Newtown High School’s boys’ tennis team, despite the loss of a handful of seniors a year ago, reached the South-West Conference championship match before falling 6-1 to top-seeded and host Weston on May 20.

“Great year for the boys after losing five seniors. Everyone told them it was going to be a rebuilding year, but they stayed confident and believed they could win the conference when no one else thought they could,” said Brett Teolis, Newtown’s first-year coach. “We fell one match short, but overall it was a successful year.”

And the postseason will continue with the SWC’s individual tournament, followed by state competition.

Newtown edged Pomperaug of Southbury 4-3 in the South-West Conference Tournament semifinals on May 19. The second-seeded Nighthawks pulled out a trio of three-set matches to earn the victory and advance in the four-team tourney.

In the loss to Weston in the finals, Matt Carino had Newtown’s lone win, pulling out a 6-4, 7-5 victory at fourth singles. The No. 2 doubles team of Mike Dutsar and James Frazzetta pushed their opponents to three sets before falling 6-7, 6-3, 6-10.