By Steve Bigham

BETHEL – The Newtown High School boys’ cross country coach Rich Pesce was trying to put the pieces back together for a team that was hurting earlier this week.

Already decimated by graduation, the Nighthawks were further hampered with the loss of senior tri-captain AJ Palmer, who was injured during last week’s Bethel Invitational. Also, senior Evan Graves, projected to be a top runner, is still not recovered from an early-season ankle injury. Pesce had hoped he would be back in the lineup by now.

“We started out thin and we’re getting thinner,” said Pesce Wednesday, just one day before a dual meet with Notre Dame and New Milford at New Milford. “I said at the beginning of the season that we had to stay healthy or we would be stumbling and we’re stumbling right now.”

At last Saturday’s Bethel Invitational, the locals finished 11th overall out of 23 teams with perennial powerhouse Xavier of Middletown running away from the pack with 58 points. Ridgefield, which had the day’s top two runners in Steve Mucchetti and Lucas Meyer, finished second with 72 points. Newtown’s 280 points fell just short of Danbury, which finished 10th with 266.

Jeff Heller led the Newtown field over the 3.1-mile course with a 14th-place finish, crossing the line in 17 minutes, 14 seconds. Mucchetti of Ridgefield was the overall winner, finishing in 16:03.

Other Newtown finishers included David Rod (40th place) Ryan Ignatius (45th), Brandon Kirch (89th) and Dana Robinson (92nd).

With the loss of Palmer, Pesce said he now looks to senior Steve Tomasiewicz to move up into a varsity position.

   Pesce was still awaiting the final results (and times) from the Bethel Invitational at press time.

Girls 7th Overall

Meanwhile, the girls’ cross-country team finished seventh out of 18 teams on the 2.4-mile course at last Saturday’s Bethel Invitational. Erin Kostecki finished first for Newtown and 14th overall in a time of 17:16. Tracy Ravetto finished 25th overall in 17:49.

Angela Shannon, who would likely have finished among the top 25, was unavailable to run.

E.O. Smith of Storrs was the top team finisher with 34 points, followed closely by South-West Conference powerhouse Joel Barlow with 55 points. Bethel was third with 104 points and New Milford was sixth with 179. Newtown finished with 186 points.

Sarah Macknight and Christine Manfredonia also finished in the top 50 for the Nighthawks.

Newtown was slated to bring its undefeated record into a dual meet Thursday afternoon against New Milford, Notre Dame and Lauralton Hall at New Milford.