By Kim J. Harmon

Newtown sports fans were treated to two spectacular contests this past week ... spectacular even though their beloved Nighthawks came out on the losing end in both.

The girls’ soccer team went through two halves, two overtime periods, and two rounds of the penalty kick shootout before finally succumbing to archrival Masuk, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the CIAC Class LL state tournament.

That was last Saturday.

On Monday, the volleyball team went through a grueling five-game match (two of those games going to deuce) before finally succumbing to Cheshire in the quarterfinals of its CIAC Class LL state tournament.

But as volleyball coach Tom Czaplinski put it, “If you’re going to end a season on a losing note, going out ... the way we played isn’t bad.”

VOLLEYBALL

Newtown 3, Hall 0

Cheshire 3, Newtown 2

They saved their best for last, but even then it wasn’t quite enough.

The Newtown High School volleyball team saw its season – and its hopes of another run-in with Bunnell – come to an end on Monday night with a thrilling 3-2 (25-19, 32-34, 25-15, 20-25, 14-16) loss to Cheshire in the CIAC Class LL state tournament quarterfinals.

After opening the 2006 season with 11 consecutive wins, the Lady Nighthawks stumbled a bit and won just six of their final 10 matches.

But they saved the best for last.

“I’m very proud of them,” said head coach Tom Czaplinski. “This was by far the most complete match we’ve played all year. If you’re going to end a season on a losing note, going out in five games the way we played isn’t bad.”

The ‘Hawks were ranked No. 2 in the state and played like it in Game #1 with a 25-19 win. Christie Iwanicki had five kills in the opener while Morgan Knees registered a pair of aces, a key block (with the aid of Meghan Casey) and a kill.

The locals were down early, but quickly rallied and maintained a lead – as much as five, as little as one – throughout the match until Jordyn Good finished things off with a kill.

The momentum wore off quickly, though, in a second game that turned into a marathon and may have ultimately been the decider.

Knees (eight kills) and Emily Loose (three kills and a block) had terrific performances at the net and the ‘Hawks, who were down as much as four points, rallied to send the game into deuce. Their downfall, though, was being unable to score the clincher while holding the advantage four different spots.

Taking advantage of a high pass off the speakers on the far side of the gym, Cheshire grabbed a 34-32 win to even up the match.

The ‘Hawks did not despair, though, and rebounded with a 25-15 win in Game #3. The locals jumped out to a 7-1 lead and went up as much as eight points while Iwanicki – still recovering from a hard knock suffered in the first game – had four kills down the stretch. The Lady Rams never got closer than four points.

“That was the biggest thing,” said coach Czaplinski, “winning that third game after the way we lost game two.”

The Lady Rams regained the momentum in the fourth game, though, taking an early 3-1 lead and easing their way to a 25-20 win to even the match. The ‘Hawks only led twice, at 1-0 and 11-10. Casey had a strong effort with a kill and an ace and Iwanicki had a great dig on the final volley that saw the Lady Rams grab the win.

In the deciding game, the Lady Rams once again jumped out to an early lead but things remained close down the stretch. Down 13-10, Knees and Loose registered kills to pull the ‘Hawks to within one and then, down 14-12, Good registered a kill and a soft ace to even things up at 14-14.

But her next serve hit the net to give the Lady Rams the lead and they quickly finished the match off with a hard ace.

“Outside of playing Bunnell and Bethel,” said coach Czaplinski, “we haven’t been in a lot of pressure-packed situations. But they did well here and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

The locals advanced to the quarterfinals with a 25-17, 25-15, 25-18 sweep of Hall. Knees had 11 kills and eight aces in the match while Iwanicki had 11 digs and 10 assists. Loose contributed six kills to the effort.

FIELD HOCKEY

New Milford 1, Newtown 0 (OT)

Familiar foes, familiar results.

Squaring off twice during the regular season and twice during the post-season, the Newtown High School field hockey team has become all too familiar with New Milford … but still unable to best their Route 7 rivals.

After losing to the Green Wave in the semi-finals of the South-West Conference tournament a couple of weeks ago, the Lady Nighthawks found themselves facing the Wave again in the first round of the CIAC Class L tournament.

Their previous three meetings had all been close, but the Class L battle at Brookfield High School was the closest of ‘em all.

“This was by far the most aggressive game they played all year,” said head coach Kathy Davey. “They wanted it so much.”

But the result was ultimately the same as Alex Carlson of New Milford scored the lone goal 1:12 into overtime to pin a 1-0 loss on Newtown.

“I came in thinking the fourth time would be the lucky time,” said Hannah Tenenbaum. “We know they, we’re friends with a few of them, and we know what they are about. I was really confident because all you need is that one goal.”

The Green Wave exerted a lot of pressure in the first half, but the ‘Hawks held tough and even out-shot their opponents 2-1. Providence seemed to be on the side of the ‘Hawks as, about 22 minutes into the second half, the Wave missed an open cage on a re-directed shot off a long hit. The locals also had an opportunity to snap the tie with just seconds left in regulation on a mad rush into the circle, but the Wave managed to clear the ball and send the game into an extra period.

But in the 7v7 session, the Wave quickly claimed the victory.

The Lady Nighthawks concluded the 2006 season with a sound 10-8-0-1 record.

“I’m so happy with the way this season turned out,” said Tenenbaum, “and I’m looking forward so much to next year.”

New Milford 1, Newtown 0

GOALS: New Milford – Alexa Carlson. SHOTS: Newtown – 4; New Milford – 5. SAVES: Newtown – Lisa Isabella 2; New Milford – Amelia Taylor 2. PENALTY CORNERS: Newtown – 5; New Milford – 17.

GIRLS SOCCER

Newtown 1, Naugatuck 0

Masuk 1, Newtown 0 (SO)

Would the fourth time be the charm?

The Newtown High School girls’ soccer team certainly hoped so when they squared off for the fourth time with archrival and undefeated Masuk last Saturday in the quarterfinals of the CIAC Class LL tournament.

But it wasn’t as the Lady Nighthawks dropped a heartbreaking, 1-0, decision in a penalty kick shootout.

“We lost to them twice already and we were the underdog,” said head coach Rupert de los Reyes. “There was no pressure on us and the girls played a great game.”

The game went to two rounds of penalty kicks, but goaltender Emily Kluga kept the ‘Hawks alive for that second round with a save on the fifth and deciding kick by Masuk. Megan Hansen, Kristi Nowak, Kasey Schulz and Kyla Miles all converted on their attempts.

In the second round, though, the ‘Hawks were not nearly as sharp and ultimately lost when their fifth kick sailed wide left.

In the South-West Conference finals a couple of weeks ago, the ‘Hawks were thoroughly stymied by the Lady Panthers to the point where the locals were barely able to get off a shot. Last Saturday, though, the ‘Hawks challenged the Panthers with their first shot inside the first few minutes.

With 16:47 left in the first, the locals had their best scoring opportunity when Tania Domingos was jammed on a shot attempt inside the box. It looked, for a moment, as if she would wriggle free of the two defenders but just as she uncorked the shot those defenders covered up and cleared.

The second half appeared to change the fortunes of both teams as Masuk challenged the net and Newtown struggled to clear on defense.

“The wind was a huge factor,” said coach de los Reyes, “and we were forced to defend for a huge portion of the game.”

Neither team was able to take advantage of the wind, though, and after 100 minutes of action the game remained a 0-0 draw.

“With a young group like this,” said coach de los Reyes, “if you told me we would be 17-3-1 at the end of the year and undefeated in the SWC heading into the conference finals, I would have thought you were crazy.”

Newtown 1, Naugatuck 0

GOALS: Newtown – Tania Domingos. ASSISTS: Newtown – Kristi Nowak. SHOTS: Newtown – 9; Nauagtuck – 4. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 4; Naugatuck – Lorena Gullotta 5.

Masuk 1, Newtown 0 (Shootout)

SHOTS: Newtown – 4; Masuk – 8; SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 3; Masuk – Hillary Singer 3.

FOOTBALL

Newtown 34, Weston 6

With little to gain with a victory over winless Weston, the Newtown High School football team seemed in a hurry to get it over with.

Three touchdowns in the first quarter – two of ‘em coming within the first four minutes – propelled the Nighthawks to a 34-6 win. The ‘Hawks improved to 8-1 and while missing out on a chance to play for the South-West Conference title, still have a shot at a CIAC Class LL playoff berth and would clinch that spot with a win over Masuk on November 22.

A loss to Masuk could still get the ‘Hawks in, but they would need some help elsewhere.

Last Saturday, senior quarterback Tucker Kass was 12-of-18 for 156 yards and four touchdowns while senior co-captain Joe DeVellis gained 66 yards of total offense while scoring two touchdowns. DeVellis got the offense moving less than two minutes into the game with a 17-yard touchdown run and about two minutes later, Kass hit Bob Lapple with a 19-yard scoring pass to put the locals up 13-0.

DeVellis was back in the end zone with two minutes left in the period, catching a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kass to stake the ‘Hawks to a 20-0 lead. Lapple grabbed Kass’ third TD spiral, a 13-yard toss with 1:30 left in the half that put the ‘Hawks ahead 27-0. Less than four minutes into the second half, Kass hit Jake DeVellis with a 17-yard pass to close out the Newtown scoring for the afternoon.

Newtown rushed for 111 yards as Mike Lago, Charlie LoBosco and Gabe Giusti all had a chance to contribute. Kass completed 12 passes and spread the ball around to five different receivers on the day.

Newtown 34, Weston 6

First quarter: Newtown – Joe DeVellis 17 run (Nelson kick); Newtown – Lapple 19 pass from Kass (kick failed); Newtown –Joe DeVellis 14 pass from Kass (Nelson kick). Second quarter: Newtown – Lapple 13 pass from Kass (Nelson kick). Third quarter: Newtown – Jake DeVellis 17 pass from Kass (Nelson kick). Fourth quarter: Weston – Dylan Hannum 13 run (run failed).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Newtown – Joe DeVellis 4-33, Mike Lago 1-24, Tyler Tarantino 3-23, Scott Perry 10-13, Jake DeVellis 3-10, Charlie LoBosco 3-4, Chris Potter 3-3, Gabe Giusti 1-1; Weston – Dylan Hannum 17-65, Remy Bolea 6-63. Passing: Newtown –

Tucker Kass 12-18-1, 156 yards, Jake DeVellis 1-1-0, 17 yards; Weston – Robbie Cordisco 5-14-3, 18 yards. Receiving: Newtown – Jake DeVellis 3-59, Bob Lapple 3-39, Joe DeVellis 4-33, Mike Kennedy 2-25, Brendan Martin 1-17; Weston – Jacob Peyser 2-11, Dylan Hannum 1-9, Remy Dolea 2-minus 2.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

6th at New England Championships

It wasn’t a pileup on I-95 that slowed down the Newtown High School boys’ cross country team, it was the pileup on the Ponagansett High School course in North Scituate, Rhode Island.

Nearly 270 runners took to that course last weekend for the New England Championships and shortly into the race, the course forced runners to funnel into a narrow area. Some runners collided, legs got tangled up, and a large number – including the Newtown High School contingent – hit the dirt.

But although suffering some scrapes, cuts and bruises, the Newtown runners, significantly slowed, continued on and finished sixth overall with 273 points behind Connecticut competitors Danbury (1st – 108), Glastonbury (2nd – 108) and New Milford (5th – 257).

Eric Macknight was to top Newtown finisher, coming in 35th overall at 16:15. Charlie Baldour was next, coming in 53rd overall at 16:48, while Zack Schwartz – usually No. 1 for the Nighthawks – came in 105th overall at 17:17.

Scott Nichols (109th – 17:19), Kevin Hoyt (116th – 17:23), Ryan Morrissey (143rd – 17:37) and Jordan Reed (203rd – 18:12) also ran well in spite of the collision.

The Nighthawks concluded a campaign in which they finished undefeated during the regular season, second at the South-West Conference championships, and third at the CIAC Class LL and CIAC State Open championships.

TEAMS: 1. Danbury 108, 2. Glastonbury 108, 3. Cape Elizabeth (Maine) 181, 4. Con-Val (New Hampshire) 242, 5. New Milford 257, 6. Newtown 273, 7. Xavier 275, 8. North Kingstown (Rhode Island) 284, 9. Amity 303, 10. Manchester Central (New Hampshire) 338, 11. Merrimack (New Hampshire) 340, 12. Mascenic (New Hampshire (354), 13. Pinkerton (New Hampshire) 354, 14. St. Johnsbury (Vermont) 366, 15. Champlain Valley (Vermont) 385, 16. East Greenwich (Rhode Island) 399, 17. Bishop Guertin (New Hampshire) 408, 18. Essex (Vermont) 417, 19. Bishop Hendricken (Rhode Island) 428, 20. Mount Mansfield Union (Vermont) 441, 21. La Salle (Rhode Island) 491, 22. Ellsworth (Maine) 509, 23. Lisbon (Maine) 567, 24. Barrington (Rhode Island) 603, 25. Scarborough (Maine) 624, 26. Chariho-Richmond (Rhode Island) 645, 27. South Burlington (Vermont) 667, 28. Cheverus (Maine) 687, 29. Bellows Free Academy (Vermont) 718, 30. Lewiston (Maine) 782.

INDIVIDUALS (Top 20): 1. Donald Cabral (Glastonbury) 15:29, 2. Adam Vess (Xavier) 15:34), 3. Tyler Clark (Lisbon, Maine) 15:37, 4. Matt Terry (Danbury) 15:52, 5. Matt Paulson (Manchester Central, New Hampshire) 15:54, 6. Robert Dugger (Glastonbury) 15:57, 7. Nick Williams (Poland, Maine) 15:59, 8. Scott Johnson (Old Lyme) 16:01, 9. Andrew Judd (Conard) 16:06, 10. Kyle Powers (St. Johnsbury, Vermont) 16:07, 11. Dan Ramsey (Essex, Vermont) 16:09, 12. Sam Sheehan (Caribou, Maine) 16:10, 13. Ken Bunnell (St. Johnsbury, Vermont) 16:10, 14. Michael Leven (Joel Barlow) 16:12, 15. Everett Hackett (Hall) 16:13, 16. Anthony Merra (Bishop Guertin, New Hampshire) 16:14, 17. Ethan Shaw (Falmouth, Maine) 16:14, 18. Daniel Pilz (Newington) 16:15, 19. Graham Egan (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) 16:15, 20. Alex McGrath (Con-Val, New Hampshire) 16:16, 35. Eric Macknight (Newtown) 16:40, 53. Charlie Baldour (Newtown) 16:48, 105. Zack Schwartz (Newtown) 17:17, 109. Scott Nichols (Newtown) 17:19, 116. Kevin Hoyt (Newtown) 17:23, 143. Ryan Morrissey (Newtown) 17:37, 203. Jordan Reed (Newtown) 18:12.