Sports

Boys' Lacrosse Team Gets Contributions From Everybody In Blowout

By Andy Hutchison

Published: May 15, 2026 6:50 am

Hard-fought wins are rewarding for teams, but blowouts can be equally fulfilling in their own right. Especially when there are contributions from all of the nearly 30 players on the roster. That is exactly what happened when the Newtown High School boys' lacrosse team crushed visiting Pomperaug of Southbury 22-3 under the lights at Blue & Gold Stadium on May 9.

Nick Stockwell scored four times and added a pair of assists, Marcus Gerace registered a hat trick's worth of goals and assists — three of each for six points — and Nate Pickard and Graham Spencer each added a trio of tallies to lead the offense. The goals kept coming, and when long-stick defender Colin Dirga scored the bench went crazy. Several other Nighthawks made an impact with goals or contributions, including both faceoff specialists — Luke Gagnon and Noah Kirshner — making for a feel-good night at Blue & Gold.

"We work extremely hard — we ask a lot of our guys. To have contributions from every guy on our roster is special," Coach Tony Fitti said.

It was a special day and night to begin with as youth teams from town competed from morning through night and the teams supported the 15 For Life Foundation, raising awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.

"It's always something we look forward to every year," said Fitti, adding that the team had great energy for its game.

The Nighthawks have taken advantage of less-challenging games on their schedule; they put up 20-plus goals in four straight matchups. In an easy win at Notre Dame Prep in Fairfield on May 7, Stockwell, Gerace, and Luke Stewart all scored four times. Stockwell had three assists and Stewart and Gerace had two assists apiece. Pickard and Jack Meade both registered two goals. Cole Stockwell, Gagnon, Holden Knauf, Gavin Merrifield, and Cam Longhi added tallies.

The Hawks won ten of their first 13 games before dropping a hard-fought 13-11 decision at Weston on May 12. Pickard scored six times and had an assist, Spencer netted a hat trick, Nick Stockwell had a goal and two assists, Stewart scored, and Meade had an assist.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.

Long-stick defender Colin Dirga breaks free with the ball. Dirga scored in Newtown’s 22-3 win over visiting Pomperaug on May 9. —Bee Photos, Hutchison

Nick Stockwell, left, makes a move on a Pomperaug defender.

Noah Kirshner runs with possession.

Holden Knauf looks to set up a play on offense.

Owen Meade makes a pass.

Deaglan O’Kane finds a teammate to make a pass.

Nate Pickard scoops a loose ball.

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Judith Pesce

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

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Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

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Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Boys' Lacrosse Team Gets Contributions From Everybody In Blowout

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