Resilient NHS Laxmen Gain From Losses

By Andy Hutchison

The Newtown High School boys’ lacrosse team played two games against defending state champion teams in as many days last week. The Nighthawks, following a tough-to-swallow 11-10 loss to last season’s Class S champion New Fairfield on May 13, fell 14-11 in another tight one, with nonconference foe and last year’s Class L champ Fairfield Prep the next afternoon.

As disappointing as losing a pair of games the Hawks were so close to winning may have been, the players may have pulled something positive from their battles with the best experiences.

“I hope they pull that they can play with any team in the state,” Coach Brian Micena said. “If they manage the game better, they can beat any team in the state.”

That is a nice feeling for any team at this time of the year, given that the conference and state playoffs are just around the corner.

Newtown led 8-5 in the third quarter of its game against undefeated New Fairfield and trailed Prep by just a goal midway through the fourth quarter.

“To stand toe to toe with the best of them is great, so I’m proud,” Micena said.

Micena pointed out that his team paid for a few miscues which included some turnovers.

“It’s just a couple of mistakes and the good teams make you pay like they did last night and like they did tonight,” the coach said following the defeat to Prep.

In the New Fairfield game (a rematch of last year’s South-West Conference championship battle) Kevin Canavan had five goals to continue his torrid season-long scoring effort.

“We got a great show from Kevin Canavan as usual. Colby Summerlin stepped it up,” senior captain Christian Beitel said.

Summerlin was one of seven Newtown goal scorers and collected three ground balls. Beitel had a goal and two assists, Lewis Thompson scooped a team-high seven ground balls and Canavan had five ground balls.

Newtown used nice passing to set up several goals in this close-from-the-start game.

“We worked the ball around well,” Beitel said.

The Nighthawks moved from the Blue & Gold Stadium grass field to the Treadwell Park turf to face Prep less than 24 hours later. It was a windy and later rainy afternoon, but the conditions did not prevent these strong teams from playing at a high level.

Tight throughout the opening half, the game saw Prep seize brief control in the third quarter as the visiting Jesuits turned a 7-6 halftime edge into a 9-6 lead. The Nighthawks, though, reeled off three straight tallies to tie the score. Brian Reszoly got NHS within two, Canavan stood at the back door and took a feed from Beitel to score and snip the deficit to one and Jacob Dauz’s unassisted net-finder got the score even. Prep answered with two goals in a 27-second span late in the third, built a 12-9 lead early in the fourth and fended off the Hawks.

Newtown rebounded with a 15-1 drubbing of Eastchester High in New York on Saturday and had its way with Immaculate in a 16-4 rout on Monday to improve to 12-3 overall heading into Wednesday’s regular season finale against Joel Barlow (after The Bee sports section went to press).

All-in-all this has been a highly successful campaign for the Nighthawks. Newtown has scored 15 or more goals in 10 games.

“It’s definitely been fun,” Beitel said.

“We come to practice fired up everyday and that translates out on the field,” Canavan added.