Boys’ Laxmen Shoot To Score — And Stay Healthy After Injury-Filled ’07 Season

By Andy Hutchison

Torn ligaments, a broken back, two broken collar bones … a separated shoulder — sure, lacrosse is a rough sport, but what injuries didn’t the Newtown High School boys’ lacrosse team endure last spring?

“Last year was a tough year. We ended up with eight starters who went down with season-ending injuries,” Head Coach Brian Micena painfully recalled as he watched an injury-free (thus far) team practice at Treadwell Park late last week.

Needless to say, the Nighthawks are shooting to do more than score in 2008 — they’re shooting for a healthy season that could give them a shot at a spot in the state playoffs after missing out, for good reason, a year ago.

“They feel pretty confident,” Micena said of his players. “I think talentwise we can be right there with some of the better teams.”

Among those solid teams in the South-West Conference are Weston, Joel Barlow, and, of course, New Fairfield, which knocked Newtown out of the semifinals of the SWC Tournament last year.

The boys were scheduled to open the season Wednesday against Immaculate and have a tough test on Saturday against nonconference foe, and one of the best teams around, Fairfield Prep.

“That’s a measuring stick game for us to see where we are and what we have to do,” Micena said.

Early on, Micena believes speed and offense are strong points for the team. The biggest loss to graduation from last year was midfielder Travis Speer, but the midfield corps is strong and athletic, according to Micena. Senior Will Mahoney will anchor the midfield, and senior Collin Babbage is another strong midfielder, who brings with him some versatility to play other positions. Newtown’s entire attack unit returns, and is led by senior Brendan Martin and junior Kevin Canavan. Martin broke his collarbone only three games into the season a year ago, and his presence should give the Hawks a spark this spring.

“I think we have a team of kids who can run, so we’re going to try to push the action,” Micena said.

Defensively, the Nighthawks are led by junior Kyle McNamara and seniors Brett Mauro (who broke his ankle in the fourth game of 2007) and Conor Martin, the latter of whom can play other positions on the field as well.

Senior Max Beitel and junior Clarence Chung are battling it out for playing time between the pipes and the two goalies are supportive of each other, the coach said.

The Nighthawks are home (Treadwell Park) for back-to-back games on Tuesday and Thursday next week against SWC teams Brookfield and then Pomperaug. Among the notable match-ups on the schedule are when the Hawks will visit Barlow on April 17, host Weston on May 1, and visit New Fairfield on May 8.