By Kim J. Harmon

There’s nothing wrong with a little adversity.

But the Newtown High School volleyball team looked like it was doing everything it could to avoid facing any adversity – like, um, winning 23 consecutive games in eight straight matches to open the 2007 season.

The Lady Nighthawks, though, faced a little adversity on Monday night.

And met it head on.

After sweeping Brookfield (25-21, 25-18, 25-9) and Lauralton Hall (25-22, 25-18, 25-21) the undefeated ‘Hawks hosted a Pomperaug team which had just two wins in six matches – but a Pomperaug team that played much tougher than its record showed.

The ‘Hawks breezed through the first game, 25-12, but ran into a little bit of trouble in the second game before getting the 25-18 win. The third game was another story, though, as the locals finally dropped one – and despite the narrowness of the 25-22 tally, the ‘Hawks were never really in it.

“We weren’t ready for it,” said co-captain Melissa Fracker. “We’ve been sailing by teams and we were surprised. I think after the first game we got too relaxed and (Pomperaug) just came after us.”

The ‘Hawks struggled to recover, too, to avoid sending the match to a fifth-game. They had a 15-13 lead midway, but the Lady Panthers get up the fifth and even boasted a 22-19 lead before the locals finally took control.

Senior co-captain Morgan Knees, who finished with 14 kills and three blocks on the night, recorded two of those kills and one of those blocks in the final run as the ‘Hawks scored the last six points to get the game, 25-22, and win the match.

“We’re survivors,” said Fracker, “and we won’t go down easy. We want this to be our year.”

Michelle Narayanan finished with 10 digs – some of them spectacular – while senior co-captain Sarah Truitt finished with 28 assists and five digs. In the win over Lauralton Hall, Knees registered 14 kills and three blocks while Truitt finished with 25 assists and three service aces.

The ‘Hawks hosted Notre Dame on Wednesday and will be in New Fairfield on Friday before returning home next Wednesday to host Masuk.

GIRLS SOCCER

Newtown 1, Bethel 0

Newtown 7, Notre Dame 2

Newtown 3, Masuk 2

They might have slain the dragon – twice – but they know there is still time for it to rear its ugly head.

Look – the Newtown High School girls’ soccer team did something it hasn’t done in years, probably in the history of the South-West Conference, and that is sweep Masuk in the regular season (2-0 on September 11 and 3-2 on Tuesday afternoon).

Yeah, but that – and $6 – will get you a nice sandwich at The General Store.

“It definitely feels good,” said first-year head coach Marc Kenney, who heads a team ranked No. 2 in the state in The Hartford Courant, “but we have a long way to go.”

Last year the ‘Hawks were 0-3-1 against the Lady Panthers and suffered losses to them in the South-West Conference semi-finals and the CIAC Class L state tournament.

“This feels real good,” said junior Kasey Schulz, who scored two goals and helped the ‘Hawks improve to 7-0-1 on the season. “It’s probably the best feeling I’ve had.”

The locals scored the opening salvo in the first half when senior co-captain Gabby Nastri served a ball deep into the penalty box where fellow co-captain Megan Hansen corralled it, turned around, and went punched it past Masuk goaltender Claire Pinciaro.

The Panthers answered back on a shot by Kayla Howden to even the score at the half. About four minutes into the second half, Schulz fought off three defenders in the box, got the ball to her left foot, spun, and fired in her first goal.

Though Masuk scored the equalizer – off the foot of Howden – less than two minutes later, Schulz put the ‘Hawks ahead for good a little over 13 minutes into the half when she got a long serve from junior Tania Domingos, fought off a defender, pushed the ball past a charging Masuk goaltender, and then continued to fight off the defender for the shot on an empty net.

The ‘Hawks served the ball up to Schulz all game along and it paid off.

“We just wanted to get the ball forward,” said coach Kenney. “We’re much more dangerous when we do that.”

Schulz, who now has 10 goals on the season, liked this effort better than the one she and her teammates turned in almost three weeks before, adding, “Last time we played a little flat at first, but today we played all the way through. We played a full 80 minute game.”

The ‘Hawks had a similarly fierce battle last week against the Lady Wildcats of Bethel, who exploded out of the gate early, showcasing a high-flying offense under the tutelage of first-year coach Jayme Beckham, a former Newtown soccer player.

But while the ‘Cats had a 17-7 advantage in shots, only one of those 24 shots made it to the back of the net – the one that came off the head of Jen Brewer on a corner kick from Domingos with a little more than 13 minutes left to play.

Things went a lot easier on the weekend when the girls pounded Notre Dame, 7-2, as Schulz scored three goals and Domingos scored two goals with two assists. Hansen and Nastri also scored while Colleen Thornberg and Taylor Smith provided assists.

With the toughest part of their schedule behind them, the ‘Hawks will host Stratford on Friday afternoon and Immaculate next Tuesday afternoon. Both games will be on the turf at Treadwell Park. A visit to Southbury, to face Pomperaug, will follow on Thursday.

Newtown 1, Bethel 0

GOALS: Newtown – Jen Brewer. ASSISTS: Newtown – Tania Domingos. SHOTS: Bethel – 17; Newtown – 7. SAVES: Bethel – Justine Braisted 2; Newtown – Emily Kluga 9. CORNER KICKS: Bethel – 3; Newtown – 5.

Newtown 7, Notre Dame 2

GOALS: Notre Dame – Ashley Tranquilo, Kelsey Smith; Newtown – Kasey Schulz 3, Tania Domingos 2, Megan Hansen, Gabby Nastri. ASSISTS: Newtown – Tania Domingos 2, Gabby Nastri, Colleen Thornberg, Taylor Smith. SHOTS: Newtown – 25; Notre Dame – 4. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 2; Notre Dame – Meghan Carrion 16. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 2; Notre Dame – 0.

Newtown 3, Masuk 2

GOALS: Newtown – Kasey Schulz 2, Megan Hansen; Masuk – Kayla Howden 2. ASSISTS: Newtown – Gabby Nastri, Tania Domingos. SHOTS: Newtown – 10; Masuk – 17. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 6; Masuk – Claire Pinciaro 3. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 3; Masuk – 9.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Newtown 18, Bethel 44

Brookfield 25, Newtown 30

New Milford 19, Newtown 44

Someone finally defeated Kevin Hoyt of Newtown in a South-West Conference meet.

Of course, it was Dan DeCrescenzo of New Milford and – of course – perennial powerhouse New Milford swept through a quad meet on Tuesday in New Milford. The Nighthawks fell to New Milford and Brookfield while topping Bethel to move to 9-3 on the season.

DeCrescenzo finished first in 15:24, but beat Hoyt to the finish line by only six seconds. At the same time Hoyt exacted a little bit of revenge on Taylor Phillips of Brookfield, who finished ahead of Hoyt at the Bethel Invitational last weekend.

On Tuesday, Dave Meyer (12th – 16:44), Jordan Reed (14th – 16:58), Alex DiNoto (16th – 17:05) and Tucker Grose (18th – 17:22) had solid finishes for the ‘Hawks.

Last Saturday at the Invitational, the ‘Hawks were seventh overall with 486 points. Hoyt finished fourth overall at 16:30.24 while Meyer (24th – 17:19.50), DiNoto (26th – 17:21.19), Reed (31st – 17:34.20), Grose (66th – 18:16.73), Jon Zigman (78th – 18:30.58), Adam Shankman (95th – 18:55.15), Ian Mason (96th – 18:55.47) and Anthony Czismadia (113th – 19:20.14) had solid races.

Peter Manos (115th – 19:27.08), Brendan O’Connell (120th – 19:32.35), Kyle McCarthy (146th – 20:21.99) did not figure into the scoring.

The locals have one regular season meet left, next Tuesday at Fairfield Hills, the only home meet of the season, before the SWC championships on Thursday, October 18.

New Milford 19, Newtown 44; Brookfield 25, Newtown 30; Newtown 18, Bethel 44.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Dan DeCrescenzo (NM) 15:24; 2. Kevin Hoyt (N) 15:30; 3. Taylor Phillips (BR) 15:36; 4. Dan Watson (NM) 15:52; 5. Craig Hunt (NM) 15:55; 6. James Moen (BR) 16:03; 7. Mike Marston (BR) 16:06; 8. Mike Viklund (NM) 16:08; 9. Frank Stewart (NM) 16:19; 10. Zack Kraus (NM) 16:23; 11. Kyle Anderson (NM) 16:36; 12. Dave Meyer (N) 16:44; 13. Tim Isselee (Be) 16:48; 14. Jordan Reed (N) 16:58; 15. Kevin Collins (BR) 17:01; 16. Alex DiNoto (N) 17:05; 17. Andrew Hancock (BR) 17:18; 18. Tucker Grose (N) 17:22; 19. Kerry Chayka (NM) 17:28; 20. Joel Anderson (NM) 17:28. Course: 3 miles at New Milford.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Newtown 20, New Milford 35

Newtown 17, Brookfield 46

Newtown 15, Bethel 50

It was obvious right from the first meet that senior co-captain Elise DeRoo had stepped up her pace.

And on Tuesday, she shattered a five-year-old course record when she led the Newtown High School girls’ cross country team to a sweep of New Milford, Brookfield and Bethel down in New Milford. The old record, held by Ashley Ryan, had rested at 15:06 when DeRoo came along and hacked an incredible 50 seconds off of it.

With the sweep, the Lady Nighthawks improved to 11-0.

While DeRoo set the new mark at 14:16, fellow co-captain Jen Brill also came in ahead of the old record with a second-place finish of 14:52. Sara Pollock was just a little off the pace, finishing third overall at 15:16.

Carolyn Gingras (7th – 15:47) and Anne Martino (9th – 15:53) completed the scoring for the locals. Christie Attanasio (11th – 16:06), Erin Nemeth (13th – 16:19), Emily Weber (14th – 16:24) and Natalie Villa (15th – 16:27) also did well on the 2.5-mile course.

The ‘Hawks were fresh off a first-place finish at the Bethel Invitational last Saturday where DeRoo finished second overall at 15:45.70, behind Moira Kenny of Immaculate but ahead of Jeanne Theleen of Pomperaug.

Brill (6th – 16:22.55), Pollock (7th – 16:53.34), Martino (14th – 17:31.56), Gingras (20th – 17:47.25), Attanasio (23rd – 17:49.66), Villa (34th – 18:05.53), Weber (40th – 18:18.71) and Andie Maret (42nd – 18:22.79) all helped the ‘Hawks score 160 points – 153 fewer than their closest competitor, New Milford.

Scarlett O’Sullivan (46th – 18:32.58), Charlotte Manos (49th – 18:34.31), Nemeth (50th – 18:38.48) also ran well.

Newtown 20, New Milford 35; Newtown 17, Brookfield 46; Newtown 15, Bethel 50

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Elise DeRoo (N) 14:16 (course record); 2. Jen Brill (N) 14:52; 3. Sara Pollock (N) 15:16; 4. Rose Willey (BR) 15:31; 5. Kaitlyn Flynn (NM) 15:42; 6. Stephanie Tyler (NM) 15:46; 7. Carolyn Gingras (N) 15:47; 8. Jen Paradiso (NM) 15:52; 9. Anne Martino (N) 15:53; 10. Jenny Cahalane (NM) 15:54; 11. Christie Attanasio (N) 16:06; 12. Sam Dougherty (NM) 16:17; 13. Erin Nemeth (N) 16:19; 14. Emily Weber (N) 16:24; 15. Natalie Villa (N) 16:27; 16. Jacquie Mancher (BE) 16:28; 17. Morgan Fisher (NM) 16:32; 18. Mikeala Malumphy (NM) 16:41; 19. Jessica Isselee (BE) 16:45; 20. Hannah Greenwood (BE) 16:56. COURSE: 2.5 miles at New Milford.

FOOTBALL

Newtown 7, Notre Dame 6

Is this going to turn into a habit?

For the second week in a row, junior quarterback Jake DeVellis hit senior split end Bob Lapple with a long touchdown pass to lift the Newtown High School football team to a win.

Two weeks ago, it was a 71-yard bomb with less than 50 seconds to go that lifted the Nighthawks to a 21-14 win over New Fairfield. Last week, it was a 43-yard bomb with under four minutes to go that lifted the Nighthawks to a 7-6 win over Notre Dame.

And now the ‘Hawks are 3-0.

On the night, DeVellis was just 9-of-24 for 126 yards through the air. Four of those nine completions went to Lapple for 67 yards.

DeVellis also rushed for 136 yards.

The Lancers scored on the first play from scrimmage, with just 14 seconds off the clock, when Colin Dempsey hit Bill D’Onfrio with a 62-yard touchdown on a halfback option. But the extra point was missed, leaving the door open for the ‘Hawks.

But the locals struggled all game to find their way through that door. While limiting the Lancers to just 47 yards rushing and 114 yards passing, the Nighthawks just couldn’t get into the end zone – despite gaining 336 totals yards, 210 of that on the ground.

After DeVellis and Lapple hooked up for the touchdown, all that was left was for freshman kicker Rory Noonan to put the ‘Hawks ahead with the extra point.

Tim Wheeler rushed for 33 yards on three carries while Conor Martin grabbed three passes for 40 yards to help fuel the offense.

The ‘Hawks will host Stratford on Friday at 7 pm.

Newtown 7, Notre Dame 6

First quarter: Notre Dame – D’Onfrio 62 pass from Dempsey (kick failed). Fourth quarter: Newtown – Lapple 43 pass from DeVellis (Noonan kick).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Notre Dame – Sly Accettullo 9-18, Mike Bartell 7-13, Tom Poirer 3-9, Tom King 2-7, Colin Dempsey 1-00; Newtown – Jake DeVellis 16-136, Tim Wheeler 3-33, Jamie Goodwick 8-21, Kurt Nacewicz 5-16, Brendan Martin 1-4, Gabe Gusti 1-0. PASSING: Notre Dame – Mike Bartell 9-17-2 for 52 yards, Colin Dempsey 1-1-0 for 62 yards; Newtown – Jake DeVellis 9-24-1 for 126 yards. RECEIVING: Notre Dame – Bill D’Onfrio 3-83, Sly Accettullo 2-23, Alex Muniz 2-23, Colin Dempsey 2-4, Tom Poirer 1-2; Newtown – Bob Lapple 4-67, Conor Martin 3-40, Kurt Nacewicz 1-26, Brian Reszoly 1-17, Brendan Martin 1-4.

BOYS SOCCER

Bethel 2, Newtown 1

Newtown 8, Notre Dame 1

Newtown 0, Masuk 0

It was a struggle – a struggle to get a through ball, a struggle to string together more than two or three passes in a row, a struggle to get a shot on net, a struggle to score. And in the end, there was no resolution.

The Newtown High School boys’ soccer team settled on a 0-0 draw with Masuk on Tuesday night at Blue & Gold Stadium to move to 3-2-3 on the season. A loss to undefeated Bethel (2-1) and a win over Notre Dame (8-1) made the week pretty balanced across the board.

In the loss to Bethel, Andrew Meisel scored the lone Newtown goal on a penalty kick. Donny Walsh of Bethel added a penalty kick of his own and Mike Parenti notched the decider. The Nighthawks were out-shot 9-3 on the day.

In the win over Notre Dame, Eric Thornberg had a pair of goals and an assist while Evan Kennedy and Ryan Hudock each had a goal and an assist. Meisel, Sean Ryan, Kyle Droniak and Neris Halili all scored goals while Connor Collier (2), Chris Marks, and Ben Mahony notched assists.

In the draw with Masuk on Tuesday night – in the midst of the annual Soccerfest – neither team was able to come up with a legitimate chance in the first half. In the second, though, the pressure built a little with Newtown goaltender Dan Smith forced to make eight saves and Masuk goaltender Alex Palmieri forced to make 11.

One of Palmieri’s saves came on a rocket fired by Newtown senior co-captain Mat de Brantes, who collected a poorly cleared ball about 35 yards out and drilled a shot that just got tipped over the cross bar by Palmieri.

The ‘Hawks were saved with about eight minutes left in the game when a Masuk shot struck the left post.

The locals will visit Stratford on Friday before visiting Immaculate on Tuesday and returning home next Thursday to host Pomperaug.

NOTE: Junior Chris Marks suffered a broken leg while making a clean slide tackle late in the first half.

Bethel 2, Newtown 1

GOALS: Newtown – Andrew Meisel (penalty kick); Bethel – Donny Walsh (penalty kick), Mike Parenti.ASSISTS: Bethel – Billy McCormick. SHOTS: Newtown – 3; Bethel – 9. SAVES: Newtown – Dan Smith 4; Bethel – Chris Greeney 2. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 1; Bethel – 5.

Newtown 8, Notre Dame 1

GOALS: Newtown – Eric Thornberg 2, Andrew Meisel, Sean Ryan, Ryan Hudock, Kyle Droniak, Evan Kennedy, Neris Halili; Notre Dame – Keith Petteway. ASSISTS: Newtown – Connor Collier 2, Chris Marks, Ryan Hudock, Eric Thornberg, Ben Mahony, Evan Kennedy; Notre Dame – Jonathan Maher. SHOTS: Newtown – 14; Notre Dame – 7. SAVES: Newtown – Kyle DiNicola 3, Dan Smith 3; Notre Dame – Ryan Connoly 3. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 2; Notre Dame – 0.

FIELD HOCKEY

Newtown 5, Bethel 0

Newtown 2, HK 1

Newtown 2, Weston 1

It is time to sit up and take notice as the Newtown High School field hockey team improved to 5-1-1 this week with wins over Bethel (5-0), Haddam-Killingworth (2-1) and Weston (2-1).

The win over traditional non-conference rival HK on Saturday was more impressive, considering the Lady Cougars out-shot the Lady Nighthawks 12-4 and had a staggering 16-6 advantage in penalty corners.

But Nicole Alberico and Courtney Gleason scored the goals that allowed the ‘Hawks to rally for the win. Goaltender Lisa Isabella made eight saves and helped drop the Cougars to 3-3-0 on the season.

In the win over Bethel, the ‘Hawks were dominant. They out-shot the Lady Wildcats 23-1 and had an amazing 18-1 advantage in penalty corners as Alberico notched a goal and an assist to lead the way. Stephanie Paproski, Hannah Tenenbaum, Tina Sanchez and Taylor Berry also scored while Gleason and Linda Magliocco added assists.

In the win over Weston on Tuesday, Alberico – once again – had a goal and an assist while Sanchez scored and Tenenbaum provided an assist. The locals had a 14-3 advantage in shots and 13-3 advantage in penalty corners and Isabella needed to make just two saves.

The ‘Hawks visited Immaculate on Thursday and will host nemesis New Milford on Tuesday at 7 pm at Blue & Gold Stadium.

Newtown 5, Bethel 0

GOALS: Newtown – Stephanie Paproski, Hannah Tenenbaum, Tina Sanchez, Taylor Barry, Nicole Alberico. ASSISTS: Newtown – Courtney Gleason, Linda Magliocco, Nicole Alberico. SHOTS: Newtown – 23; Bethel – 1. SAVES: Newtown – Jess Balfano – 1; Bethel – Bray Ferguson 9. PENALTY CORNERS: Newtown – 18; Bethel – 1.

Newtown 2, Haddam-Killingworth 1

GOALS: Haddam-Killingworth – Lindsey Griswald; Newtown – Nicole Alberico, Courtney Gleason. ASSISTS: Haddam-Killingworth – Kelly Maskey; Newtown – Hannah Tenenbaum. SHOTS: Newtown – 4; Haddam-Killingworth – 12. SAVES: Newtown – Lisa Isabella 8; Haddam-Killingworth – Lindsey Gorman 1. PENALTY CORNERS: Haddam-Killingworth – 16; Newtown – 6.

Newtown 2, Weston 1

GOALS: Newtown – Nicole Alberico, Tina Sanchez; Weston – Jamie Shankman. ASSISTS: Newtown – Nicole Alberico, Hannah Tenenbaum; Weston – Alexandra Atkinson. SHOTS: Newtown – 14; Weston – 3. SAVES: Newtown – Lisa Isabella 2; Weston – Kristen Papen 9. PENALTY CORNERS: Newtown – 13; Weston – 3.

SWIMMING

New Fairfield over Newtown

Newtown over Weston

Facing two old nemeses, the Newtown High School girls’ swim team managed to win one and lose one and moved to 2-3 on the season.

Last week, the Lady Nighthawks were edged by New Fairfield in a home meet that went down to the final relay. But on Tuesday, the ‘Hawks rebounded with a win over Weston … a win which snapped a two-meet losing streak.

Against New Fairfield, Lucy Remitz (100 fly – 1:07.52), Jaclyn Van Waalwijk (100 free – 58.04) and Leah Barrett (100 back – 1:07.91) were individual winners. The 200 medley relay foursome of Barrett, Emma Atkinson, Remitz and Van Waalwijk finished first at 2:03.62 while the 200 freestyle relay foursome of Atkinson, Remitz, Annie Hull and Van Waalwijk finished first at 1:48.93.

Megan Baylis (200 free – 2:15.18), Van Waalwijk (50 free – 26.72), Katie Fragoso (500 free – 6:06.61) and Atkinson (100 back – 1:09.75) all had second-place finishes while Krysta Gates (200 free – 2:18.62, 500 free – 6:08.09) and Hull (50 free – 27:48) all had third-place finishes.

The girls will host Brookfield on Friday and will host Joel Barlow next Tuesday.