By Kim J. Harmon

 

There was no shortage of major Newtown sports stories in the year 2005, not with four athletes signing on to major Division I programs, one team earning its fourth consecutive conference championship, another earning its first CIAC Class L state championship, another winning its first CIAC State Open championship, and a 10-year-old baseball team qualifying for the Cal Ripken World Series in Russellville, Arkansas.

Those were all big.

Huge, in fact.

Pick one as the top story of 2005 ... go ahead. Any one of them fits the bill.

But our favorite story of the year came in late May when the Newtown High School softball team put together a dramatic 3-0 extra-inning win over previously undefeated Lauralton Hall in the semi-finals of the South-West Conference tournament.

No, it didn’t win the Lady Nighthawks a championship – in fact, the locals were downed, 2-1, the next night by Masuk – but it certainly was the most thrilling game of the year. With the score knotted 0-0 in the top of the eighth, the ‘Hawks (who had struck out 16 times and managed just two singles) finally got to Lauralton Hall ace Kim Ovittore.

Lisa Morgan reached first on an error to lead off the inning, but Melissa Fracker – running for Morgan – languished at first as Emily Blewett popped out on an attempted sacrifice bunt and Tenney was fanned by Ovittore. But with two outs, Joanna Barry blooped a single to leftfield and Meg LaFlamme followed with a lashing double to centerfield that scored Fracker and Barry and gave the ‘Hawks all the runs they would need. Sam Ciaccia, though, followed with a hard single that scored LaFlamme and put the ‘Hawks ahead, 3-0.

“We wanted to make history,” LaFlamme said at the time.

And they did.

Sure, it’s not as major a story as four athletes taking their careers to top-level collegiate programs or a group of 10-year-old ballplayers battling it out for a World Series championship, but in its own right it is a top story of 2005.

JANUARY

The Newtown High School girls basketball team captured the 23rd annual Masuk Holiday Tournament with a thrilling, 32-31, win over the Lady Panthers in the championship. Ashley LaRocque – the tournament MVP – sank a free throw with 14 seconds left to play.

Anthony Santella canned six three-point baskets and scored 25 points to lead the Newtown High School boys’ basketball team to its first win of the 2004-05 season, a 55-52 defeat of Weston.

The Newtown girls’ eighth-grade traveling basketball team earned a second-place finish at the New Castle Tournament in New York. Jen Brewer and Nora Lynn Shimko were the offensive stars, but the locals fell to Yorktown, 40-27, in the final.

Jake DeVellis, Kenton Lord, Jason Kostecki, Bret LeBlanc and coach Mark Collins of the Newtown Pop Warner Midgets were presented with All Star awards at the annual Pop Warner Candlewood Valley League banquet.

Ryan Morrissey leapt 5-6 in the high jump for the Newtown High School indoor track and field team at a South-West Conference developmental meet at Staples High School in Westport.

Joe Pa – Joe Paterno, the head coach of the Penn State football team – dropped in to Newtown High School to touch base with recruit Brennan Coakley, who had made a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions the previous November.

Bob Pattison recorded what may the most thrilling win in Newtown High School wrestling history when he rallied back from a 3-1 deficit against Ben Haddon of Brookfield with 12 seconds left in the final period. On the whistle, Pattison earned an almost immediate escape for one point and then raced across the mat to take Haddon down for two more points and the win.

John Quinn, head coach of the Newtown High School boys’ basketball team, was announced as The Newtown Bee 2004 Sportsman of the Year. Coach Quinn’s organizes and runs the annual Giorno 3-On-3 Basketball Tournament and the Rising Stars Summer Basketball League.

The Newtown High School cheerleaders finished fifth at the South-West Conference championships in Newtown.

FEBRUARY

On perhaps the biggest day in Newtown High School sports history, three athletes sign their National Letters of Intent to play at Division I programs in 2005. Brennan Coakley joined the Penn State football program, Dan Cascone joined the University of Wisconsin football team, and Marcus Tracy joined the Wake Forest men’s soccer team.

The Newtown High School indoor track and field teams did moderately well at the South-West Conference championships with the girls finishing third and the boys finishing fourth. Sadie Ball finished first in the 1,600-meter race.

The Newtown boys seventh-grade travel basketball team improved to 16-0-1 and clinched the FCBL North Division title. The locals defeated Brookfield in overtime and routed New Fairfield to earn the title.

The Newtown High School football team was presented with the Sportsmanship Award from the Colonial Football Officials Association of Connecticut for displaying superb sportsmanship throughout the 2004 season.

The 200 medley relay team of Anthony Fiore, Jake Maher, Andrew Heller and Chris Jacob broke a 27-year-old school record and, incredibly, still finished second as the Newtown High School swim team fell to New Fairfield, 95-89.

Newtown High School wrestler Alex Read captured the South-West Conference 189-pound championship with a 6-3 win over Doug Sutherland of Brookfield. The Nighthawks, meanwhile, finished seventh overall.

The Newtown High School cheerleading team competed at the 2005 National Championships in Orlando, Florida. The Lady Nighthawks spent months fundraising (with a clever Flamingo-A-Friend program) in order to make the trip.

The 4x400 medley relay team of Julie Landin, Whitney Allison, Colleen Thornberg and Sadie Ball set a school record and finished 15th at the CIAC State Open indoor track championships. They set the mark at 4:18.27, some 13 seconds off the previous school record.

The Newtown Middle School boys’ basketball team completed its 2004-05 season at 14-0 with a regular-season win over Memorial and wins over Bethel and Jockey Hollow in the Jockey Hollow Tournament. Jake DeVellis scored 27 points and was 16-of-20 from the foul line in the win over Jockey Hollow.

The formation of a Newtown/Sandy Hook vintage base ball team was announced by Ray Shaw of Newtown. Created to participate in the Newtown Tercentennial Celebration, the team (formally named the Newtown Sandy Hooks) played a modest summer schedule against teams from Hartford, Waterbury, Pittsfield and Providence.

The Mako swim team of the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut captured its first Yankee Cluster title in 10 years with the help of several Newtown swimmers. Jen Iassogna, Amy Robinson, Lizanne Kroon, Biotta Hung, Meghan Dawley, AJ Kiss, Marlene Kroon, Emma Whitley-Rodriguez, Matt Iassogna, Abben Hung, Jaclyn Daily, and Christian Edwards van Muijen all had a share in the title.

MARCH

Andrew Heller of Newtown enjoyed a two-second win over Matthew Noonan of Weston in the 100-yard butterfly at the South-West Conference championships. Heller also joined Anthony Fiore, Jake Maher and Chris Jacob to bring home a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay, just .29 seconds behind Brookfield. Later, that medley relay team – along with the 400 freestyle relay team of Max Barrett, Stefan Toi, Heller and Jacob – set new school records at the CIAC Class L championships.

The Newtown sixth-grade boys, sixth-grade girls and fifth-grade girls all captured Fairfield County Basketball League championships. Respectively, the local teams defeated New Canaan, Ridgefield and New Fairfield.

The Newtown Markettes finished third at the first-ever South-West Conference dance competition at Brookfield High School. Two members of the famed Knick City Dancers held a clinic earlier in the morning and then performed at the competition.

Dan Baker of Newtown announced that he will step down as the tournament director of the Buick Championship (once known as the Greater Hartford Open). He accepted a position as Senior Director of Golf at Octagon, an international sports marketing firm.

The Suns (Intermediate Girls), Pacers (Junior Girls), Bullets (Intermediate Boys) and Wildcats (Junior Boys) all capture Newtown Youth Basketball Association championships.

APRIL

Newtown Pop Warner Football announced it was switching affiliations to American Youth Football. According to president Mike McNamara, the rules of play under AYF “are a better match for our needs and a benefit to many.”

The Average Joe’s – with Melissa Mason scoring 11 points and Emily Nezvesky tossing in 10 – captured the Senior Girls League championship with a 31-24 win over the Purple Pirates.

More than 140 youth anglers took out their fishing poles and their bait and went after the big fish at the Dickinson Town Park pool for the annual Newtown Fish and Game Club Children’s Fishing Derby. Ryan Patrick, 5, went home with the largest fish of the day.

Denmo’s defeated Walsh Logging, 57-51, in overtime to capture The Gym at Newtown Women’s Basketball League championship. Katie Abromovitch canned 33 points – 10 of those in the extra session – to lead her team to the win.

MAY

The Newtown High School baseball team defeated Bethel, 8-3, and qualified for the CIAC state tournament for the first time in eight years. Pitcher Steve Marks earned the complete-game win three days after firing a 7-0 complete-game shutout over Notre Dame. Later that month, the Nighthawks visited the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and played a nine-inning game with Pomperaug on Doubleday Field.

After starting the season at 2-4, pitcher Lisa Morgan fired five consecutive shutouts and ran a personal scoreless innings streak to 36. Later in the month, Morgan fanned six batters in a 4-0 win over Stratford and while doing that earned her 50th career win and became the school’s all-time strikeout leader, surpassing Cathy Byrne.

Bethany Morin and Allie Clement officially took over the www.nighthawknation.com web site from founder Kyle Lyddy. After cutting their teeth and learning the ropes for a couple of months, the pair started managing the site during the spring season.

The Newtown High School girls’ track and field team captured its second consecutive South-West Conference championship. Alex Konneker took first place in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes while Sadie Ball took first in the 800- and 1,600-meter races. The pair also combined with Remy Ball and Ciara Simek to earn another first-place finish in the 4x400 relay.

It was Training Day for dozens of youth soccer players in Newtown as Major League Soccer Camps returned to the Newtown Middle School field for another weeklong clinic.

The Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team defeated Joel Barlow, 11-8, to capture the South-West Conference championship as goaltender Kerrie Canavan made 15 saves and earned Most Valuable Player honors.

Jenna Moser and Katie Serock of the Newtown High School girls’ tennis team earned a South-West Conference doubles championship. Emily Fields and Jill Tanner reached the finals of the No. 1 doubles field, but fell to Julia and Marta Jachowicz of Joel Barlow.

The Strikers (Boys U12) and Power (Girls U11) earned titles at the Newtown Soccer Club’s annual Memorial Day Kickoff Tournament.

In one of the most impressive wins – and one of the most thrilling contests – in the history of the Newtown High School softball program, the Lady Nighthawks shutout undefeated Lauralton Hall, 3-0, in the semi-finals of the South-West Conference tournament. The ‘Hawks scored all three runs in the top of the eighth inning as Meg LaFlamme drilled a two-out, two-run single off Hall ace Kim Ovittore.

JUNE

At the 31st annual Rockin’ Rooster Run, Sergio Ribeiro of Danbury won her third consecutive men’s open title while Caroline White won her first women’s open title.

Marcus Tracy of the Newtown High School boys’ track and field team and Alex Konneker of the girls’ track and field team captured CIAC Class LL 400-meter titles. Tracy defeated Steven Rochester of Danbury while Konneker breezed past Elsa Millet of Manchester.

The Newtown Sandy Hooks vintage base ball team saw its first action of the year in doubleheader action with the Hartford Senators. A week later, the Hooks defeated the Mudville Nine, 6-2, at the Glastonbury Vintage Base Ball Tournament.

Bob Pattison and Casey Frobey are named Newtown High School Athletes of the Year by The Newtown Bee.

Carol Lipnick and Max Barry earned Women’s and Men’s Open Singles titles at the annual Newtown Open Tennis Tournament, sponsored by the Newtown Tennis Association.

The Newtown Power 11-and-under travel soccer team captured the Maine Summer Coastal Challenge championship. The Power defeated the Delta Force, 2-1, in the finals on a pair of goals by Leah Barrett. Ali Fuentes and Molly Mahony had assists.

Steve Marks and Lisa Morgan of the Newtown High School baseball and softball teams, respectively, are named All-State.

JULY

The Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball teams began their assault on state and local competition with the 10- and 12-year-olds capturing state championships. The 10s rallied back from a 4-0, first-inning deficit and defeated Woodbridge for their title while the 12s defeated Southbury twice for their title. The 10s went on to defeat Gorham, Maine, for the New England Regional championship and earned a trip to the Cal Ripken World Series in Russellville, Arkansas.

Andy Lapple and Ryan Goodridge had one of the most impressive shooting performances in the history of the Rising Stars Summer Basketball League when they combined for 45 points and 13 three-pointers for the North Carolina Tarheels. Amazingly, the Tarheels fell to UConn, 72-69, even as Lapple and Goodridge combined to shoot 13-of-16 from beyond the arc.

Base ball returned to Cady Mountain when the Newtown Sandy Hooks hosted the Waterbury Connors at McLaughlin Vineyards. One hundred and ten years earlier, the Hops and Sodas gathered almost at the same spot for a base ball contest … the earliest known reference to baseball in Newtown.

The Newtown 11-year-old All Star team earned its third consecutive state championship with a 2-1 win over West Norwalk.

The Newtown 12-and-under travel softball team blasted Darien to win the Fairfield County Fastpitch Softball League (FCFSL) championship. Rachel Ruiz (.600 with two doubles and a homer) and Kate Bowen (.590 with two doubles, two triples and a homer) are two of the many offensive stars.

AUGUST

At the Cal Ripken World Series in Russellville, Arkansas, the Newtown Bombers 10-and-under travel team won a pair of games but was bounced from the tournament by Florida. Chad Magoulas had the best highlight of all, blasting a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning against Kenner, Louisiana. Dan Poeltl (who was pictured on the cover of The Russellville Courier’s edition of 1st Inning) and Jon Hull were later named to the All-Defensive team.

The Newtown Sandy Hooks and Hartford Senators dueled in a vintage base ball match for the Newtown Tercentennial Celebration.

The Newtown Blaze 11-year-old All Star team won its third straight New England championship with an 8-0 win over Keene, New Hampshire. The Blaze posted a 33-5 record for the summer, finishing with 24 consecutive wins.

The Fireside Inn and Curtis & Crandon captured division titles in the Newtown Women’s Slo-Pitch Softball League. Fireside slipped past the Special Ks in the final inning while C&C pinned a loss on tre Regazze for the title.

SEPTEMBER

The Newtown Blue & Gold Booster Club began a massive fundraising campaign on Labor Day weekend for its Blue & Gold Stadium Revitilization Plan. Beside upgraded stadium facilities, the plan includes a new turf field that would open to stadium to more teams and more games.

Former Newtown High School golf coach Jim Casagrande and former Newtown High School quarterback Mike Newman are named to the Newtown Sports Hall of Fame.

George Zaruba scored 22 points to lead UConn to defeat Duke, 73-66, for the Rising Stars Summer Basketball League championship.

The Newtown Roadrunners 13-and-under girls travel soccer team opened the fall season by defeating Ridgefield in the final of the Ridgefield SCOR Warm-Up Tournament. Casey Rutter posted three shutouts, including a 2-0 blanking of Ridgefield in the final.

Tyler Ruefenacht (boys 10 and under), Christina Ciamarra (girls 14 and under), Christina Gould (girls 10 and under), Will Culligan (boys 10 and under), Timo Roehrs (boys 14 and under) and Emily Fields (girls 18 and under) all earned titles at the annual Coopersmith Cup Tennis Tournament sponsored by the Newtown Tennis Association and the Richard Coopersmith family.

Erin Carolan became the all-time kills leader for the Roger Williams University women’s volleyball team after registering her third kill in a 30-25, 21-30, 30-26, 30-28 win over Connecticut College in New London.

The Newtown High School field hockey team had its most explosive offensive output in … well, perhaps forever as it clobbered Joel Barlow, 6-1. Co-captain Erin Clark had a pair of goals in the effort.

Hurd Construction captured the Men’s Sunday Slo-Pitch Softball League championship with Tom Wyatt, Bob McHugh, Jay Edwards, Kyle Trocolla, Mike Toscano, Willy Lancaster, Jim Towson, Bill Hurd, Frank Lancaster, Karl Svensson, Mark Fracker, Mike Lancaster, Mike Clyne and Jack Huray leading the way.

The Newtown Sandy Hooks and the Providence Game Hens met in a vintage base ball match at Rogers Park in Danbury to benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The local ballists pounded the Hens, 21-9.

OCTOBER

The Newtown High School girls cross country team completed the 2005 regular season undefeated and then went on to capture its fourth consecutive South-West Conference championship. Sadie Ball (second) and Elise DeRoo (third) were the top two Newtown finishers at the SWC championships.

The Newtown High School athletic complex was formally dedicated to long-time coaching legends Harold S. DeGroat and Ann Anderson. A new monument at the front of the walkway leading to the back fields stands as a tribute to the two coaches who brought organized scholastic sports to Newtown.

It was another thrilling win over Masuk for the Newtown High School volleyball team, a 3-2 win the Lady Nighthawks earned without the presence of middle hitter Diana Grimaldi. Co-captain Becky Huot (seven kills, seven digs) and Morgan Knees (five aces) had strong performances.

NOVEMBER

 

Newtown Bee production assistant Frank LaPak was honored by the Norwalk Old Timers Athletic Association at its 43rd annual Awards Dinner at the Continental Manor in Norwalk.

After finishing second at the South-West Conference championships and fourth at the CIAC Class LL championships, the Newtown High School boys cross country team stunned just about everyone when it captured the CIAC State Open championship and qualified for the New England championships. The ‘Hawks – with Alister Ratcliff, Eric MacKnight and Zach Schwartz all earning All-State honors – overcame powerhouses Amity and New Milford for the title.

The Newtown High School baseball team broke ground and constructed new dugouts at its field behind the school. With the players and coaching staff doing most of the work (with the assistance of some local contractors), the dugouts were put up in a couple of weekends and will be finished in the spring prior to the start of the baseball season.

The Newtown Junior Pee Wee Gold football team advanced to the finals of the Central Valley Football League championship, but was defeated by Ridgefield, 22-14, in overtime. The locals had a 14-0 lead, but could not hold on.x

The Newtown High School girls’ swim team (with a 32-meet unbeaten streak) earned its second consecutive South-West Conference championship and shortly after earned its first CIAC Class L state championship with a stunning – and convincing – defeat of Staples. Freshman Dana Gnerre was named Most Valuable Swimmer at the SWC meet with two individual first-place finishes. In the Class L championships, divers Shannon Kennedy, Melissa Metzger and Nicole Borruso finished second, third and fourth while the 400 freestyle relay team of Jenna Van Waalwijk, Sally Tabler, Maricate Conlon and Abby Atkinson captured a first-place finish with a school-record time of 3:40.94 … which was only one of five new school records set at the meet.

Despair in the SWC tournaments – the Newtown High School boys’ soccer team saw its hopes for a second straight conference title fade away with a 1-0 loss to Joel Barlow in championship game; the girls’ soccer team was stopped, 1-0, by Bunnell in the semi-finals; and the volleyball team, which reeled off 13 consecutive regular-season wins, was blanked, 3-0, by Bunnell in the championship match.

It was another successful day at Newtown High School for the annual John Giorno 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.

The Newtown High School football team closed out the 2005 season with a 15-15 tie at Masuk. Chris Potter (60 yards) and Marc Ingerman (69 yards) had two long touchdowns for the Nighthawks.

More than 50 Newtown High School athletes are honored with All-South West Conference selections. Later, in December, it is announced that 18 NHS athletes are named All-State, three are named All-New England, and two are named All-American.

DECEMBER

 

In a 72-50 win over Plattsburgh State, Lisa Masella of Newtown dropped in the 1,000th point of her Western New England College women’s basketball career.

Josh Freitas of Newtown earns a spot on the Junior Rangers Pee Wee hockey club and participated in the prestigious Bell Challenge Cup Tournament in Ontario, Canada over the Christmas Holiday weekend.

In yet another thrilling match on the home mat, the Newtown High School wrestling team rallied back from a 23-0 deficit to defeat rival Masuk to open the 2005-06 season. The Nighthawks went on to defeat Joel Barlow and Pomperaug to improve to 3-0.

The Newtown High School girls’ basketball team won two of its first three games and, in the process, snapped two-time defending state champion Kolbe-Cathedral’s 32-game winning streak.

Josh Rouse, former quarterback/linebacker of the Newtown High School football team, made a verbal commitment to play football at Michigan State. Rouse, who spent one year at the Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania, will start school in January and be involved in spring practice.