Newtown High School’s girls’ and boys’ cross country teams are ready to begin the season. Coaches Christina Caron and Carl Strait are excited to see what transpires.

The girls will be challenged by South-West Conference rivals New Milford and Pomperaug of Southbury, and are striving for a top-three finish, Caron said.

Captains Clara D’Amico, Grace Chiriatti, Alexa Norton, and Nicole Melchianno will help lead the way. Grace Lyons is a returning sophomore, and newcomers/seniors Lauren Jacobs and Kendall Morgenstern, both of whom previously played soccer, bring added strength to the lineup.

“We have a lot of depth this year,” Caron said.

The boys will also look to be among the top group in the SWC.

“This year, I expect us to compete with the top four teams in the league: New Milford, Pomperaug, Joel Barlow and Weston,” Strait said.

The Nighthawks lost a handful of key contributors, including Aidan Budge who is running at Central Connecticut State University, but return some strong talent and bring in some solid newcomers.

Noah Masotta, Evan Chaudhary, Andrew Arena, and Henry Prout are returnees.

Soheib Dissa appears to be quite a significant addition. He played soccer last fall before going on to stand out on the track during indoor winter and outdoor spring seasons, qualifying for Freshman Nationals.

Senior Curtis Shaw is a first-year runner who was a staple in the Unified Sports program and is branching out to test his speed with the track team this fall.

The season will get underway Tuesday, September 13, with a visit to Brookfield to take on the host Bobcats as well as Joel Barlow of Redding and Weston. The girls race at 4:30 pm, and the boys start at 5 o’clock.

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