By Kim J. Harmon

RIDGEFIELD – For the first six minutes of the second quarter, it was a game.

For the other 42 minutes, it wasn’t.

The Newtown High School boys’ lacrosse team entered the CIAC Division II state tournament ranked 10th at 8-7 and thus had to take their show on the road – down to Ridgefield – last Saturday for some first round action.

The Tigers were ranked 7th at 9-5 and while their record wasn’t all that different from that of the Nighthawks, their skill – the speed, the ability to pass the ball on the run, the still defense – was evident.

And because of that skill, the ‘Hawks saw their season end with a 17-8 loss.

After the ‘Hawks had fallen to Brookfield in the semi-finals of the South-West Conference tournament, coach Brian Micena had warned his squad that, due to the vagaries of the CIAC Division II seeding, it would be playing the toughest teams first.

He was right on the money.

Ridgefield was all over Newtown in the first quarter, scoring seven goals in all . . . the last with just four seconds left in the period. After Tom Ryan had rifled a hard shot past Ridgefield goalie KC Peterson to trim the Ridgefield lead to 3-1 midway through the period, the Tigers scored in rapid-fire to quickly extend that lead to 7-1.

The ‘Hawks seemed doomed after just 12 minutes, but they made a rousing run in the first six minutes of the second period that set the Tigers back on their heels.

Matt Saunders started the scoring with a hard, bouncer from up high in the box. Dan Maley, from nearly the same spot, was next and then Casey Kirch, going with his left hand in front of the crease, followed with a goal that trimmed the Ridgefield lead to 7-4.

Very nice offensive movement was the catalyst for the run.

The Tigers stopped the rally for a moment with a goal of their own but Kirch, utilizing the same move he used on his first goal, brought the ‘Hawks back within three goals with about six minutes still left to play in the half.

But, just like that, the run was over.

Ridgefield took over.

And the Tigers scored the next seven goals in a row, on into the third quarter, to take a commanding 15-5 lead. Kirch, Saunders and John Conlon all scored in the second half, but the ‘Hawks never got closer than eight goals (early in the fourth quarter) the rest of the way.

For Kirch and Saunders – the Nighthawks’ two leading scorers – it was a disappointing finish to what had been a pretty productive season. In 2001, Kirch scored 34 goals and assisted on 38 others (No. 1 on the team) to finish with 72 points while Saunders scored 46 goals (No. 1 on the team) and assisted on 22 others to finish with 68 points.

Ryan also showed a bit of goal scoring prowess and his goal against Ridgefield gave him an impressive 35 for the season.

But those numbers aside, the ‘Hawks finished 8-8 overall in the first year under coach Micena and although they will be losing the likes of Saunders, Pete Yemc, Matt Lynch, Matt Sullivan, and John Conlon, a talented group of underclassmen will return to take another shot.

Jayvees Finish 9-4

The junior varsity boys finished a successful 2001 season with a record of 9-4 under the direction of first-year coach Chuck Chiodo.

The ‘Hawks lost only to Division I powers Fairfield, Fairfield Prep, and Glastonbury along with an overtime loss to the Trumbull varsity team.

They were led on  attack by leading scorer John Oliver, Clay Brier, Matt Wheeler, Jim Davis, Kyle Kirch, and Adam Pennarola. The midfield lines included Mike Soder, Stan Fabas, Matt Tavella, Jay Romanelli, Chris Knapp, Gavin Levy, Gary Marinelli, and dominant face-off specialist David Wesley.

The defense, which gave up double digits only once all season, was led by Devon Manfredonia, Ted Yemc, Dan Mallen, Charlie Hill, and goalkeeper Chris Body, who posted an outstanding 4.2 goals per game against average.

SCORING

 

Players                     G       A      PT

Casey Kirch             34      38      72

Matt Saunders        46      22      68

Tom Ryan                35      16      51

John Conlon            31        7      38

Matt Sullivan            8        2      10

Dan Maley                7        2        9

Pete Yemc                2        7        9

John Oliver               6        1        7

Matt Sodor                0        4        4

Ted Yemc                  1        1        2

Kyle Kirch                 2        0        2

Matt Lynch               1        1        2

Brian Hamilton         0        1        1

Pat Monahan            1        0        1