By Kim J. Harmon

Got oxygen?

Oh boy, the Newtown High School girls’ and boys’ basketball teams really ran their fans through the proverbial ringer last week as the Newtown-Pomperaug girls battled to the final three seconds of their game and the Newtown-New Milford boys battled to the final four-tenths of a second of their game.

Whew.

Well, the girls survived their game and went on to win two more to run their record to 8-4; the boys did not survive their game, but made up for it four days later with a thrilling, come-from-behind win over New Fairfield.

Meanwhile, the wrestling team made a statement with a big win over perennial powerhouse Bethel; the hockey team defeated rival Joel Barlow; the swimmers racked up two more wins; and the indoor track team continued to hone its skills for the upcoming South-West Conference championships.

Read on –

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Newtown 46, Pomperaug 44

Newtown 61, New Milford 47

Newtown 80, New Fairfield 42

After a couple of really easy wins kicked off the New Year, the Newtown High School girls’ basketball team had its mettle put to the test last week.

Siobhan Cooper canned a pair of free throws with 25.4 seconds left to lift Newtown past Pomperaug in a key South-West Conference tilt last Thursday. Ciara Simek added an insurance free throw with three seconds left and the Lady Nighthawks escaped Southbury with a 46-44 win.

“Pomperaug did a real good job testing us on our game,” said head coach Shawn O’Brien, “more than anyone else this year. They had a lot of offensive options and it really came down to one play. This was a tough game, on the road, and it’s a really big win for us.”

That win – coupled with wins over New Milford and New Fairfield – boosted Newtown to 8-4 overall, 5-1 in the SWC.

Although things were tight in the first period, an 8-0 run to open the second period seemed to give the Lady Panthers a firm hold on the game. But the ‘Hawks put together their own 8-0 run into the third period that gave them a 20-17 advantage.

Although the Panthers dropped in a pair of free throws to briefly regain the lead, the ‘Hawks went back up by five, 29-24, by the end of period thanks to a three-point bucket by Meg Kelley with five seconds left.

The ‘Hawks retained a tenuous hold on the lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but Pomperaug slipped ahead, 32-31, on a pair of free throws with 6:10 left. They would eventually go up as much as four points, but the ‘Hawks – with Katie O’Connor popping in a basket and two free throws with less than five minutes left – quickly tied the score.

But not until there was 1:23 left to play did the ‘Hawks regain the lead. Kelley drained a jumper to put the ‘Hawks on to top and Cooper – who was fouled on that play – added a pair of free throws to stake the ‘Hawks to a 43-40 lead.

It seemed to be the big momentum shifter, but the Panthers dropped in a pair of free throws with 57.4 seconds left and 45.9 seconds left to retake the lead, 44-43. But 20 seconds later, Cooper coolly dropped in her free throws for the final lead change of the game.

“We made a lot of clutch plays tonight,” said coach O’Brien.

The win provided a lot of impetus for the ‘Hawks, who went on to hammer New Milford (61-47) and New Fairfield (80-42).

In the win over New Milford, Kelley popped in 17 points, Cooper added 13 and Ashley LaRocque contributed 10. In the win over New Fairfield, Kacy Foehrenbach had a career-high 17 points (with a pair of three-pointers) while Christie Iwanicki had a career-high 14 points. LaRocque tossed in 12 points along the way.

The locals will host Joel Barlow on Friday before traveling to Stratford next Tuesday to take on Bunnell.

Newtown 46, Pomperaug 44

NEWTOWN (46): Meg Kelley 7 0-0 16, Darcy Fiscella 0 2-2 2, Katie O’Connor 1 5-6 7, Ashley LaRocque 2 0-0 5, Carly Curran 1 3-4 5, Ciara Simek 0 1-2 1, Siobhan Cooper 2 6-8 10, Kristi Nowak 0 0-0 0, Christie Iwanicki 0 0-0 0, Kacy Foehrenbach 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 13 17-22 46.

POMPERAUG (44): Tara Koliani 0 4-4 4, Danielle Ulacco 0 0-0 0, Jess Doyle 0 0-0 0, Jacqueline Johannes 5 5-9 15, Erin Herlihy 2 0-0 4, Carla Zinno 0 0-0 0, Amanda Shortt 2 2-3 6, Kait Coates 0 2-2 2, Lexi Allen 3 1-2 9, Paige Moore 1 2-4 4. TOTALS: 13 16-24 44.

Three-pointers: Meg Kelley (N) 2, Ashley LaRocque (N), Lexi Allen (P) 2.

Newtown 61, New Milford 47

NEW MILFORD (47): Sarah Cooper 2 0-0 4, Kelly Thomas 4 0-0 8, Amie Walston 0 0-0 0, Kristen Schwenk 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Dombroski 8 2-4 18, Kathy Sovero 3 4-5 10, Jackie Lindo 0 0-0 0, Meg Johnson 1 0-0 3, Kierstan Lurcott 0 0-0 0, Jess Richardson 1 2-2 4. TOTALS: 19 8-11 47.

NEWTOWN (61): Meg Kelley 8 0-0 17, Darcy Fiscella 1 0-0 2, Katie O’Connor 2 0-0 4, Ashley LaRocque 5 0-3 10, Carly Curran 2 3-6 7, Ciara Simek 2 0-0 4, Siobhan Cooper 5 3-4 13, Kristie Nowak 0 1-2 1, Christie Iwanicki 1 0-0 3, Kacy Foehrenbach 0 0-0 0, Jill Logan 0 0-0 0, Amy Kelley 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 26 7-15 61.

Three-pointers:  Meg Johnson (NM), Meg Kelley (N), Christie Iwanicki (N).

 

Newtown 80, New Fairfield 42

NEWTOWN (80): Meg Kelley 4 0-0 8, Darcy Fiscella 2 0-0 5, Katie O’Connor 0 0-0 0, Ashley LaRocque 6 0-1 12, Carly Curran 1 0-0 2, Ciara Simek 2 1-2 5, Siobhan Cooper 2 1-2 5, Kristie Nowak 3 0-2 7, Christie Iwanicki 7 0-0 14, Kacy Foehrenbach 7 1-1 17, Jill Logan 1 0-0 2, Amy Kelly 1 1-2 3. TOTALS: 36 4-10 80.

NEW FAIRFIELD (42): Amanda Fedigan 0 0-0 0, Jessica Lobraico 2 1-2 5, Jess Donovan 1 0-2 2, Alyse Valentini 4 0-1 9, Sheila Kissane 3 2-2 8, Laurie Noreika 2 2-2 6, Christina DeSimone 0 0-0 0, Kelly Hart 0 0-0 0, Kelly Macey 4 0-0 10, Victoria Rubits 0 0-0 0, Megan Brady 0 0-0 0, Sharon Testor 0 2-2 2. TOTALS: 16 7-11 42.

Three-pointers: Kacy Foehrenbach (N) 2, Macey (NF) 2, Fiscella (N), Valentini (NF).

WRESTLING

Newtown 46, Bethel 30

Newtown 57, McMahon 27

Newtown 45, Thomaston 27

Perhaps it is time for the rest of the teams in the South-West Conference to stand up and take notice of the Newtown High School wrestling team now that the Nighthawks have pinned a 46-30 defeat on the singlets of perennial powerhouse Bethel.

Two days removed from its first defeat of the regular season (a 46-22 loss to Stratford), the ‘Hawks overcame the Wildcats for the first time since head coach Al Potter took over the team seven years ago.

With that win – and wins over Thomaston and Brien McMahon on Saturday – the ‘Hawks have boosted their record to 6-1 overall.

“After a tough loss at Stratford last Monday the team rebounded with a big week and a huge win over Bethel,” said coach Potter. “I like where this team is heading … the kids have heart and guts.”

Kim Solheim set the tone early for the ‘Hawks against Bethel when she earned a second-period pin of Zach Hodza at 103 pounds. Solheim had been facing a nine-point deficit and Hodza appeared to have the upper hand when Solheim abruptly turned things around.

For most of the match, it was a matter of pin or be pinned. Out of 14 weight classes, 10 were decided by pin fall. Mike Rambone (112) and Steve Giacolone (119) also earned pins as the two schools battled to an 18-18 tie through six weight classes.

After Justin Bass (140) earned an 8-3 decision over Dylan Wolf and Colin O’Connor (145) earned a 10-7 decision over Josh Mancher, the ‘Hawks had a 24-18 lead. But the ‘Cats tied it right up when Mike Kapstein pinned Ryan Peters in 1:44 at 152 pounds.

But Skye Perry – unable to compete against Stratford due to an injury – broke that 24-24 tie when he pinned Anthony Kostek at 160 pounds with one second left in the first period. Bob Pattison then put the ‘Hawks on verge of the win when he earned an injury default over Chris Goodspeed at 171 pounds and Alex Read put things away with a 17-4 major decision over Tyler Gazetos at 189 pounds.

With the match decided, Brandon Thomas pinned Nate Boyarsky in 1:19 at 215 pounds.

“This is a breakthrough win for the program,” said coach Potter. “We knew that we had the potential to beat a good team like Bethel but at the same time, the kids had to believe this. They had to step it up. And that’s just what they did. I am very proud of them.”

Yes, it was a breakthrough win for the ‘Hawks and gave them a lot of momentum heading into last Saturday’s non-conference tri-match, where the ‘Hawks defeated Brien McMahon (57-27) and Thomaston (45-27).

Against McMahon, Mubaraq Von Schleusingen (103), Jeff Lipnick (119), Giacolone (135), Bass (140), Peters (152), Perry (160), Pattison (171), Alex Read (189) and Thomas (215) all earned pins. Rambone (125) had a narrow 4-2 decision over Joe Kwok for Newtown’s only other win.

Against Thomaston, Rambone (119), Lipnick (125), Ben Snyder (130), Giacolone (135) and Pattison (171) earned pins while Bass (140) worked out a 20-5 technical fall over James Far and O’Connor (145) earned a 14-2 major decision over Derek Hackert.

Ryan Peters (152) and Skye Perry (160) had the closest bouts of this battle, with Peters securing an 8-5 win and Perry falling 11-9. Read (189), meanwhile, defeated Justin Pepise, 12-6.

The ‘Hawks hosted Brookfield on Wednesday in a very early edition of Senior Night. The locals will be at Morgan on Saturday before returning to their home mat next Wednesday to square off against New Milford.

Newtown 46, Bethel 30

103: Kimberly Solheim (N) pinned Zach Hodza 3:48; 112: Mike Rambone (N) pinned Mike Kraver 3:30; 119: Brendan Ivan (B) pinned Jeff Lipnick 5:09; 125: Nick Palermo (B) pinned Andrew Kemetz 1:22; 130: Steve Giacolone (N) pinned PJ Hodza 5:10; 135: Jeremy Hodza (B) pinned Ben Snyder 0:54; 140: Justin Bass (N) dec. Dylan Wolf 8-3; 145: Colin O’Connor (N) dec. Josh Mancher 10-7; 152: Mike Kaptein (B) pinned Ryan Peters 1:44; 160: Skye Perry (N) pinned Anthony Kostek 1:59; 171: Bob Pattison (N) won by injury default over Chris Goodspeed; 189: Alex Read (N) major dec. Tyler Gazetos 17-4; 215: Brandon Thomas (N) pinned Nate Boyarsky 1:19; 275: Mike Denise (B) pinned Joel Minalgo 0:33.

Newtown 57, McMahon 27

103: Mubaraq Von Schleusingen (N) pinned John Edwards 0:16; 112: Milton Ramirez (M) dec. Dana Van Buskirk 7-2; 119: Jeff Lipnick (N) pinned Chris Casero 1:26; 125: Mike Rambone (N) dec. Joe Kwok 4-2; 130: Alex Kinkel (M) pinned Ben Snyder 5:21; 135: Steve Giacolone (N) pinned Brian McDowell 5:15; 140: Justin Bass (N) pinned Matt Federici 0:29; 145: Tim Phillips (M) pinned Colin O’Connor 3:37; 152: Ryan Peters (N) pinned Scott Spezzaro 1:47; 160: Skye Perry (N) pinned John Papachriston 2:27; 171: Bobby Pattison (N) pinned Max Westelle 2:49; 189: Alex Read (N) pinned Javoughr Prawl 1:26; 215: Brandon Thomas (N) pinned Sam Elefieriades 5:20; 275: Edwin Agosto (M) pinned Joel Minalgo 0:41.

Newtown 45, Thomaston 27

103: Jeff Ritucci (T) pinned Mubaraq Von Schleusingen 0:15; 112: Chris Bodner (T) pinned Dan Van Buskirk 0:45; 119: Mike Rambone (N) pinned Joe Nash 2:52; 125: Jeff Lipnick (N) pinned Mike Defiore 0:45; 130: Ben Snyder (N) pinned Colin Platt 3:15; 135: Steve Giacolone (N) pinned Ryan Ploord 1:12; 140: Justin Bass (N) tech fall over James Far 20-5; 145: Colin O’Connor (N) major dec. Derek Hackert 14-2; 152: Ryan Peters (N) dec. Brad Hackert 8-5; 160: John Mocetak (T) dec. Skye Perry 11-9; 171: Bobby Pattison (N) pinned Rob Rellkee 2:34; 189: Alex Read (N) dec. Justin Pepise 12-6; 215: Mike Skoupski (T) pinned Bryant Aliaga 3:25; 275: Justin Davon (T) pinned Joel Minalgo.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Newtown 64, Pomperaug 46

New Milford 66, Newtown 63

Newtown 58, New Fairfield 53

As Newtown and New Milford warmed up for the start of the second half in their South-West Conference boys basketball tilt last Friday night, junior guard Dave McLaughlin quietly tossed in four three-pointers in a row from the left wing and it would have been only of passing interest to anyone since McLaughlin has rarely seen the floor this year.

But what McLaughlin did during warm-ups was a mere foreshadowing of what was to take place in the second half as the Nighthawks – down six at the break – attempted to blow the Green Wave out of its own gym with a barrage of three-pointers.

McLaughlin hit three, freshman guard Kevin Troy hit three, senior guard Marcus Tracy hit two and senior guard Anthony Santella hit one as the ‘Hawks were 9-of-15 from beyond the arc in the second half alone … yet it wasn’t enough as Newtown – which held a three-point lead with 2:26 left to play – dropped a thrilling 66-63 decision to New Milford.

The ‘Hawks were down six at the half and went down as much as 11 when they began scorching the basket from downtown. Troy hit the first three of the half and, after Brennan Coakley banked in a putback, McLaughlin hit a pair of threes in succession as the ‘Hawks – on an 11-0 run – tied the score at 37-37.

The momentum shifted quickly, however, and New Milford put together a 9-0 run to close the third.

But Troy banked in a runner off the glass to start the fourth period, McLaughlin added his third three-pointer and Coakley scored in the post to bring the ‘Hawks to within two. After the Green Wave pushed its lead back up to seven, Troy and Tracy each hit a pair of three-pointers and with 2:26 left to play in the fourth quarter the ‘Hawks led for the first time, 56-53, since early in the first period.

The ‘Hawks were hot, shooting 8-of-9 from behind the arc in the second half, but then their hot hands began to grow cold.

The Green Wave took the lead back at the foul line with 1:52 left and went up as much as five points in the waning moments of the quarter. Santella drained a three-pointer with 6.2 seconds left to pull the ‘Hawks to within two.

New Milford attempted a long inbounds pass, but the ball bounced off the low ceiling and Newtown had a chance to tie. But Tracy – who scored 21 points on the night – had a runner roll off the front edge of the rim with 1.1 seconds left.

Tracy had another chance with 0.4 seconds left, but his desperation three was wide.

Troy finished with a career-high 13 points in the game while Coakley chipped in with 10 and McLaughlin added nine. Todd Ward of New Milford led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 15-of-17 from the free throw line.

The ‘Hawks had been hoping to put together some kind of a winning streak after pounding Pomperaug, 64-46, the day before. Coakley and Josh Rouse controlled the inside game and combined for 27 points to lead the way. Santella chipped in with 13 points and Tracy added 12.

But perhaps the locals started another winning streak after slipping past New Fairfield, 58-53, in overtime on Tuesday night. The ‘Hawks jumped out to an early lead, but the Rebels came back and built up a 10-point lead of their own with four minutes left to play.

The ‘Hawks rallied to tie the game, though, and won it in overtime as Coakley secured a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Santella canned 18 points while Tracy – with the aid of two three-pointers – dropped in 11.

And now the ‘Hawks (3-5 overall, 3-1 in the South-West Conference) will travel to Joel Barlow on Friday before returning home next Tuesday to face Bunnell.

Newtown 64, Pomperaug 46

POMPERAUG (46): Rick Rancourt 1 5-8 7, Jeff Langrock 7 1-2 15, John Sharkey 0 2-4 2, Brian McDonald 1 1-3 5, Steve Piorkowski 2 0-0 4, Dave Piccolo 1 4-7 6, Kenney Pun 1 0-2 2, Kyle Flisher 0 2-3 2, Ross Therrien 0 0-0 0, Tom Piccolo 1 0-0 3, Will Crick 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 14 17-29 46.

NEWTOWN (64): Brennan Coakley 6 2-4 14, Adam Drummond 0 0-0 0, Kevin Quinn 2 1-1 7, Josh Rouse 6 1-4 13, Anthony Santella 6 1-2 13, Marcus Tracy 5 0-0 12, Dave McLaughlin 0 0-0 0, Joey Devellis 1 1-2 3, Ryan McGrath 0 0-0 0, Kevin Troy 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 27 6-13 64.

Three-pointers: Marcus Tracy (N) 2, Kevin Quinn (N), Tom Piccolo (P).

New Milford 66, Newtown 63

NEWTOWN (63): Brennan Coakley 5 0-0 10, Kevin Quinn 0 1-2 1, Josh Rouse 0 0-0 0, Anthony Santella 2 0-0 5, Marcus Tracy 7 4-4 21, Dave McLaughlin 3 0-0 9, Joey Devellis 2 0-0 4, Ryan McGrath 0 0-0 0, Kevin Troy 5 0-0 13. TOTALS: 24 5-6 63.

NEW MILFORD (66): Todd Ward 6 15-17 27, Thomas Calhoun 2 5-8 9, Michael Paradiso 1 0-0 3, Rick Casagrande 0 0-0 0, Kevin Duffy 0 0-0 0, Greg Grant 2 2-4 6, Dennis Rosario 0 0-0 0, Chris Norlander 0 0-0 0, Andrew Schlemmer 3 3-6 9, Bobby Baird 5 0-0 12, Doug Kitchens 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 19 25-35 66.

Three-pointers: Marcus Tracy (N) 3, Dave McLaughlin (N) 3, Kevin Troy (N) 3, Bobby Baird (NM) 2, Anthony Santella (N), Michael Paradiso (NM).

Newtown 58, New Fairfield 53

NEW FAIRFIELD (53): Justin Nabozna 3 12-15 19, Mike Chamoures 6 0-0 12, Steve Cuff 2 0-0 6, Chris Kozlowski 0 0-0 0, Tom Surge 0 0-0 0, Max Cassidy 2 1-2 5, Tyler Schappach 2 0-0 6, Jesse Schwaber 0 0-0 0, Jimmy Wynimko 0 0-0 0, James Nabozna 2 1-2 5, Pat Cassidy 2 1-2 5. TOTALS: 17 14-19 53.

NEWTOWN (58): Brennan Coakley 6 3-3 15, Adam Drummond 0 0-0 0, Kevin Quinn 1 0-0 2, Josh Rouse 2 1-2 5, Anthony Santella 7 4-9 18, Marcus Tracy 2 5-6 11, Dave McLaughlin 0 0-0 0, Joey Devellis 3 0-0 6, Ryan McGrath 0 0-0 0, Kevin Troy 0 1-3 1. TOTALS: 21 14-23 58.

Three-pointers: Marcus Tracy (N) 2, Schappach (NF) 2, Cuff (NF) 2, Nabozna (NF).

SWIMMING

Newtown 93, Bethel 87

It used to be one of the great rivalries in South-West Conference swimming – but now it is merely another meet on the schedule.

The Newtown High School swim team traveled to Stratford on Tuesday night to face the Bunnell-Stratford Co-Op and came away with an easy 100-84 win as the Nighthawks earned a first-place finish in eight of 12 events.

Anthony Fiore (200 freestyle – 2:04.21), Chris Jacob (200 individual medley – 2:13.97), Jake Maher (50 freestyle – 25.34), Stefan Toi (100 butterfly – 59.25), Max Barrett (100 freestyle – 54.84), Andrew Heller (100 backstroke – 1:04.07) and Allen Hubbard (100 breaststroke – 1:13.96) all captured first-place finishes.

The 200 medley relay foursome of Toi, Hubbard, Nick Maurer and Maher also finished first (1:58.91).

The win boosted the ‘Hawks to 5-1 overall.

Last week, the ‘Hawks coasted past Bethel, 93-87, as Heller captured the 200 freestyle (2:00.99) and 100 butterfly (57.46). Toi (200 individual medley – 2:11.98), Jacob (50 freestyle), Bryan Lacouture (diving – 180.60 points) and Scott Whalley (500 freestyle – 6:16.02) were individual winners.

The ‘Hawks will host Brookfield next Tuesday – a week after the Bobcats suffered their first loss in three years, falling to undefeated Pomperaug.

Newtown 93, Bethel 87

200 medley relay – 1. Newtown (Anthony Fiore, Jake Maher, Andrew Heller, Chris Jacobs) 1:48.88, 2. Bethel, 1:50.50, 3. Newtown, 2:04.54. 200 freestyle – 1. Andrew Heller (N) 2:00.99, 2. J. Thai (B) 2:04.53, 3. Heske (B) 2:08.97. 200 individual medley – 1. Stefan Toi (N) 2:11.98, 2. Dave LaMarche (N) 2:31.22, 3. Xie (B) 2:37.68. 50 freestyle – 1. Chris Jacob (N), 2. Murphy (B), 3. Max Barrett (N). Diving – 1. Brian Lacouture (N) 180.60, 2. Britta Cedergren (N) 128.39, 3. Tim Kutt (N) 115.65. 100 butterfly – 1. Andrew Heller (N) 57.46, 2. B. Thai (B) 1:01.29, 3. Dave LaMarche (N) 1:04.74. 100 freestyle – 1. K. Thai (B) 52.04, 2. Murphy (B) 54.67, 3. Max Barrett (N) 55.34. 500 freestyle – 1. Scott Whalley (N) 6:16.02, 2. Dave Modzelewski (N) 6:22.76, 3. Lenner (B) 6:24.13. 200 freestyle relay – 1. Bethel (Doling, Rizzo, Soldono, McCormick) 1:53.76, 2. Newtown 2:07.92, 3. Bethel 2:24.62. 100 backstroke – 1. K. Thai (B) 1:00.24, 2. Anthony Fiore (N) 1:01.81, 3. Xie (B) 1:10.58. 100 breaststroke – 1. J. Thai (B) 1:06.95, 2. B. Thai (B) 1:06.96, 3. Jake Maher (N) 1:08.67. 400 freestyle relay – 1. Bethel (Murphy, K. Thai, B. Thai, J. Thai) 3:56.04, 2. Bethel 4:34.60.

HOCKEY

Newtown 4, Joel Barlow 1

A week after being summarily dismissed by Division I Immaculate, the Newtown High School hockey team was back in its own element.

Sean “Buzz” LaPorta scored three goals and assisted on another as Newtown defeated Joel Barlow, 4-1, at the Danbury Ice Arena to improve to 5-4-0 overall (5-2-0 in Division II) and 2-3-0 in the South-West Conference.

Buzz put the Nighthawks on top, 1-0, with a first period goal off a feed from Joe Brewer and then staked the ‘Hawks to a 2-0, second-period lead off a feed from Blaise LaPorta. The Falcons inched to within one in the third off a goal from Russ Brown, but Buzz finished off his hat trick off another assist from his brother Blaise before returning a favor and assisting on Brewer’s first goal of the 2004-05 season.

The ‘Hawks tangled with New Fairfield on Wednesday night at the Danbury Ice Arena and will battle the Milford Academy on Saturday before returning to familiar ice next Wednesday against Housatonic Valley.

Newtown 4, Joel Barlow 1

GOALS: Newtown – Sean LaPorta 3, Joe Brewer; Joel Barlow – Russ Brown. ASSISTS: Newtown – Blaise LaPorta 2, Joe Brewer, Sean LaPorta; Joel Barlow – Scott Heller, Frank Garigliano. SAVES: Newtown – Pete Oggeri 26.

INDOOR TRACK

SWC Developmental

So far, the numbers are looking pretty good for the Newtown High School indoor track team.

There were a couple of eye-popping moments for the boys at a South-West Conference developmental meet on Saturday, January 8, at Staples High School in Westport and perhaps the biggest pop came when sophomore Ryan Morrissey went 5-6 in the high jump.

“We haven’t had anyone do that, indoors or outdoors, in a long time,” said head coach Dave Foss.

Then Jon Larsen had one of the best solo performances of the meet for the ‘Hawks when he ran a 1:30.9 in the 600-meters, bringing to mind some of the sparkling performances laid out by former star Peter Terrance.

In other action –

Mike Cash had a toss of 37-6 in the shot put and is expected to eclipse 40 sometime soon; Peter Dittmar (10:44), Matt Cole (10:52) and Charlie Baldour (10:56) ran well in the two-mile; the 4x400 relay team of Liam Cawley, Morrissey, Larsen and Dan Tichon ran a 4:06.2; the 4x240 relay team of Varga, Guilfoil, Ashbolt and Bleacher ran a 2:21.3; Dan Gindraux ran a solid 41.9 in the 300 meters; Dittmar (4:48) and MacKnight (4:57) broke the five minute barrier in the mile; Nichols ran a 2:58 in the 1,000 meters; and Varga ran a quick 6.6 in the 50-meter dash.

On the girls’ side, senior Leah Herity set the stone by going 7-0 in the pole vault and qualifying for the CIAC state championships with virtually no practice time at all. Quincey Blanchard went 14-2 in the long jump, but could have – with a little balance – gone better than 16 feet.

In other action –

Becky Huot, Lindsay Weber and Blanchard all went 4.6 or better in the high jump; Sarah Greenfield tossed the shot 25-81/2; the 4x400 relay team of McEmber, Remy Ball, Weber and Thornberg went 4:52.6; Sadie Ball had a strong 1:50.4 finish in the 600 meters; and Thornberg had a solid 47.3 finish in the 300 meters.