“Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.” – Orison Swett Marden

 

By Kim J. Harmon

Hey, if the so-called “worst” team this past season at Newtown High School finished with a .600 winning percentage and went to a South-West Conference championship game, isn’t it pretty obvious that it was a mind-bogglingly successful fall?

With a combined 94-22-10 record (that’s a winning percentage of .786, by the way), the name Newtown was bandied about whenever the prospects of a conference championship were discussed … in virtually every sport.

The girls’ cross country team set the tempo and the tone in mid-October when it went 14-0 and won its sixth consecutive South-West Conference championship. A couple weeks after that, the volleyball, field hockey and boys’ soccer teams all reached their respective SWC championship games.

The only problem was, none brought home a title. Neither did the girls’ soccer team, which was shocked in the SWC semifinals by rival Bethel.

But it would be a pretty un-successful world if success was measured only in championships.

Girls Cross Country

The girls’ cross country team has set a standard of excellence that may never be equaled.

Come on, six consecutive championships?

The Lady Nighthawks took charge at the season-opening meet at Pomperaug High School in Southbury and Elise DeRoo served notice that she would be an elite runner in 2007.

As the ‘Hawks finished 14-0, DeRoo went on to win an SWC championship before finishing second at the CIAC Class LL championships and third at the CIAC State Open championships (with a time about 38 seconds faster than the week before).

Volleyball

With eight sweeps in their first 10 matches (and 12 total), the Lady Nighthawks coasted through the regular season and finished undefeated after a thrilling 3-2 win over Joel Barlow back on October 24.

Their road to an SWC and CIAC Class LL championship, though, was much more difficult.

The signs were there. The ‘Hawks had lost more games in their last four matches than they had in the previous 16 and after reaching the SWC finals, the season slipped away.

First it was a 3-1 loss to Joel Barlow in the SWC championship match.

Then it was a 3-2 loss to Norwich Free Academy in the second round of the state tournament.

And just like that, the season was over. But Morgan Knees established herself as one of the great middle hitters in the state while Jordyn Good, Megan Casey and Emily Loose helped give the ‘Hawks a formidable front line.

Girls Soccer

With juniors Tania Domingos and Kasey Schulz on the field, a new coach on the sidelines, and a 3-2 win over Masuk back on October 2, there were high hopes that this would be the year the ‘Hawks captured that elusive SWC championship.

The locals finished the regular season undefeated at 14-0-1 and then won a tough 2-1 decision over New Milford in the SWC quarterfinals, but then the whole thing unraveled.

After a 4-3 loss to rival Bethel in penalty kicks in the SWC semifinals, the ‘Hawks were stunned by Glastonbury, 2-0, in the second round of the CIAC Class LL state tournament.

Domingos and Schulz were spectacular all year, but the ‘Hawks also enjoyed fine seasons from Megan Hansen, Gabby Nastri, Emily Kluga and witnessed the emergence of the versatile Ally Modzelewski.

 

Boys Cross Country

The Nighthawks graduated so many runners from the 2006 team that no one expected much from them in 2007.

But with Kevin Hoyt leading the way, the ‘Hawks earned 10 regular season wins before finishing fifth at the SWC championships.

The locals got strong performances all year from guys like Jordan Reed, David Meyer and Alex DiNoto and seem to have a strong base to make up for the loss of nine more seniors this year.

Field Hockey

It was the best field hockey season in school history and it didn’t come to an end until the Nighthawks were finally stopped in the CIAC Class L championship game.

Terrific seasons by people like Courtney Gleason, Nicole Alberico, Lisa Isabella, Hannah Tenenbaum, Stephanie Paproski, Linda Magliocco, Libby Feltch and Caitlin Smiley propelled the ‘Hawks to a 13-4-4 record and through a dramatic run in the Class L tournament ... which included a thrilling come-from-behind win over Brien McMahon and a stunning win over No. 2 Greenwich.

The funniest – or most telling – thing about the season, discounting the Class L final, was that the ‘Hawks did not lose to any team other than Pomperaug.

And two of their ties (scoreless ones at that) were against New Milford.

So imagine – the locals were 0-3-2 against Pomperaug and New Milford and 13-1-2 against everyone else.

It was a season for the ages.

Football

The Nighthawks may not have been explosive, but they were unpredictable, especially with a quarterback like junior Jake DeVellis who could tuck it and run or heave it downfield to guys like Bob Lapple or Conor Martin.

Dramatic wins over New Fairfield, Notre Dame and Joel Barlow helped lead the ‘Hawks towards a CIAC Class LL playoff berth ... which a win over Masuk on the night before Thanksgiving could have secured for them.

Despite a great defensive effort, the ‘Hawks fell to the Panthers, 17-14, and saw their season come to an end. But all season long it was guys like DeVellis, Lapple, Martin, freshman kicker Rory Noonan, running back Kurt Nacewicz and defenders John Aminti, Tim Wheeler and Kyle McNamara carrying the team with solid performances.

Swimming

In a competitive South-West Conference, it appeared as if the Lady Nighthawks would be in for a major challenge.

But swimmers like seniors Emma Atkinson, Jaclyn Van Waalwijk, Lucy Remitz, Annie Hull and freshman Leah Barrett leading the way, the ‘Hawks captured seven of their 10 dual meets with nice wins over Bunnell, Weston, Brookfield and Masuk.

That did not translate all that well in the SWC championship meet, though, as the girls finished seventh overall.

Still, the 200 freestyle relay team went on to a 10th-place finish in the CIAC Class LL state championships and qualified for the CIAC State Open and that’s a pretty good finish.

Boys Soccer

For a program that had been known for its prolific offensive weapons like Mike Troy and Marcus Tracy, it was kind of jarring to witness a team that would have to get by on hard work and defense.

The ‘Hawks did a bit more than get by. It was that defense – and a new found level of hard work and determination – that helped the locals survive consecutive penalty kick wins over New Milford and Pomperaug to reach the SWC championship game.

A 1-0 loss to Joel Barlow there, and a 1-0 loss to Bristol Central in the CIAC Class LL state tournament, could not tarnish what the team had accomplished despite scoring just 37 goals in 19 games ... 25 of those coming in wins over New Fairfield, Notre Dame, Stratford and Bunnell.

Record-wise, the ‘Hawks had the least success of any Newtown fall team at 9-5-5, but they still accomplished a lot and helped Newtown High School enjoy one of its best falls ever.