By Kim J. Harmon

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Poet George Santayana wrote that more than 100 years ago and it is a lesson which still holds true today – as Newtown High School sophomore John Gouveia could attest after capturing a CIAC Class LL 119-pound wrestling championship last weekend.

It was his loss to Marc Halper of Bunnell in the finals of the South-West Conference tournament back on February 10 that allowed Gouveia to top Beau Richards of Norwich Free Academy in the semi-finals and then Charlie Costanzo of Danbury in the finals of the Class LL tournament last weekend.

“I learned,” said Gouveia, who, in two short years, has compiled a 60-16 record. “During the SWC final I was really nervous and when I get really nervous it affects my performance. Going into the semi-finals of this one I was trying to stay calm and not really think about it. And the coaches told me that if things got tough I would have to pull something out of my back pocket.”

That “something” was a lateral drop with 20 seconds left – a move he hadn’t practiced for more than a year – in the third against Richards that enabled Gouveia to erase a 4-2 deficit for a 7-5 win. And that “something” was a shoulder Granby that allowed Gouveia to reverse Costanzo and snap a scoreless 2-0 tie for the title.

“I honestly had no clue I’d get that far,” admitted Gouveia.

Gouveia was the youngest champion – at age 15 – at the Class LL tournament and Newtown’s first state champion since Jon Read in 2003.

“It’s amazing how well John has done,” said assistant coach Angelo Bodetti, “considering he didn’t come up through a youth program and hadn’t wrestled much before high school. He never gives up on himself and wrestles to the last bell; most kids would’ve given up when they were down two with 20 seconds left.”

Gouveia was familiar with the abilities of his competitors and especially familiar of the abilities of his friend, Costanzo, from Danbury.

“We were testing each other in the first period,” said Gouveia. “He’s take a shot and I’d block him. I’d take a shot and he’d block me. He took bottom in the second period and I pretty much rode him out. In the third period, I went out of bounds and I looked at the coaches for what I should do and they told me to use the shoulder Granby.”

It worked.

As a team, the Nighthawks finished 17th at the LL tournament and Gouveia – at 34-6 on the year – will be heading to the CIAC State Open tournament this weekend with, possibly, another shot at Halper, who finished second in Class L.

The results –

 

TEAMS: 1. Danbury 237, 2. New Milford 158, 3. Southington 149.5, 4. Amity 139.5, 5. Stamford 132.5, 6. Greenwich 129, 7. Ridgefield 125, 8. NFA 103.5, 9. Simsbury 97.5, 10. South Windsor 91, 11. Glastonbury 88, 12. Newington 86.5, 13. Trumbull 86, 14. Manchester 69.5, 15. New Britain 65, 16. Masuk 57, 17. Newtown 55.5, 18. Westhill 55, 19. Xavier 47, 20. Cheshire 45, 21. Norwalk 34, 22. Shelton 29, 23. East Hartford 24, 24. Fairfield Prep 20, 25. Bridgeport 19.5, 26. Platt Tech 16, 27. New Haven 9.

INDIVIDUAL CLASSES

 

103 – 1. Alex Blank (Ridgefield) pin 5:29; 2. Mike Briskin (Cheshire) none; 3. John Lemoine (Trumbull) dec. 7-3; 4. Doug Fontaine (Southington) none; 5. Brian Jennings (Danbury) dec. 3-0; 6. Jack Germano (Newington) none.

112 – 1. Mike Cunningham (South Windsor) dec. 12-0; 2. Mike Battinelli (Stamford) none. 3. Anthony Amorando (New Milford) dec. 4-0; 4. Rich Reher (Trumbull) none; 5. Gregory Hovey (Simsbury) dec. 3-1; 6. Spencer Cinancola (Amity) none.

119 – 1. John Gouveia (Newtown) dec. 2-0; 2. Charlie Costanzo (Danbury) none; 3. Beau Richards (NFA) pin 4:41; 4. Alex Camacho (Stamford) none; 5. Stephen Krohley (Amity) dec. 14-0; 6. Dylan Rinker (South Windsor) none.

125 – 1. Spiros Stefanatos (New Milford) dec. 5-4; 2. George Madkour (Danbury) none; 3. Eliot Lopez (South Windsor) dec. 7-2; 4. Nick Gialluca (New Britain) none; 5. Jason Camacho (Stamford) pin 0:35; 6. Matthew Fallon (Ridgefield) none.

130 – 1. Corey Paulish (Ridgefield) dec. 12-0; 2. Chris Kriatis (Manchester) none; 3. Tucker Schaefer (Danbury) dec. 10-2; 4. Joseph Sargenti (South Windsor) none; 5. Michael Katz (Amity) dec. 11-0; 6. John Garrison, Platt Tech, none.

135 – 1. Michael Vernik (Amity) dec. 6-0; 2. Steven Brant (Simsbury) none; 3. Matt Van Houten (Stamford) dec. 2-1; 4. Jordan Napolitano (Westhill) none; 5. John Smith (Danbury) dec. 4-0; 6. Jacob Ouellette (NFA) none.

140 – 1. Trevor Ritchie (Southington) pin 5:19; 2. Jordan Jacquo (New Britain) none; 3. Andrew Gewirtz (Amity) dec. 1-0; 4. Greg Laroche (Stamford) none; 5. Jonathan Goncalves (Danbury) dec. 7-6; 6. Chris Emanuelson (Glastonbury) none.

145 – 1. Dean Smith (Danbury) dec. 7-0; 2. Stefon Camacho (Stamford) none; 3. Mike Bellagamba (New Milford) dec. 4-0; 4. Samuel Baron (Ridgefield) none; 5. Storm Horine (Greenwich) Dec. 13-2; 6. David Turner (Xavier) none.

152 – 1. Tyler Howe (Danbury) dec. 3-2; 2. Jake Clarke (Greenwich) none; 3. Jack Nuland (Ridgefield) dec. 7-1; 4. Robert Esposito (Newington) none; 5. Tim Bradle (New Milford) dec. 9-4; 6. Daniel Rodriguez (Glastonbury) none.

160 – 1. Ryan Roddy (Amity) dec. 13-3; 2. Cody Griswold (New Milford) none; 3. Ronald Thompson (Westhill) dec. 11-4; 4. Chris Flores (Greenwich) none; 5. Dean Hancock (Danbury) dec. 6-0; 6. Patrick Sawyer (NFA) none.

171 – 1. Anthony Kaponis (Newington) dec. 22-7; 2. Richie Zschoche (Danbury) none; 3. Alex Uliasz (Southington) dec. 3-2; 4. James Chertkov (Greenwich) none; 5. Timothy Dark (Manchester) dec. 5-2; 6. Garrett Loubier (NFA) none.

189 – 1. Nicholas Murphy (NFA) dec. 7-1; 2. Joe Laduca (Danbury) none; 3. Joseph Colella (New Britain) pin 1:38; 4. Lawton Arnold (Simsbury) none; 5. Dan Howley (Southington) dec. 13-5; 6. Scott Christy (Masuk) none.

215 – 1. Planton Koukides (Norwalk) dec. 12-2; 2. Marcus Furze (Simsbury) none; 3. Dan Pennant (Glastonbury) dec. 3-1; 4. Steven Bendrick (New Milford) none; 5. Chirs Vose (Southington) default; 6. Andrew Marcano (Newington) none.

285 – 1. Richard Moran (Trumbull) dec. 4-1; 2. Spencer Charette (Southington) none; 3. Paul Fenaroli (Masuk) dec. 3-1; 4. Rejinal Gachelin (Greenwich) none; 5. Andrew Hutchinson (Manchester) pin 4:49; 6. Mike Bruni (Amity) none.

Junior Varsity

Freshman Kevin Carney finished fourth in the 142-pound division at the Fairfield Ludlowe Junior Varsity Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, February 3.

The tournament is considered the premier tournament for junior varsity wrestling in the state with many of the top state wrestling programs represented – Danbury, Stamford, Amity, Greenwich, Bristol Central, Ridgefield and New Milford. Newtown was one of 16 teams to participate.

Also doing well on the mat were junior Tyler Adams, sophomore Hiram Orama, freshman Dan Milot, freshman Sam Miller and freshman Herlof Sorensen.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Notre Dame 55, Newtown 47

Would lightning strike twice?

That was the question last Friday night as the Newtown High School girls’ basketball team prepared to battle Notre Dame of Fairfield in the quarterfinals of the South-West Conference tournament – just three days after the Lady Nighthawks earned one of their best wins in recent memory when they topped the Lady Lancers in the regular season finale.

Things looked a lot different on Friday, though, as the Lancers jumped out to a 10-0 lead, held the ‘Hawks to just 15 points through the first 15 minutes, and eased their way to a 55-47 win at the Shehan Center in Bridgeport.

On Tuesday, the Lancers knocked off No. 1 seed Kolbe Cathedral to advance to the tournament championship against Pomperaug.

Although the Lancers never trailed against Newtown last week and held the locals without a basket for the first 4:20 of the game, the ‘Hawks did not exactly go out like lambs. Despite missing their first seven shots of the game, the locals finally got a jump start when Katie Power drained a three-pointer with 3:40 left in the first. A moment later Christie Iwanicki popped in a three-pointer of her own and just like that the Notre Dame lead had been trimmed to three.

The two teams traded hoops, but after Iwanicki knocked down her second three of the game and Morgan Knees popped in a bucket in the low post (off a nice feed from Power) the Notre Dame lead had been trimmed to just one point.

The Lancers, though, knocked down a bucket at the buzzer and then held the ‘Hawks to just one basket for nearly seven minutes while pushing their lead to 26-15. Knees made a nice move in the post with 1:03 left in the half and followed up about 30 seconds later with another bucket but the Lancers went into the half with a 27-19 lead.

In the third, Iwanicki had a couple of baskets, Knees registered two blocks – one on Notre Dame center Candace Williams – and Nora Lynn Shimko drained a three-pointer but the ‘Hawks never got closer than six points … and that was after Shimko’s trey with 41.2 seconds left in the quarter.

Notre Dame went up by nine early in the fourth, thanks to a three-pointer from the corner, but the locals started chipping away. A couple of free throws from Iwanicki, a bucket (and one) from Knees, another bucket from Knees, and a three-pointer from Power with 3:13 left in the game and the ‘Hawks had pulled to within three.

The locals remained within four points, but a key turnover with 1:01 left to play and another turnover with 49 seconds left gave the Lancers all the impetus they needed to hold on for the win and send themselves on to the semi-finals.

The ‘Hawks dropped to 14-7 overall and await the start of the CIAC Class LL playoffs. As the 12th seed, they will host No. 26 New Milford on Monday at 7 pm and, should they win, will face the winner of the No. 5 Hamden/No. 28 South Windsor game next Wednesday.

Notre Dame 55, Newtown 47

NEWTOWN (47): Jen Brewer 0 0-0 0, Christie Iwanicki 4 2-2 12, Nora Lynn Shimko 1 0-0 3, Darcy Fiscella 0 1-2 1, Kristi Nowak 2 3-6 7, Morgan Knees 7 2-3 16, Katie Condon 0 0-0 0, Katie Power 3 0-0 8, Jordan Good 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 17 8-13 47

NOTRE DAME (55): Ryann Simmons 6 4-5 18, Rose Bajda 1 5-8 7, Candace Williams 7 0-0 14, Taylor Simmons 5 3-4 13, Jesika Holmes 0 0-0 0, Stephanie Wooten 0 1-2 1, Alicia Gilfort 0 0-0 0, Bridget Thayer 0 0-0 0, Jessica Berard 0 0-0 0, Tranquillo 1 0-0 2. TOTALS: 20 13-19 55.

Three-pointers: Iwanicki (N) 2, Power (N) 2, R. Simmons (ND) 2, Shimko (N).

BOYS BASKETBALL

Newtown 65, Notre Dame 60

Kolbe-Cathedral 95, Newtown 67

Considering the caliber of team waiting for them on Monday, a victory over Notre Dame last Friday was even more imperative for the Newtown High School boys’ basketball team … as if the Nighthawks needed any extra incentive, being mired in a five-game losing streak for three weeks.

But the prospects of ending the streak did not look promising at all as the ‘Hawks saw a nine-point, second-quarter lead dissipate and become a five-point deficit with just four minutes left in the fourth period.

Down 58-53, though, showed that their character – even in the wake of their waning confidence – remained strong. Tucker Kass dropped in a nice baseline drive and popped in a couple of free throws to trim the deficit to just one point but the Lancers were hanging tough until, with just 1:27 left to go, senior Jack Quinn drained the biggest shot of the year, a three-pointer at the top of the key that provided the final lead change of the game and propelled the ‘Hawks to a 65-60 win.

“We still have to play the rest of the season,” said Quinn, “but this felt good.”

Just three days later, that good feeling was dampened somewhat when undefeated Kolbe-Cathedral rolled to a 95-67 win that dropped the ‘Hawks to 11-8 overall, 6-6 in the South-West Conference. But with just one game left (against Bunnell on Wednesday, after press time) the ‘Hawks were still looking good for a spot in the SWC tournament.

A win would clinch a spot for the locals. A loss could knock them out but only if Masuk also lost to Joel Barlow and Weston lost to Notre Dame.

The losing streak may have been wearing on the ‘Hawks, but right from the opening tip it appeared as if they were destined to work off their frustrations at the expense of the Lancers. Kevin Troy opened the game up with a three-pointer, Danny Smith added one of his own a short while later, and Joe DeVellis slashed through the Notre Dame defense for a pair of easy baskets and midway through the opening period the ‘Hawks had crafted a 16-6 lead.

The Lancers answered back with a couple of baskets, but the ‘Hawks went on a 7-2 run to close out the period with a 23-12 lead.

Then things started to go south as the offense stagnated. The defense remained tough, but the Lancers slowly inched their way back into the game and took their first lead with consecutive three-point baskets.

The half closed with Notre Dame on top, 33-32.

It became a see-saw battle in the third, with seven lead changes, and after Quinn and DeVellis knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, it appeared as if the ‘Hawks had regained control of the game with a 48-41 lead. But the Lancers answered back with a three and went on a 6-0 run to close the gap to one by the close of the period.

The game remained tight for the first four minutes as Kennedy (a game-high 22 points on the night) canned a free throw and dropped in a soft bucket in the low post. But a 7-2 run put the Lancers in control with less than four minutes to go.

Soon enough, though, it was Quinn’s turn to take over.

“It just felt good,” said Quinn, who had five three-pointers entering the game. “If had been feeling good all night. This was big. It was for our whole season because we were in danger of not making the SWCs.”

This, after the ‘Hawks had opened the season at 10-2 and 5-0 in the conference.

But the ship was righted, if only for a night, and now the locals can look forward to the SWCs and CIAC Class LL state tournament with a little bit more confidence.

Newtown 65, Notre Dame 60

NOTRE DAME (60): Matt Maya 5 2-2 14, Dan Barbour 5 0-0 10, Jon Fontanez 9 2-4 20, Alex Muniz 1 4-6 6, Kevin Cosgrove 2 0-0 4, Matt Caufield 2 1-2 6. TOTALS: 24 9-14 60.

NEWTOWN (65): Joe DeVellis 3 3-5 10, Mike Kennedy 8 6-8 22, Jack Quinn 3 0-0 8, Shaun Coakley 0 0-0 0, Tucker Kass 1 2-2 4, Dan Smith 3 0-0 7, Jason Smith 0 1-2 1, Kevin Troy 4 0-1 9, Jake DeVellis 2 0-0 4. TOTALS: 24 12-17 65.

Three-pointers: Quinn (N) 2, Maya (ND) 2, Joe DeVellis (N), D. Smith (N), Troy (N), Caufield (ND).

Kolbe Cathedral 95, Newtown 67

NEWTOWN (67): Mike Kennedy 1 3-6 5, Tucker Kass 4 0-0 8, Dan Smith 2 1-2 6, Jack Quinn 1 0-0 2, Kevin Troy 6 4-4 17, Mike Maher 1 0-0 3, Jake DeVellis 4 1-1 9, Shaun Coakley 3 0-0 6, Joe DeVellis 3 4-6 10, JP McDade 0 1-2 1. TOTALS: 25 14-22 67.

KOLBE CATHEDRAL (95): Sean Walker 3 2-3 8, TJ Robinson 12 4-6 28, Kenny King 4 0-0 11, Moyan Henry 10 3-4 24, Nick Bajda 1 1-2 3, Dominique Langston 5 3-3 14, Andrae Beckford 2 0-0 4, Desentrie Allen 1 0-1 2, Chester Foster 0 0-1 0, DJ Ellis 0 1-2 1. TOTALS: 38 14-22 95.

Three-pointers: King (KC) 3, Smith (N), Troy (N), Maher (N), Henry (KC), Langston (KC).

HOCKEY

Newtown 11, Fitch-East Lyme 0

Newtown 5, Shelton-Wilbur Cross 1

It was all Newtown last Friday as the seniors led their team to victory over Fitch-East Lyme on Newtown’s Senior Night.

All four seniors helped contribute to the win in some way, and Newtown won easily, 11-0.

As has been the norm this year for the Nighthawks, sophomore Christian Beitel kicked things off with a goal, assisted by senior Chris Kraft. A few minutes later and Beitel returned the favor, passing it off to Kraft for the goal and a 2-0 lead.

Later in the first, senior assistant captain Pat Daly got in on the action, giving the puck up to junior Graham Moller, who then scored his first of two goals on the night. As the first period came to a close junior Matt Wright had a nice short-handed goal and Newtown went into the locker room with a 4-0 lead.

The second period wasn’t much different as Newtown dominated Fitch-East Lyme with goals by junior Max Beitel, a second goal by Wright and a second goal by Kraft and so when the period ended and Newtown was up 7-0, it was clear that the win was secure.

Head coach Dusty Zima then decided to give some time on the ice to the younger players on the team.  Their impact was felt in the opening minutes of the third period as sophomore Ben Stokes scored his first goal.

Then Daly put in a nice shot off of an assist from Kraft and then almost immediately after junior Francis Oggeri put in yet another goal for Newtown as they continued to steamroll Fitch-East Lyme.  With only five minutes left in the game, Moller netted his second goal of the night and Newtown was up 11-0.

As the game came to a close, the seniors took some time off the ice and the underclassmen took control. It was a well played game for the Nighthawks, and a great night for the four seniors on the team – Zach D’Agostino, PJ Horoszko, Chris Kraft and Pat Daly.

The win – and a 5-1 win over Shelton-Wilbur Cross on Tuesday night at the Shelton Rinks – puts Newtown at 12-5-1 as they head into the last few games of the season, and prepare for SWC Division II (as the No. 2 seed) and CIAC Division III (currently as the No. 3 seed) state playoffs.

– Jake Burg