By Kim J. Harmon

With the dawn of the 2006 fall sports season upon us, three Newtown High School teams – girls’ cross country, boys’ cross country and swimming – return to the fray in defending a championship (or two) of some sort.

And though common wisdom says that the steady turnover in high school athletics makes a repeat less likely, keep in mind that the girls’ cross country team has won four South-West Conference championships in a row and, pardon the oxymoron, is in no hurry to slow down.

The boys’ cross country team is defending a CIAC State Open championship while the girls’ swim team is defending SWC and CIAC Class L state championships. Can either of these teams return to the top of the heap?

That is the question. Then again, can the volleyball team take it one step further in its quest for an SWC title? Can the football team overcome a lack of size on the offensive line and losses to the defense to challenge for an SWC title and state playoff berth? Can the girls’ soccer team finally chase down that elusive SWC title?

These questions and more will be answered in the weeks ahead and to get a glimpse at the possible answers, read on –

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Coach – Doug Russell

The Newtown High School girls’ cross country team has held onto the South-West Conference championship in an iron grip for the past four years and – with the dawn of the 2006 season – one has to wonder how long this can go on.

Well, from the way the success of the program continues to feed on itself, probably several years to come. But while another SWC championship is certainly a goal of the Lady Nighthawks – and definitely a reasonable possibility – they have much bigger fish to fry.

“We want to finish strong in the states,” said head coach Doug Russell, “finish much stronger in the Opens and hopefully qualify for the New Englands. With the talent and determination I see, I believe this will be one of our most successful seasons.”

Three of the most important members of the top seven will be Michelle Brennan (co-captain), Moira Collier (co-captain) and Elise DeRoo. Key components from last year’s championship squad, they are running stronger than ever and will provide support and leadership to other top runners like Sara Pollock and Jen Brill.

Pushing that group will be another group of about five runners who can challenge for positions in the bottom end of the front seven – junior Christie Attanasio, junior Carolyn Gingras, sophomore Keegan Frobey, senior Bethany Murphy and senior Kelly McPhee.

“Again, we are pretty deep and the girls behind (the top group) are constantly pushing themselves to get better,” said coach Russell. “I am truly excited about this season! We have 37 girls on the team and they are one of the hardest working groups I think I’ve ever had. I do believe with the girls who are returning from the top seven are going to be stronger than they were last year.”

Other team members include Christine Beck, Marissa Bobkowski, Kelley Anne Carney, Eva Cerreta, Allie Clement, Katie Condon, Cait Coster, Caroline Kraich, Bonnie Lundblad, Andie Maret, Libby Maret, Rachel Marlin, Alison McEmber, Katie McNulty, Emily Newton-Tanzer, Erin Nemeth, Katie Power, Kristene Salbu, Rebecca Schurman, Katie Serock, Heidi Sikemsen, Katie Sudby, Marina Virgalla, Olga Virgalla, Ali Swink, Kate Knox and Natalie Clavette.

September 12 – at Stratford and Bunnell, 3:45 pm; September 19 – versus Masuk and Pomperaug, 3:45 pm; September 26 – at Brookfield, Joel Barlow and Immaculate, 4:45pm; September 29 – at Bethel Invitational, 4:45 pm; October 3 – at Bethel and New Fairfield, 3:45 pm; October 10 – at New Milford, Notre Dame and Lauralton Hall, 3:45 pm; October 19 – SWC championships at Bethel, 3:45 pm.

SWIMMING

Coach – Mary Atkinson

Is it possible the defending South-West Conference and CIAC Class L state champions – who have not, by the way, been beaten in 32 regular season dual meets (33 counting a shellacking of Stratford on Tuesday) – set the bar too high?

It would be easy to say that the Newtown High School girls’ swim team would be hard-pressed to match any of that success considering the losses it suffered – All State divers Shannon Kennedy and Melissa Metzger, All State swimmer Abby Atkinson and key point scorers Liz Gugino, Carol Ann Smith, Maricate Conlon, Sally Tabler and talented sophomore Dana Gnerre.

But the Lady Nighthawks have a great pipeline of young talent coming from the Newtown Torpedoes program. Newcomers like Megan Baylis, Katie Fragoso, Marlene Kroon and Colleen Carroll will learn from a strong junior class group – led by Jaclyn Van Waalwijk, Emma Atkinson, Lucy Remitz, Annie Hull, Jenna Legros and diver Dana Djonne. Meanwhile, senior co-captains Abby Carnali, Jen Iassogna, Sarah Harmonay will provide some key leadership in the pool while Nicole Borruso (No. four in the SWC a year ago) will hold the fort on the diving board.

“Last year is going to be a little hard to compete with,” said head coach Mary Atkinson, “especially now that we are in Class LL, but we still hope to have a fairly strong year. We lost some key swimmers, but we are expecting our junior class to be especially strong.”

The biggest test for the ‘Hawks will be today (Friday) when they host Lauralton Hall – a perennial SWC powerhouse which had to submit to Newtown for the past two seasons. And now the operative question will be, is it payback time?

“Our goal is still to have a winning record in the SWC,” said coach Atkinson, “and to get as many swimmers to the states and State Opens as possible.”

September 12 – versus Stratford, 5 pm; September 15 – versus Lauralton Hall, 6:30 pm; September 19 – versus Bunnell, 5 pm; September 21 – at Pomperaug, 4 pm; September 26 – at New Fairfield, 4 pm; September 29 – versus Weston, 5 pm; October 12 – versus Brookfield, 5 pm; October 19 – at Joel Barlow (Newtown High pool), 4 pm; October 24 – versus New Milford, 7 pm; October 26 – versus Masuk, 7 pm.

GIRLS SOCCER

Coach – Rupert de los Reyes

Although three of the most prolific players in the history of the program (Alex Konneker, Casey Frobey and Tara Gaston) are now playing top level collegiate ball, the Newtown High School girls’ soccer team remains a dominant force with an eye on a frustratingly elusive prize – a South-West Conference championship.

“We lost some key players,” said head coach Rupert de los Reyes, “but other teams – Immaculate, Masuk – have lost some quality players, too. It’s wide open this year.”

The Lady Nighthawks are blessed with a strong core of upperclassmen and a solid base of freshmen and sophomores and are strong at almost every position on the field. It starts with senior captains Kristi Nowak (who has already verbally committed to Virginia Tech), Kyla Miles and Darcy Fiscella.

“We know what they can do,” said coach de los Reyes. “They are all great kids and great leaders and we’ll be shuffling them around a little to take advantage of their ability.”

While Nowak will anchor the back with junior standout Gabby Nastri and senior Erica Vacaro, Miles and Fiscella will solidify the middle along with junior co-captain Colleen Thornberg and electrifying sophomore talent Tania Domingos.

When the ball makes it up front, it will in all likelihood land on the foot of sophomore standout Kasey Schulz. Even with the presence of Konneker and Frobey last year, Schulz was a key contributor on offense and is another year older and another year better.

“Replacing Frobey is no easy task,” said coach de los Reyes, “but Kasey has the talent.”

Sophomore Monica Warek and senior Jen Greenwood will provide key minutes but, meanwhile, watch out for three freshmen – Taylor Smith, Kristen Tanner and Ally Modzelewski (in a pre-season scrimmage with Ridgefield, Modzelewski wasted little time when she got on the field in the second half, scoring three quick goals to spark the ‘Hawks) – who may get a chance to make the kind of impact Domingos and Schulz made a year ago.

The only position right now where coach de los Reyes is a little unsure is goalkeeping, a job which will be shared by Emily Kluga, Jess Halloran and transplanted field player Jen Brewer. But with the strength of the defense and the midfield, the three keepers should have a good chance to settle into the position.

The Lady Nighthawks have been one of the top two or three teams in the SWC for years and even with the absence of players like Konneker, Frobey and Gaston that shouldn’t change. Now, if only an SWC championship is in the cards …

September 13 – at Masuk, 7 pm; September 16 – at Waterford, 4 pm; September 18 – at New Fairfield, 3:45 pm; September 19 – at New Milford, 3:45 pm; September 21 – versus Lauralton Hall, 3:45 pm; September 26 – at Bethel, 3:45 pm; September 28 – at Notre Dame, 3:45 pm; October 3 – versus Masuk, 7 pm; October 5 – at Stratford, 3:45 pm; October 5 – at Stratford, 3:45 pm; October 7 – at Immaculate, 3:45 pm; October 10 – versus Pomperaug, 3:45 pm; October 12 – versus Weston, 7 pm; October 17 – at Joel Barlow, 3:45 pm; October 19 – versus Bunnell, 7 pm; October 23 – versus Brookfield, 7 pm.

BOYS SOCCER

Coach – Brian Neumeyer

For the first time in three years, the Newtown High School boys’ soccer team – most likely, that is, but who knows? – will not boast the Connecticut Player of the Year. But that doesn’t mean the Nighthawks don’t have the wherewithal to challenge for a South-West Conference or CIAC state championship.

“As a group, I think this team has more consistency,” said head coach Brian Neumeyer. “We are very good at every position on the field and we don’t have that drop off we might have had at some positions like we’ve had in the past.”

Over the last two years, the Nighthawks lost two of the best players in the history of the program – Marcus Tracy in 2004 (now at Wake Forest University) and Marc Doherty in 2005 (now at the University of South Florida). Also lost from last year’s squad is leading scorer Chris Hoagland (now at Castleton State), who tallied 22 of the team’s 63 goals in 2005.

But the program remains stocked.

“We have a large group of seniors,” said coach Neumeyer, “and a lot of talent from the freshmen level to senior level. This group wants to be competitive.”

The ‘Hawks will be led by tri-captains Mike Vontobel (0-1-1), Brian Conroy (5-2-7) and Justin Miller (3-9-12). Miller and Tony Magliocco (7-7-14) are their biggest returning offensive threats, but Nick Sando (3-3-6) – who had a goal and an assist in a season-opening 2-2 draw with Joel Barlow on Tuesday – and Mike Klein (4-1-5) have a chance to make a big impact on offense along with Chris Meier (0-1-1).

“We’ll have to be a little creative finding ways to score goals this year,” said coach Neumeyer.

Last year, the goalkeeping duties belonged to Louis Ritzinger but in 2006 the task will be shared by Dan Smith and Kyle DiNicola – a pair coach Neumeyer says, “may be the best goaltending tandem in the conference. It’s like we have two number one goalies. We feel confident with either one in the net.”

And with the 2-2 double-overtime draw with Joel Barlow serving as an early season lesson, the ‘Hawks should feel confident they certainly can challenge for an SWC championship and make another run as a CIAC state championship along the way.

September 12 – at Joel Barlow, 7 pm; September 15 – versus Pomperaug, 3:45 pm; September 16 – versus Treadwell, 3:45 pm; September 19 – versus New Milford, 7 pm; September 21 – at Kolbe Cathedral, 4 pm; September 26 – versus Bethel, 7 pm; September 28 – versus Notre Dame, 3:45 pm; October 3 – at Masuk, 7 pm; October 5 – versus Stratford, 3:45 pm; October 7 – versus Immaculate, 7 pm; October 10 – at Pomperaug, 7 pm; October 13 – at Weston, 7 pm; October 17 – versus Joel Barlow, 7 pm; October 19 – at Bunnell, 7 pm; October 23 – at Brookfield, 7 pm.

 

FOOTBALL

Coach – Ken Roberts

A defensive shakeup may have some asking the question, “Does the Newtown High School football team have the ability to challenge for a South-West Conference championship and a CIAC state playoff berth?”

The offense may have an answer.

Sure, on defense the Nighthawks lost All-State linebacker Marc Ingerman (who will be playing lacrosse at Towson State University in the spring) and coach Brad Piccirillo (now teaching and coaching in New Milford), but on offense they return some very potent weapons.

None more potent, perhaps, than senior co-captain Joe DeVellis who rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns, caught 28 balls (tops on the team) for 444 yards and five more touchdowns, and brought back a kickoff 75 yards for yet another touchdown.

Then there is quarterback Tucker Kass, who was 71-of-159 (44.7%) for 980 yards and 10 touchdowns and gave the ‘Hawks a viable passing attack for the first time in a few years. Two of his favorite targets – Gary Andrews and Grant Speer (combined, 20 catches and 277 yards) are no longer out there but Joe Bowen, who had 14 grabs (second-best on the team) for 174 yards and a TD returns to bolster the passing attack.

And returning to the backfield is leading rusher Chris Potter, who churned out 641 yards and five touchdowns in 2005.

“Our skill positions will give us the opportunity to score more points than we have in the past,” said head coach Ken Roberts. “We have good speed and we are able to throw the ball. I also think we’ll be very good on special teams.”

That’s because the ‘Hawks have a superb kicker, John Nelson, who is near automatic on extra points and has the ability and range to kick some long field goals. On the other side, DeVellis can be electric on returns with the ability to take any ball all the way down the field.

Sophomore Jake DeVellis – who tossed a touchdown pass last year to his brother, Joe, on a halfback option – may get a chance to make an impact, too, along with players like Tyler Tarantino (five rushes for 35 yards in ’05), Scott Perry (five rushes for 27 yards) and Bob Lapple (two grabs for 24 yards).

Co-captains Max Reed and Joe Greenfield bolster the offensive and defensive lines, but lack of size there may be an Achilles Heel for the ‘Hawks according to coach Roberts, who said, “Our line is a question. We are very, very small and will have to use quickness to block anyone with good size.”

The ‘Hawks open up on Friday against Stratford, at Penders Field, and will return home the following Thursday (due to Rosh Hashanah) to host Brookfield.

“We have a good chance to be in the mix,” said coach Roberts. “But we need the right things to happen and we need to stay healthy.”

September 15 – at Stratford, 7 pm; September 21 – versus Brookfield, 7 pm; September 30 – at Bethel, 1 pm; October 6 – versus Bunnell, 7 pm; October 13 – versus Joel Barlow, 7 pm; October 21 – at Immaculate, 7 pm; October 28 – at Darien, 3 pm; November 3 – versus Pomperaug, 7 pm; November 11 – at Weston, 1 pm; November 22 – versus Masuk, 7 pm.

VOLLEYBALL

Coach – Tom Czaplinski

Last year the Newtown High School volleyball team was just one win away from a South-West Conference championship and three wins away from a CIAC state championship and after the loss of players like Jenna Van Waalwijk, Diana Grimaldi, Miranda Rucinski and Becky Huot it would seem a mighty tall order to just reach those same points again.

The Lady Nighthawks, though, hope not only to reach those points, but to surpass them.

“If we can manage to improve a little in our passing and defense each game,” said head coach Tom Czaplinski, “we have the talent to push past many of our opponents this year and be in the thick of things come playoff time.”

The ‘Hawks will look to tri-captains Jill Logan, Christie Iwanicki and Jenn Blauvelt to set the tone for a new look starting lineup. Logan will set the table and look to either Blauvelt and Iwanicki on the outside or 5-10 Emily Loose and 5-11 Morgan Knees in the middle and all four are strong hitters. Jordyn Good will provide a solid opposite hitter presence while South Carolina junior transfer Michelle Narayanan will start at the libero position as a defensive specialist.

Meanwhile, 5-7 freshman Megan Casey will get a lot of opportunities as an outside hitter while Melissa Fracker (libero), Jocelyn Pasko (opposite hitter) and Sarah Truitt (opposite hitter) will get a chance to come off the bench to contribute.

“If we are to become conference or state champs,” said coach Czaplinski, “we must first grow together as a team. Before we reach any of our goals, must first get used to each other. We must continue to get strong leadership from our senior captains and hope that our underclassmen develop in time to lead us to a state championship.”

The ‘Hawks opened the 2006 season with a dominating 3-0 (?) win over Tolland and judging from the talent on the floor, there should be many more victories like that one ahead.

September 12 – versus Tolland, 5:30 pm; September 15 – versus New Milford, 5:30 pm; September 19 – versus Weston, 6:30 pm; September 21 – versus Masuk, 6:30 pm; September 25 – at Stratford, 6 pm; September 27 – versus Brookfield, 6:30 pm; September 29 – versus Lauralton Hall, 5:30 pm; October 4 – at Pomperaug, 6:30 pm; October 6 – at Notre Dame, 5:30 pm; October 10 – versus New Fairfield, 5:30 pm; October 11 – at Masuk, 6:30 pm; October 13 – at Bethel, 5:30 pm; October 16 – versus Kolbe Cathedral, 6:30 pm; October 18 – at Weston, 6:30 pm; October 21 – versus Bunnell, 6:30 pm; October 23 – at New Milford, 7 pm; October 25 – versus Joel Barlow, 6:30 pm.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Coach – Dave Foss

There may have been no one more surprised than head coach Dave Foss when the Newtown High School boys’ cross country team captured a CIAC State Open championship last fall at Wickham Park in Manchester.

But the team that captured that title – and went on to the New England championships – is without some of its top runners like Alister Ratcliff, Matt Cole and Jake Sullivan. That leaves tri-captains Charlie Baldour, Scott Nichols and Eric Macknight at the top level with runners like Ryan Morrissey and Zach Schwartz (both of whom excelled in the State Opens) in the mix.

It’s a strong group.

Seniors include Nathaniel Basch-Gould, Kevin Donahue, Pat Dunseith, Greg Hill, Seth Hull, Anthony Klabonski, Bobby Schwarz and Brian Stickles.

Juniors include Collin Babbage, Matt Boland, Jake Burg, Paul Forgion, Dan Giorno, Ian Guilfoil, Bradley Howe, Kevin Hoyt, Kyle Hufziger, Mike Iorfino, Tim Larsen, Kevin McManus, Jordan Reed, Chris Salvatore, Matt Saxonm,eyer, Zach Varga, Ivan Virovets and Jon Zigman.

September 12 – at Stratford and Bunnell, 3:45 pm; September 19 – versus Masuk and Pomperaug, 3:45 pm; September 26 – at Brookfield, Joel Barlow and Immaculate, 5:15 pm; September 29 – at Bethel Invitational, 4:15 pm; October 3 – versus Bethel and New Fairfield, 3:45 pm; October 10 – at New Milford and Notre Dame, 5:15 pm; October 19 – at SWC championships (Bethel), 3:45 pm.

FIELD HOCKEY

Coach – Kathy Davey

After a one-year hiatus, head coach Kathy Davey returns to the sidelines for the Newtown High School field hockey team … but she returns to a team that has lost an incredible 81% of its offense from 2005.

Co-captain Sam Wong (2-3-5) and Hannah Tenenbaum (1-1-2) are the only returning scorers from a year ago as Erin Clark (4-5-9), Rita Magliocco (4-2-6), Lisa Alberico (4-1-5), Lauren Babbage (2-2-4), Corey Stokes (2-1-3), Kerrie Canavan (1-1-2) and Kim Solheim (0-1-1) are all gone. Even goaltender Alissa Gross has departed.

“I’m glad to be back and involved,” said coach Davey, “but it’s a young team with a lot of new faces. Our schedule begins with the stronger teams in the league, but I love a good challenge and you can learn a lot about yourself and your team.”

Coach Davey learned right away the Lady Nighthawks won’t buckle under to the tough competition as they opened the 2006 season on Tuesday with a 2-1 loss to New Milford. Co-captain Katie Datin scored the goal and goaltender Lisa Isabella made three stops in the cage.

One of the blessings coach Davey can look to is the large number of players who have come out in 2006. The ‘Hawks will look for contributions from Christina Ercole, Dana Metzger, Nicole Alberico, Jillian D’Eramo, Libby Feltch, Courtney Gleason, Allison Jagoe, Stephanie Paproski, Cristi Parks, Sydney Russell, Tina Sanchez, Caitlin Smiley and Renee Solheim.

The schedule did not get any easier for the ‘Hawks, who were in Southbury on Thursday (if weather permitted) to battle Pomperaug.

September 12 – versus New Milford, 7 pm; September 14 – at Pomperaug, 7 pm; September 19 – at Brookfield, 3:45 pm; September 26 – at New Fairfield, 3:45 pm; September 28 – versus Bethel, 7 pm; October 5 – at Weston, 3:45 pm; October 6 – versus Immaculate, 3:45 pm; October 7 – at Haddam-Killingworth, 3 pm; October 10 – at New Milford, 3:45 pm; October 13 – versus Masuk, 3:45 pm; October 17 – versus Pomperaug, 3:45 pm;

CHEERLEADING

Coach – Stacy D’Amico

One of the hardest working teams at Newtown High School – the cheerleaders – have been preparing for another run at a South-West Conference championship, a CIAC state championship, and a strong showing at the UCA Nationals at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

And it starts Friday night when they cheer the football team in Stratford.

We have 26 girls this year and out of the 26 we have eight freshman,” said head coach Stacy D’Amico. “I was pretty impressed at the tryouts with all the excellent talent and we’re looking forward to football season and showing off our new skill.”

Leading the team will co-captains Nikki Beatty and Leah Fahey.

“We are far ahead in our skill this year then we were at the start of the season last year,” said coach D’Amico. “The girls have been working hard throughout the summer with camp, choreography, tumbling and conditioning. This is a great bunch of girls and I can’t wait to see where it’s going to take us.”

Other members include Christina Bell, Stephanie Bonacci, Alyssa DeSimone, Olivia Devivo, Meghan Dolyak, Jessica Dugan, Jennah Fahey, Vanessa Hansen, Kaila Harrington, Megan Hintzen, Molly Matthei, Maura McDade, Stephanie Mitchel, Lauren Nute, Genna Rossi, Haley Russo, Alyssa Stendhal, Kelly Stendhal, Courtney Sullivan, Victoria Summerlin, Brooke Undeidt, Allie Wessel, Paige Woodhouse and Brittany Ziman.