Although it placed fourth in the South-West Conference championships a year ago, Newtown High School's boys' cross country team has good reason for optimism this fall given what the runners proved to be capable off during the first half of last season.

As Coach Carl Strait points out, his squad was at its best in the early going and running at a high level, before struggling in the second half of the campaign.

"We peaked very early last year," said Strait, adding that the Nighthawks have learned from this and are ready to pace themselves such that they'll be in position to be at their best come mid-/late October when the postseason rolls around.

No matter how the Hawks do, whether or not they come out on top hinges, in part, on what any of a handful of teams do, Strait believes.

The Newtown coach said he anticipates a five-way battle for the top spot between the likes of New Milford, Brookfield, Pomperaug of Southbury, Joel Barlow of Redding, and his Nighthawks.

"I definitely think any one of those five teams could win it this year. It's a matter of how will teams taper and prepare for the second half of the season, which is SWCs and states," Strait said.

The Hawks are led by a trio of captains: Joey Conrod, Dylan Bartlett, and Riley Rising.

"I think we're very deep," said Strait, adding that on any given day a wide range or runners from his 40-plus student-athlete lineup can crack the top handful on the squad.

"We're talented. I like the camaraderie, I like the way our kids work together - and we have great leadership from our three captains," Strait said.