By Kim J. Harmon

Winter may be passing the torch on to spring this week, but pause for just a minute – if you can – to reflect upon the past season . . . a season where success seemed to be a natural byproduct of all the Newtown High School sports programs.

Such as –

- girls’ basketball, where a trip into the CIAC Class LL quarter-finals culminated another terrific campaign.

- boys’ basketball, where an 0-4 start hardly stopped a team hell-bent on a shot at the South-West Conference championship.

- wrestling, where the 100-win plateau was broached by two young men and one went on to become a state champion.

- swimming, where records were shattered and individual champions were crowned.

- and indoor track, where two individual champions (and, this time, NOT on the girls’ side) were crowned.

 

So, it was, in retrospect, a rather remarkable season for Newtown High School.

The girls’ basketball team started up back in December as the defending SWC champion and, with the return of center Amanda Marsilio, seemed poised to make another run at the championship. And an early season win over Norwalk, ranked as one of the top 50 teams in the nation, was proof of the Nighthawks’ potential to do just that.

Things, though, didn’t quite work out that way and not so much because of a malaise that seemed to affect the offense from time to time – but because the SWC happened to become, almost overnight, one of the toughest conferences in the state. Lauralton Hall, New Fairfield, Kolbe-Cathedral, Bunnell, Masuk, and Newtown were all upper echelon teams and several could hardly be described as pushovers.

The ‘Hawks were deep, with a lot of talented players, but while luck was on their side in February of 2000 when Kate Ryan sank that shot with seven seconds left on the clock against New Fairfield, luck belonged to someone else this year.

This year saw the emergence of a bright new star in Kelley Haines.

The boys’ basketball team started with a typically tough schedule and an 0-4 start seemed to have the ‘Hawks back on their heels. But all the ‘Hawks did was win 15 of the next 17 games and reach the semi-finals of the SWC tournament before bowing out. A disappointing loss to Windsor in the CIAC Class LL state tournament ended the Newtown run.

John Fiscella finished up his basketball career as the fifth-leading scorer in school history and the school record-holder in career three-pointers (100). His brother, Andrew, a freshman, will help carry the torch for the family name.

On the wrestling mat, the Nighthawks finished up 11-4 and second overall at the SWC tournament despite not having anyone take an individual title. Dan Maley and Steve Selezan, the Nighthawks’ top two threats, were both bested in the finals of their respective divisions but Jon Read and Matt Sullivan both earned third-place finishes. Selezan went on to claim a CIAC Class L championship, though, and ended his career on a positive note.

In the swimming pool, the Nighthawks were taking a step back from the 14-2 team of the 1999-2000 season – but the team did not step back as far as some may have thought. The ‘Hawks – with guys like Kane Kunst, Jeff Heller, Matt Fries, and Bryan Kotwicki – came up with a remarkable 200-yard freestyle relay team that shattered the old school record and took first at the SWC championship meet. Kunst also took first in the 500-yard freestyle and went on to earn a CIAC Class L state title in the 100-yard backstroke. It was coach Brian Reiff’s final season (after returning from a short retirement) with the team.

On the indoor track, a large contingent of runners and throwers under coaches Marsha Caine and Carl Strait did not have a very full schedule but rose to the occasion at the end of the season. While the girls were not up to their accustomed dominance of years past, TJ Maguire and Tony Napoleone each took home an individual championships for the boys.

So take a moment and reflect upon a winter season where just about everyone had a chance to find a little success.