All-Time Scoring Records At Newtown High Likely To Fall

By Kim J. Harmon

The end is near … very near.

The Newtown High School boys’ basketball all-time scoring record (set by Steve Kordish) has survived for 24 years while the girls’ basketball all-time scoring record (set by Lynn Lattanzio) has survived for 11 years and both are likely to fall this coming week.

Maybe even on the same day.

Andrew Fiscella headed into a Thursday night game with Brookfield with 1,245 career points (just 37 points shy of breaking the record) while Kelley Haines headed into a Wednesday night game with Foran with 1,077 career points (just 39 points shy of breaking the record).

The potential is there for the two players to break the respective records together, on Friday, against Joel Barlow (provided inclement weather doesn’t throw a monkey wrench into the affair).

Now THAT would make for one memorable Friday night.

While the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have been particularly hot of late, the wrestling team came up with a pair of down-to-the-wire victories, the hockey team lost a narrow decision to Fairfield, the swim team ran into a Brookfield buzz-saw, and the indoor track and field team prepared itself for the SWC championships.

Here is the recap:

Boys Basketball –

On fire.

In the last six games, since a loss to Kolbe Cathedral back on January 9, the Newtown High School boys’ basketball team has been challenged just once (in a 72-68 loss to Bunnell) and has reeled off five very convincing wins to run its record to 9-4 overall, 7-2 in the South-West Conference.

In those five wins, the Nighthawks’ average margin of victory has been 22.4 points.

The latest victims in the Newtown barrage were Bethel (70-58) last Friday night and Foran (52-39) on Monday. Andrew Fiscella scored 29 against Bethel and 24 more against Foran and is now just 37 points shy of overcoming Steve Kordish as the NHS all-time leading scorer.

Dave Anderson has also been particularly hot, scoring 20 against Bethel and 15 more against Foran. Ron Shimko scored 21 points in the two games (14 of those against Bethel) while burying five three-pointers to run his team-high total to 22.

A Tuesday non-conference meeting with Brookfield was postponed due to inclement weather and rescheduled for Thursday in Newtown.

The ‘Hawks will be home on Friday against Joel Barlow and on Tuesday, February 10, against Jonathan Law.

Newtown                        52

Foran                               39

NEWTOWN (52): Anderson 4 7-7 15, Fiscella 7 8-13 24, Oliver 0 0-0 0, Shimko 3 0-0 7, Rouse 1 0-1 2, Quinn 0 0-0 0, Santella 0 0-0 0, Smith 2 0-0 4 (TOTALS: 17 15-21 52). FORAN (39): Stewart 1 1-2 3, Bova 4 0-0 8, Munroe 0 0-0 0, Weichner 3 3-3 12, T. Munroe 2 0-0 4, Peterson 0 0-0 0, Haray 1 0-0 2, Payen 0 1-2 1, Dooling 4 0-0 9 (TOTALS: 15 5-7 39).

Three-pointers: Fiscella (N) 2, Shimko (N), Weichner (F) 3, Dooling (F).

Newtown                        70

Bethel                              58

NEWTOWN (70): Anderson 6 7-13 20, Rouse 2 1-3 5, Fiscella 8 12-17 29, Manfredonia 0 0-0 0, McLaughlin 0 0-0 0, Lyddy 0 0-0 0, Santella 0 0-0 0, Shimko 4 2-2 14, Oliver 0 0-0 0, Quinn 0 0-0 0, Smith 1 0-0 2 (TOTALS: 21 23-36 70). BETHEL (58): Ferguson 1 1-2 3, Santo 0 0-0 0, Calzone 1 0-0 3, Whitlock 1 6-6 9, Zowine 7 6-6 23, Kuban 4 3-4 12, Sullivan 1 0-0 2, Kaptein 2 0-1 4, Oskandy 1 0-0 2, Dipisa 0 0-0 0, Curtis 0 0-0 0 (TOTALS: 18 16-18 58).

Three-pointers: Shimko (N) 4, Anderson (N), Zowine (B) 3, Calzone (B), Kuban (B).

Girls’ Basketball –

Since a dismal loss to Kolbe Cathedral back on Friday, January 9, the Newtown High School girls’ basketball team has reeled off five consecutive wins – the latest being a 73-45 shellacking of Bethel last Thursday.

The Lady Nighthawks are 11-3 overall, 8-2 in the South-West Conference.

The ‘Hawks dominated the Lady Wildcats right from the opening tip, taking an 18-2 lead at the end of one period and 37-11 lead at the half. The ‘Hawks canned 22 more points in the third to put the game away.

Kelley Haines canned 15 points and – at press time – was 39 points away from surpassing Lynn Lattanzio as the all-time leading scorer in NHS history. The likely target for her will be Friday at Joel Barlow.

Jacky Curran had a strong performance, as well, tossing in 12 points while Ashley Larocque added 10. Siobhan Cooper and Kacy Foehrenbach chipped in with six points apiece. Jess Palermo, Carly Curran and Ciara Simek all had a chance to score, too.

The ‘Hawks were set to host Foran on Wednesday (after press time) in a game rescheduled from January 27 and will travel to Redding to take on Joel Barlow on Friday and will travel to Milford on Saturday to take on Lauralton Hall.

Bethel                              45

Newtown                        73

BETHEL (45): Kasey Kaylor 5 3-6 13; Karyn Garrison 1 0-0 3; Stephanie Garrison 5 4-5 14; Keegan Hackman 1 0-1 2; Felicia Cochran 2 1-1 6; Sara Oberhammer 0 0-0 0; Katie Voorhees 2 0-0 4; Megan Wax 1 0-0 3 (TOTALS: 17 8-13 45). NEWTOWN (73): Julie Iwanicki 0 0-0 0, Jacky Curran 6 0-0 12, Stephanie Logan 6 0-1 12, Ashley Larocque 5 0-0 10, Siobhan Cooper 2 2-2 6, Tori Filler 0 0-0 0, Kelley Haines 6 2-2 15, Katie O’Connor 2 0-0 4; Jessica Palermo 0 2-2 2; Sarah King 0 0-0 0; Tara Gaston 0 0-0 0; Kacy Foehrenbach 3 0-0 6; Carly Curran 1 0-0 2; Ciara Simek 2 0-0 4; Darcy Fiscella 0 0-1 0 (TOTALS: 33 6-8 73).

Three-pointers: Haines (N), K. Garrison (B), Wax (B), Cochran (B).

 

NOTE: The ‘Hawks were ranked 14th in the latest Hartford Courant girls’ basketball poll –

1. Guilford 12-0, 2. Manchester, 11-0, 3. East Catholic (Manchester) 13-0, 4. Masuk 12-0, 5. Glastonbury 11-1, 6. Hillhouse 11-1, 7. Norwich Free Academy 10-2, 8. Windsor 9-2, 9. Kolbe Cathedral 9-2, 10. Brien McMahon 9-2, 11. Old Lyme 14-0, 12. Notre Dame (Fairfield) 11-2, 13. Seymour 11-1, 14. Newtown 10-3, 15. Torrington 11-1, 16. Cromwell 12-0, 17. Holy Cross (Waterbury) 11-1, 18. Trinity Catholic 10-2, 19. Middletown 11-2, 20. West Haven 11-2.

Wrestling –

Apparently the hole wasn’t too deep … the locals almost crawled out of it.

In a tough South-West Conference battle against Bunnell – and on Senior Night, no less – the Newtown High School wrestling team was faced with a 24-6 after nearly half the matches had been decided and yet, somehow, nearly managed to pull out a win.

But the Nighthawks fell three points short, 39-36.

“It was a super high school wrestling match,” said head coach Al Potter, “and we really gave the home town crowd a great show. We had our chances, but unfortunately we couldn’t find one more victory during the night. I am proud of the way the kids did not give up and continued to pull for each other even under the toughest situations.”

The ‘Hawks opened the match with Steve Giacolone at 119 getting narrowly defeated, 14-12, by Kevin Leggett. Then, over the next five matches, the only thing the ‘Hawks could hang their hats on was Jeff Bray’s pin over Alberto Ortiz at 130.

The turnaround came at 152, as Gary Andrews – down 13-2 to Steve Corriea late in the second period – used a rolling headlock to slap a pin on his opponent. The momentum carried on as Skye Perry (160), Alex Read (171) and senior co-captain Edmund Breitling (189) all registered pins and put Newtown ahead, 30-24.

The Bulldogs took the lead back, 36-30, with pins at 215 and 275.

But senior co-captain Dan McIlrath answered back with a 24-second pin of Mark Halper at 103 to tie the score at 36, setting the stage for the deciding battle at 112 between first-year wrestler Jeff Lipnick of Newtown and DJ Bogusley of Bunnell.

Lipnick wrestled a solid match, but was bested, 4-0, and the ‘Dogs had grabbed the win.

“The kids showed real heart, guts and desire to win,” said coach Potter. “I think that comes from our seniors – Dan McIlrath, Edmund Breitling, James Terhaar and Joe Sgammato. They have taught the younger guys about wrestling, working hard, winning and growing up. They are fine young men.”

Last weekend, the ‘Hawks were in Enfield for a quad meet and – while wrestling some pretty stiff competition – came away with two wins and a loss. The ‘Hawks crushed Enfield (60-21), nipped Newington (39-37), and lost to top 20-ranked Conard (48-30).

Coupled with the loss to Bunnell, the ‘Hawks are 13-8 overall, 6-3 in the SWC.

The win over Newington was a back-and-forth affair, decided on the final match when Perry (160) pinned Phil Kwiatkowski in 53 seconds. The ‘Hawks, down four at that point, needed at least a technical fall to win.

“We discussed our strategy with the team before the match and told the guys we needed to beat Newington,” said coach Potter. “They executed perfectly and got a great win.”

The Indians were on the move early, taking a 13-6 lead. Breitling (189) earned a pin and then Read (171) and Brandon Thomas (215) – although losing – went the full three periods against ranked wrestlers and saved five team points.

McIlrath (103) brought the ‘Hawks to within one, 13-12, with an 83-second pin of Sailad Razza and after the Indians extended the lead with a pin at 112, Giacolone (119) and Dan Kearns (125) registered back-to-back pins to stake the ‘Hawks to a 24-19 lead.

The two teams split the next four matches, with Bray (135) earning a 6-0 decision and Sgammato (145) earning a forfeit, and the ‘Hawks had a 33-31 lead. After Andrews was pinned at 152, the stage was set for the pivotal match at 160.

In the win over Enfield, the ‘Hawks had the benefit of eight forfeits in 14 matches. Breitling (189) and Bray (130) registered pins for the remaining 12 points. In the loss to Conard, the ‘Hawks had a brief 12-0 lead after pins by Read (171) and Breitling (189), but Conard roared out to a 48-18 lead before the ‘Hawks could rebound with pins from Andrews (152) and Perry (160).

The ‘Hawks were on the mat Wednesday night in New Milford and will be in New Fairfield on Saturday (in a 9 am start). The regular season will conclude on Wednesday, February 11, in Brookfield.

Newtown                     39

Newington                  37

103 – McIlrath (N) pinned Razza (Ne) 1:23; 112 – Horan (Ne) pinned Lipnick (N) 1:06; 119 – Giacolone (N) pinned Dobarge (Ne) 2:15; 125 – Kearns (N) pinned Johnson (Ne) :58; 130 – Ryan (Ne) pinned Cardelle (N) :30; 135 – Bray (N) dec. Francolino (Ne) 6-0; 140 – Fletcher (Ne) pinned Terhaar (N) 2:50; 145 – Sgammato (N) by forfeit; 152 – Chamble (Ne) pinned Andrews (N) :45; 160 – Perry (N) pinned Kwiatkowski (Ne) :53; 171 – Kerantza (Ne) major dec. Read (N) 9-1; 189 – Breitling (N) pinned Kaponis (Ne) 3:18; 215 – DiBiase (Ne) pinned Cash (N) 2:49; 275 – Cleveland (Ne) dec. Thomas (N) 8-2.

Bunnell                         39

Newtown                     36

103 – McIlrath (N) pinned Halper (B) :24; 112 – Bogousley (B) dec. Lipnick (N) 4-0; 119 – Leggett (B) dec. Giacolone (N) 14-12; 125 – Makowicki (B) dec. Kearns (N) 3-0; 130 – Bray (N) pinned Ortiz (B) 1:59; 135 – Bavolacco (B) pinned Carter (N) 2:36; 140 – Hehn (B) pinned Terhaar (N) 2:30; 145 – Corkey (B) pinned Sgammato (N) 3:00; 152 – Andrews (N) pinned Corrica (B) 3:38; 160 – Perry (N) pinned Macintosh (B) 4:33; 171 – Read (N) pinned McGinnky (B) 2:44; 189 – Breitling (N) pinned Perez (B) :35; 215 – Sedwick (B) pinned Thomas (N) 1:55; 275 – Gotschel (B) pinned Schierloh (N) 1:48.

Hockey –

After toiling for 45 minutes, it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort that the Newtown High School hockey team came up short in a non-conference tilt with the Fairfield Mustangs last Saturday afternoon at the Danbury Ice Arena.

It was probably just an absence of luck.

The Nighthawks fell, 2-1, and dropped to 5-10 overall, 4-4 in the SWC.

It was only a late goal by Travis Speer (off an assist from Nick Magoulas) that kept the ‘Hawks from being shut out in this one. Magoulas had taken a hard shot from out on the point that rebounded in front of the crease, where Speer was there to backhand it past Fairfield goaltender Jordan Dumstag.

The first period ended scoreless with only a couple of opportunities made available to either team. But just 2:08 into the second period, Fairfield took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Steve Classy. Newtown goaltender Pete Oggeri (35 saves on the afternoon) had been scrambling wildly to keep the puck out of the net, but got beaten on a rebound shot.

Buzz LaPorta made an effort to tie the score with 20 seconds left in the period, but his blistering shot from the point was stopped cold.

In the third, the ‘Hawks got close a few times – the first when Blaise LaPorta burst through the Fairfield defense, the second when Buzz had a one-on-one break but a poor angle on the net, and the third when Corey Regensburger nearly tapped home a fortuitous rebound in front of the net.

In the midst of all that, Harry Kass made a tremendous defensive effort getting back down the ice in time to quash a one-on-one break.

Late in the third, the ‘Hawks peppered the Fairfield net with five shots in one minute of power play action only to see the Mustangs’ Brendan Gyarfas score a short-handed goal at 3:43 to give the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

It provided just enough cushion.

The Nighthawks hosted Masuk on Wednesday (after press time) and will host Bethel on Saturday at the Danbury Ice Arena (puck drops at 1 pm). The ‘Hawks will return to the ice on Wednesday, February 11, for an ‘away’ game against Joel Barlow in Danbury (puck drops at 8:50 pm).

NOTE: The Saturday game with Bethel is a ‘Pack The Arena’ night. Hockey fans can board a bus leaving from Newtown High School at 12:15 and if wearing blue and/or gold can get into the game for just $3 (which includes the bus trip). Sign up at the high school or email lydkid@aol.com.

 

Fairfield                            2

Newtown                          1

GOALS: Newtown – Travis Speer; Fairfield – Steve Classy, Brendan Gyarfas. ASSISTS: Newtown – Nick Magoulas; Fairfield – Sean Stymacks. SHOTS: Newtown – 25, Fairfield – 37.SAVES: Newtown – Pete Oggeri 25; Fairfield – Jordan Dumstag 24.

Swimming –

The Newtown High School swim team could not have expected much against a powerhouse Brookfield team that won the 2002-03 South-West Conference championship and is the odds-on favorite to do it again in 2003-04, but the Nighthawks did get some fine performances last Thursday night.

The best came off the diving board, where CJ Maurer (215.95 points), Bryan Lacouture (158.10 points) and Lauren Borusso (146.95 points) swept the top three positions and narrowed what had been a burgeoning deficit.

Andrew Heller took first in the 100 butterfly (58.53) for the only other individual first-place finish as the Bobcats began swimming some lanes unofficially. Heller also finished third in the 200 individual medley (2:14.87)

In other results –

Scott Whalley was third in the 200 freestyle (2:06.08) while Dave LaMarche was fourth in the 200 freestyle (2:16.69) and fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:04.91); Zack Moliver was fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:27.22); Chris Jacob was second in the 50 freestyle (24.49) and second in the 100 freestyle (53.09); PJ O’Dell was fourth in the 100 freestyle (1:02.19) while Nick Maurer was fifth in the 100 freestyle (1:02.83).

The loss dropped the ‘Hawks to 4-3 overall, 4-2 in the SWC.

A conference meet against Weston was postponed on Tuesday and re-scheduled for Thursday, February 12, at 7 pm. The ‘Hawks will then travel down to New Fairfield on Tuesday, February 10, and return home on Tuesday, February 24 for the dual meet finale against Foran (which will also be Senior Night).

The SWC championships are slated for Friday, March 5, at Weston (diving will be held on Wednesday, March 3).

Indoor Track –

With one week before the South-West Conference championships, the Newtown High School indoor track and field team tuned up at an SWC Developmental last Saturday at Staples High School in Westport.

“We had a good meet on Saturday,” said head coach Dave Foss. “I think we’re all set for the SWCs this Saturday. I’m looking for further improvements and some good performances.”

For the girls, the field events took center stage as Leah Herity vaulted a team best 7-6, putting her in competition for the win this weekend. Quincey Blanchard continued to improve, clearing 4-6 in the high jump as Lindsay Weber qualified for SWCs by clearing 4-4.

“Both girls should be competitive this week,” said coach Foss. “The long jumpers struggled (on Saturday), but both Quincey and Caitlin (Weber) have a chance to score at the championships.”

In the relays, the sprint medley of Julie Landin, Weber, Herity and Sadie Ball lopped off a big chunk of time from its previous best, finishing in 5:00 flat. The 4x400 team of Blanchard, Landin, and the Weber sisters combined for a third place finish in 4:48. And finally, the 4x240 relay of Kate Fielding, Whitney Allison, Jenna VanWaalwijk, and Becky Huot teamed to finish in with a time of 2:38.

Along with an untested 4x800 team, coach Foss feels the relays could bring major team points next week.

For the boys, Tim Carlisle continued to impress in the 50 hurdles, but John Kostecki has also joined the SWC party by a hair with his finish of 8.4 last Saturday. At the same time, freshman Scott Nichols’ went 5:12 in the mile, Jon Larsen’s went 1:37 in the 600, and – off the track – Kostecki also leapt his way into the championships with a high jump of 5-2.

Meanwhile, the sprint medley of Carlisle, Kostecki, Dan Gindraux, and Alister Ratcliff ran a 4:21 and is primed to do well at the championships. The 4x400 team of Larsen, Eric MacKnight, Scott Nichols, and Matt Cole ran a 4:13, taking a third place. And finally the 4x240 team of Carlisle, Dan Tichon, Gindraux, and Kostecki raced to a 2:12 finish and is primed to score well at the championships.

The SWCs will be held Saturday, February 7, at the Staples High School fieldhouse in Westport. The meet will start at 3 pm.