Date: Fri 18-Jun-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Quick Words:

NHS-athletes-Nighthawks

Full Text:

NHS Seniors Recall Their Best Sports Memories

BY KIM J. HARMON

That championship game . . . that record-setting performance . . . that

touchdown or goal or home run that brought the team back from the edge of ruin

-- these are the things that the athletes in the Newtown High School Class of

1999 will be taking with them as they move on through to another chapter in

their lives.

And these are the things that will -- even years from now -- no doubt survive

the passage of time and stand out on the vast quilt sewn out of many, many

scraps of memory.

The Class of 1999 was ushered off into its bold new world during ceremonies on

Monday night and this week about a dozen of them were asked about those

moments on the athletic fields that stand out, now, in a sharper focus that

may not ever fade.

There were some interesting responses.

For Eric Putnam, the best memory will have of his time with the basketball

team will be the final game of the 1998-99 season, when the Nighthawks --

beaten and bruised by a tough, tough season -- battled South-West Conference

powerhouse Stratford . . . but lost.

"We found out what kind of heart that team had," he said.

For volleyball player Jenn Corkum, who will be moving on to Division I Siena

College in the fall, her best memory also comes from a loss.

"Winning the state championship (in 1996) was great," she said, "but the best

moment, for me, is last year when we played Lauralton Hall. It was our Senior

Night and we lost, but it was the best game I ever played. It was such a good

feeling. I remember being so excited about what I did."

There are singular moments like those championships that, for obvious reasons,

will always live on.

Lauren Cross said, "As a field hockey player, it was the game against Windsor

in the state tournament. It went three overtimes and then a five penalty

stroke phase. All of us were standing there holding hands. It was the most

intense and, by far, the most memorable moment because (Windsor) was ranked

high and we hadn't made the states in 17 years."

Evin Liljengren, who played both field hockey and softball, remembers that

game as well, but also recalls, "my sophomore year when we played 17 innings

against one of the best softball teams in the state. We finally lost, but it

showed a lot of character."

Shana Eigen was part of two monumental moments in the past few years. " I'll

remember winning the state championship in volleyball my sophomore year and

beating Masuk in basketball my junior year."

For Jess Carino, her best moment came early on.

"I think it's my freshman year on the swim team as a whole," she said, "but

I'll always remember the medley relay team breaking the school record that

year. Three of us were freshmen."

And then there is Steve McCulloch, who would have to be one of the most

versatile of all the athletes at the high school since he has played football,

wrestling, track and lacrosse in his four years, and who didn't hesitate when

he said, " It would definitely have to be the Masuk (football) game on

Thanksgiving . . . beating one of the best teams in the state." Then he added,

"And wrestling -- that was the hardest thing I've done in my entire life."

Sean Cavanaugh will remember playing for the state championship in soccer in

the fall of 1998, as will Jeff Gasparini, who will also remember making the

All-State team in indoor track as a senior.

For Amanda Morici, who was one of the Lady Nighthawks' top performers on the

field hockey and softball fields will remember something that happened this

past winter.

"It would definitely have to be wrestling," she said, "going to the nationals

up in Michigan and receiving all-American honors."

And for Tara Fiscella, her best memories will come less from the specific and

more from the whole experience. "Swimming on the guys' swim team was an

all-around terrific experience. I'll always remember coach Reiff and coach

Strait and the camaraderie on the team."

These are the scraps of memory that may fade a little, or may fray a bit

around the edges as time goes on, but these will never disappear.