1:05.26, 5. Bladek (Lauralton Hall) 1:06.29, 6. Van Sauter (New Fairfield) 1:06.86.

100 breaststroke – 1. O’Neil (Lauralton Hall) 1:08.78, 2. Stockmann (New Fairfield) 1:09.38, 3. Malski (Lauralton Hall) 1:11.90, 4. Fitzmaurice (Lauralton Hall) 1:12.41, 5. Krizan (Pomperaug) 1:12.65, 6. Walker, 1:13.00.

400 freestyle relay – 1. Brookfield (Heather Librizzi, Gabby Wortman, Beth Magin and Kate O’Leary) 3:47.39, 2. Weston 3:48.65, 3. Pomperaug 3:50.40, 4. New Fairfield 3:54.74, 5. Bunnell 3:54.80, 6. Lauralton Hall 3:54.98.