By Kim J. Harmon

It has been some time since the Newtown High School football team beat Brookfield and it has been quite some time since the Newtown High School boys soccer team has been beaten by Bethel.

One of those happened and one of those almost happened in a thrilling week of action. Read on –

FOOTBALL

Newtown 22, Brookfield 7

 

Leave it to the wily veteran to make his mark.

With guys like Jamie Goodwick, Jake DeVellis and Tyler Tarantino quickly becoming integral parts of the offense for the Newtown High School football team, some may have momentarily overlooked senior Joe DeVellis.

Well, why else would he get a chance to return a punt?

DeVellis had that chance last Friday night and – with a couple of switch backs and a couple of jukes – turned it into a 90-yard touchdown that helped lead the Nighthawks to a 22-7 win over Brookfield at Blue & Gold Stadium.

The ‘Hawks improved to 2-0.

Tucker Kass got the ‘Hawks moving right away, completing his first two passes on a couple of short dump offs before firing a 49-yard pass to Goodwick down the middle of the field. Later, with 4:57 left in the period, Kass rolled left on a quarterback keeper to stake Newtown to a 7-0 lead.

The Bobcats had a big return on the kick, but Joe Bowen sacked Brookfield quarterback Brett Balzi on the first play from scrimmage and Kevin Regan later followed with another sack to stop the Brookfield drive.

The Bobcats then lined up to punt …

Now, DeVellis rushed for only six yards on three carries and caught three balls for just 35 yards on the night, but when he was presented with the opportunity to make a difference, he did. His punt return touchdown – aided tremendously by the downfield blocking of co-captain Joe Greenfield – put the Nighthawks ahead 14-0 in the first quarter.

The Bobcats finally broke through with 9:03 left in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Chase Treibt, but the ‘Hawks went right back to work and recorded first downs on a short pass to Joe DeVellis and a nifty run by Tarantino.

Then on second-and-eight from the Brookfield 20, with just 5:08 remaining, Kass fired a touchdown pass to a wide-open Bowen. On the extra-point attempt, a high snap forced DeVellis to improvise and as he rolled out right he flipped the ball over the line to Bowen for the two-point conversion and a 22-7 Newtown lead.

Regan – who had a team-high seven tackles (four of those for a loss) – recorded his second sack of the night to help stall Brookfield’s last drive.

Newtown will be in Bethel on Saturday afternoon before returning home next Friday for a Homecoming Night battle with Bunnell.

Newtown 22, Brookfield 7

First Quarter: Newtown – Tucker Kass 1 run (Nelson kick); Joe DeVellis 90 punt return (Nelson kick). Fourth quarter: Brookfield – Chase Treibt 1 run (Poulin kick); Newtown – Joe Bowen 20 pass from Tucker Kass (Bowen pass from Joe DeVellis) 5:08.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Brookfield – Chase Treibt 14-50, Trevor Treibt 6-50, John Schalkham 4-13, Travis Treibt 2-4, Brett Balzi 2-minus 8 (Totals: 28-109); Newtown – Jake Devellis 9-90, Tyler Tarantino 7-45, Chris Potter 10-25, Tucker Kass 5-21, Joe DeVellis 3-6 (Totals: 34-187). Passing: Brookfield – Brett Balzi 7-19-0, 52 yards; Newtown – Tucker Kass 8-16-0, 130 yards. Receiving: Brookfield – Todd Benzing 2-22, Zach Fleming 1-21, Matt Cook 4-9; Newtown – Jamie Goodwick 1-48, Joe DeVellis 3-35, Joe Bowen 1-20, Tyler Tarantino 2-18, Bob Lapple 1-9.

BOYS SOCCER

Newtown 4, Kolbe 0

Newtown 3, Bethel 2

 

The Newtown High School boys’ soccer team is coming to terms with the idea that it simply isn’t the explosively dominant team is has been in the past – but it is also coming to terms with the idea that that’s okay.

“We don’t have a Marcus Tracy or a Marc Doherty,” said co-captain Mike Vontobel, “but I think we are more of a team and we can work hard and together to create our chances.”

The Nighthawks created their chances on Tuesday night, alright, and nipped Bethel, 3-2, to improve to 5-0-1 on the year. Tony Magliocco scored a pair of goals (both off assists by Mike Klein) and Brian Conroy added the game-winner on a penalty kick with 6:23 left in the second half.

The ‘Hawks have had just one game so far decided by more than two goals and that was a 4-0 win over Kolbe Cathedral last Thursday at Seaside Park in Bridgeport. So getting into a close game with Bethel wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone.

“Their coach has done a great job getting his kids prepared,” said Vontobel.

But there were plenty of people surprised when the Wildcats turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 advantage with 21:44 left in the second half.

“I’m not going to lie,” said Vontobel. “I was a little scared. But we have a lot of experience on this team and I knew we could some back.”

A little over three minutes after the Wildcats took the lead on the goal by Liam McCormick, a throw-in inside the penalty box allowed Magliocco to notch his team-leading seventh goal of the season to put the match at 2-2.

About 10 minutes later, Nick Sando and Bethel goaltender Justin Bartholomew – who had just made a save on a long shot outside the box – were racing for a loose ball heading towards the end line. Seemingly, the pair reached the ball at the same time but Bartholomew was whistled for a foul when he knocked Sando down.

Conroy took the PK and knocked it inside the right post to give Newtown the win.

The ‘Hawks out-shot the Wildcats, 16-8, and Newtown goaltender Dan Smith made two saves for the win.

The ‘Hawks hosted Notre Dame on Thursday and will travel to Monroe on Tuesday to take on Masuk before returning home next Thursday to host Stratford.

Newtown 4, Kolbe Cathedral 0

GOALS: Newtown – Nick Sando, Tony Magliocco, Brian Conroy, Andrew Meisel. ASSISTS: Newtown – Mike Vontobel 2, Nick Sando, Tony Magliocco. SHOTS: Newtown – 19; Kolbe – 7. SAVES: Newtown – Kyle DiNicola 4; Kolbe – Sergio Lara 10.

 

Newtown 3, Bethel 2

GOALS: Newtown – Tony Magliocco 2, Brian Conroy; Bethel – Donovan Walsh, Liam McCormick. ASSISTS: Newtown – Mike Klein 2. SHOTS: Newtown – 16; Bethel – 8. SAVES: Newtown – Dan Smith 2; Bethel – Justin Bartholomew 7.

FIELD HOCKEY

Newtown 2, New Fairfield 1

Experience – or the lack thereof – plays an enormous role in the success and failure of any given team.

So does determination.

With a lot of new faces and a relatively low level of experience, the Newtown High School field hockey dropped its first three games but nevertheless battled valiantly against the three toughest opponents it is likely to face this year.

And at 0-3, no one needed or deserved a win more than the Lady Nighthawks.

They got it on Tuesday, a 2-1 decision over New Fairfield.

“Losing those three games gave us more determination,” said co-captain Sam Wong, who had the assist on the game-winning goal. “We knew there was no where to go but up. (Today) everyone showed a lot of heart, no one was selfish, and we played as a team.”

Stephanie Paproski got the ‘Hawks on the board first at 12:52 of the first half, reaching up to knock in a rebounded shot that had bounced off New Fairfield goaltender Ashley Visser. In the second half, Newtown goaltender Dana Metzger made a big stop with a little more than nine minutes to go but after a long sequence of penalty corners, the Lady Rebels tied the score on a goal by Nicole Andreasen.

“It just goes to show you that a 1-0 game is not a game, yet,” said Wong. “You still have to play as if it’s a 0-0 game and you have to push to the end.”

About a minute after New Fairfield knotted the score, Wong had a break through the defense and a one-on-one opportunity but her shot was stopped cold off the pads of Visser. But with just 1:37 left to play, Wong had clear possession in the circle and fired a shot towards goal that rebounded and was knocked in by Alberico to put the ‘Hawks back on top.

“It was nice to see that our determination was there,” said Wong. “No one had a defeatist attitude.”

The win boosted the ‘Hawks to 1-3. The locals hosted Bethel on Thursday night and will then be off until the following Thursday when they travel to Weston for a South-West Conference tilt.

Newtown 2, New Fairfield 1

GOALS: Newtown – Stephanie Paproski, Nicole Alberico; New Fairfield – Nicole Andreasen. ASSISTS: Newtown – Sam Wong. SHOTS: New Fairfield – 6; Newtown – 6. SAVES: Newtown – Dana Metzger 4, Lisa Isabella 2; New Fairfield – Ashley Visser 2, Christina Luis 1.

GIRLS SOCCER

Newtown 1, Lauralton Hall 0

Newtown 1, Bethel 0 (2 OT)

For the first two weeks of the season head coach Rupert de los Reyes has used a cadre of three players – Emily Kluga, Jess Halloran and Jen Brewer – to patrol the nets and admittedly has had some trouble settling on his go-to goalie.

Kluga made a strong case for herself on Tuesday, though, with a brilliant performance that coach de los Reyes called “off the hook.”

Kluga made eight stops, at least three of which saved the game for the Lady Nighthawks, who endured two regulation halves and an overtime period before Tania Domingos finally settled things with her fourth goal of the season.

That win, coupled with a 1-0 win over Lauralton Hall last week, helps the ‘Hawks improve to 5-1-0 on the season.

The Lady Wildcats proved a tougher opponent than their 2-2-1 record would have indicated and went toe-to-toe with the ‘Hawks on shots (a 5-4 advantage for the locals). Bethel goaltender Chelsea Shumacher made eight saves of her own to preserve the scoreless tie until the second overtime session.

In the win over Hall last week, Kasey Schulz scored the lone goal off an assist from Megan Hansen. The locals out-shot the Crusaders, 8-2, with Kluga easily making two saves.

The ‘Hawks traveled to Fairfield on Thursday to battle Notre Dame and will return home next Tuesday to host arch-rival Masuk. The locals, in a non-conference tilt, dropped a 2-0 decision to Masuk back on September 13.

Newtown 1, Lauralton Hall 0

GOALS: Newtown – Kasey Schulz. ASSISTS: Newtown – Megan Hansen. SHOTS: Newtown – 8; Lauralton Hall – 2. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 2; Lauralton Hall – Kathline Flaherty 7.

Newtown 1, Bethel 0

GOALS: Newtown – Tania Domingos. SHOTS: Newtown – 5; Bethel – 4. SAVES: Newtown – Emily Kluga 8; Bethel – Chelsea Shumacher 8.

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Newtown 15, Joel Barlow 46; Newtown 15, Brookfield 18; Newtown 20, Immaculate 43.

Once again, it was the pack attack.

For the second meet in a row, it was not a Newtown High School girls cross country runner racing across the finish line first but for the third meet in a row it was the Lady Nighthawks dominating the competition.

Moira Kenny of Immaculate finished first in 15:23 on the 2.4 mile track at Joel Barlow and the first Newtown runner – Elise DeRoo – didn’t show up until 48 seconds later. But after DeRoo came Jen Brill, Michelle Brennan, Moira Collier and Sara Pollock and after everyone had crossed the finish line the Lady Nighthawks had three more wins to improve to 8-0.

The locals defeated Joel Barlow (15-46), Brookfield (15-48) and Immaculate (20-43).

The Newtown pack finished together in the space of 25 seconds … only 12 seconds between Brill in third place and Pollock in sixth. Erin Nemeth (10th – 17:24), Christie Attanasio (11th – 17:29), Keegan Frobey (13th – 17:50), Andie Maret (16th – 17:59), Carolyn Gingras (17th – 18:02) and Marina Virgalla (19th – 18:02).

The ‘Hawks will be at the Bethel Invitational on Friday afternoon and next Tuesday will host Bethel and New Fairfield at Fairfield Hills.

Newtown 15, Barlow 46; Newtown 15, Brookfield 48; Newtown 20, Immaculate 43.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Moira Kenny (I) 15:23, 2. Elise DeRoo (N) 16:11, 3. Jen Brill (N) 16:24, 4. Michelle Brennan (N) 16:28, 5. Moira Collier (N) 16:31, 6. Sara Pollock (N) 16:36, 7. Chelsea Troxell (JB) 16:45, 8. Erin Lofink (B) 16:49, 9. Holly Ray (JB) 17:17, 10. Erin Nemeth (N) 17:24, 11. Christie Attanasio (N) 17:29, 12. Emma Kiefer (JB) 17:43, 13. Keegan Frobey (N) 17:50, 14. Rachel Lellis (B) 17:54, 15. Daryn O’Halloran (JB) 17:57, 16. Andie Maret (N) 17:59, 17. Carolyn Gingras (N) 18:02, 18. Rose Willey (B) 18:02, 19. Marina Virgalla (N) 18:08, 20. Kristiana Holt (JB) 18:12. COURSE: 2.4 miles at Joel Barlow.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

Newtown 25, Joel Barlow 33; Newtown 20, Brookfield 38; Newtown 17, Immaculate 46.

The battle for first between Mike Levene of Joel Barlow and Zach Schwartz of Newtown was but a microcosm of the tense cross country battle between those two schools and Brookfield on Tuesday afternoon at Joel Barlow.

Levene captured first by a mere two seconds over Schwartz on the 3.1-mile track at Barlow, but it was the Nighthawks who swept the day with victories over Barlow (25-33), Brookfield (20-38) and Immaculate (17-46) to improve to 8-0 on the season.

Levene crossed at 16:41 with Schwartz a step behind at 16:43. Charlie Baldour of Newtown took third at 17:05 while Eric Macknight took sixth at 17:10. Kevin Hoyt (10th – 17:55) and Scott Nichols (11th – 18:16) closed out the Newtown top five.

Kevin Donahue (13th – 18:32) and Jordan Reed (16th – 18:42) also had strong races.

The Nighthawks will be at the Bethel Invitational on Friday afternoon before returning home next Tuesday to host Bethel and New Fairfield at Fairfield Hills.

Newtown 25, Barlow 33; Newtown 20, Brookfield 38; Newtown 17, Immaculate 46.

INDIVIDUALS: 1. Mike Levene (JB) 16:41, 2. Zach Schwartz (N) 16:43, 3. Charlie Baldour (N) 17:05, 4. Jeremy Garavel (JB) 17:05, 5. Taylor Phillips (B) 17:08, 6. Eric Macknight (N) 17:10, 7. Mike Marston (B) 17:16, 8. Chris Frank (I) 17:19, 9. Justin Garavel (JB) 17:45, 10. Kevin Hoyt (N) 17:55, 11. Scott Nichols (N) 18:16, 12. James Moen (B) 18:25, 13. Kevin Donahue (N) 18:32, 14. Connor Robey (JB) 18:35, 15. Jim Malloy (B) 18:40, 16. Jordan Reed (N) 18:42, 17. Morgan Pinter (JB) 18:47, 18. Sean Gavin (I) 18:57, 19. Joe Frank (I) 18:58, 20. Paul Karam (I) 18:59. COURSE: 3.1 miles at Joel Barlow.

VOLLEYBALL

Newtown 3, Masuk 0

Newtown 3, Stratford 0

Ever since being forced to a fifth game by New Milford on September 15, it seems as if the Newtown High School volleyball team has seen fit to make sure things don’t get that tight again.

The Lady Nighthawks swept arch-rival Masuk last week and added a sweep of Stratford on Monday afternoon to remain undefeated at 5-0.

Sure, it was fairly close against the Lady Panthers last Thursday with the ‘Hawks slipping by 25-23 and 26-24 in the first two games before coasted to a 25-11 win in the third game. Against Stratford, it was a little bit more comfortable for the locals with a 25-13, 25-20, 25-19 win.

Against Masuk, Megan Casey, Christie Iwanicki and Morgan Knees combined for 18 kills with Casey adding four blocks and three aces; Iwanicki contributing 11 digs; and Knees registering five blocks.

Against a surprising Stratford team, which came into the match at 3-0, Casey registered five more aces and five more kills. Iwanicki added six aces and six kills and Jill Logan contributed nine assists and six digs.

The locals hosted Brookfield on Wednesday and will host Lauralton Hall on Friday before heading to Southbury next Wednesday to battle Pomperaug.

SWIMMING

Pomperaug 95, Newtown 88

New Fairfield 99, Newtown 81

Is there any surer sign that a rebuilding age has dawned on the Newtown High School girls’ swim team than a two-meet losing streak?

For three years the Lady Nighthawks had been the dominant force in the South-West Conference, winning an incredible 33 meets in a row before succumbing to arch-rival Lauralton Hall two weeks ago in the Newtown pool.

The locals – the defending SWC and CIAC Class L state champions – rebounded with a win over Bunnell, but this past week suffered losses to Pomperaug (95-88) and New Fairfield (99-81) to drop to 2-3 on the season.

Against Pomperaug, Emma Atkinson (200 individual medley) and Nicole Borruso (diving) were the sole individual winners. Jaclyn Van Waalwijk had a pair of second-place finishes in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles while Lizanne Kroon (100 backstroke, 200 individual medley) and Jen Iassogna (500 freestyle, 200 freestyle) posted second- and third-place finishes.

Against New Fairfield, Van Waalwijk (50 freestyle) and Borruso (diving) were the sole individual winners while the 200 freestyle relay foursome of Atkinson, Jenna Legros, Annie Hull and Van Waalwijk also captured a first-place finish.

The Lady Nighthawks hosted Weston on Friday and will host Brookfield next Thursday in an attempt to reverse their fortunes.

Pomperaug 95, Newtown 88

200 medley relay – 1. Pomperaug 2:00.57, 2. Newtown (Kroon, Atkinson, Remitz, Van Waalwijk) 2:04.41, 3. Newtown (M. Kroon, Baylis, Carroll, Fragoso) 2:18.06; 200 freestyle – 1. Moreno (P) 2:10.68, 2. Broderick (P) 2:14.19, 3. Iassogna (N) 2:14.46, Papira (P) 2:19.78, 5. Harmonay (N) 2:19.95; 200 individual medley – 1. Atkinson (N) 2:28.81, 2. Broderick (P) 2:30.94, 3. Kroon (N) 2:35.04, 4. Elyan (P) 2:36.46, 5. Remitz (N) 2:40.84; 50 freestyle – 1. Bette (P) 26.36, 2. Van Waalwijk (N), 3. Reilly (P) 27.12, Krizan (P) 27.66, 5. Hull (N) 27.28; Diving – 1. Nicole Borruso (N) 172.25, 2. Cheslea Forst (P) 145.10, 3. Dayna Djonne (N) 141.50; 100 butterfly – 1. Zupkio (P) 1:09.47, 2. Purwin (P) 1:10.42, 3. Remitz (N)1:11.35, 4. Carroll (N) 1:12.25, 5. Wallerstein (P) 1:23.66; 100 freestyle – 1. Garrity (P) 57.33, 2. Van Waalwijk (N) 58.75, 3. Moreno (P) 59.19, Hull (N) 1:02.32, 5. Broderick (P) 1:02.45; 500 freestyle – 1. Broderick (:) 5:53.15, 2. Iassaogna (N) 5:59.27, 3. Flynn (P) 6:08.43, 4. Harmonay (N) 6:08.91, 5. M. Kroon (N) 6:14.85; 200 freestyle relay – 1. Newtown 1:51.56, 2. Pomperaug 1:53.87, 3. Pomperaug 2:00.25; 100 backstroke – 1. Bette (P) 1:04.02, 2. Kroon (N) 1:08.00, 3. Davis (P) 1:12.51, 4. Bischoff (P) 1:13.46, 5. Carnali (N) 1:13.70; 100 breaststroke – 1. Garrity (P) 1:14.23, 2. Atkinson (N) 1:14.88, 3. Baylis (N) 1:10.21, 4. M. Kroon (N) 1:24.46; 400 freestyle relay – 1. Newtown 4:10.16, 2. Newtown 4:33.86, 3. Newtown 5:35.49.

New Fairfield 99, Newtown 81

200 medley relay – 1. New Fairfield 2:00.37, 2. Newtown (Kroon, Atkinson, Kemitz, Van Waalwijk) 2:05.88, 3. Newtown (M. Kroon, Baylis, Carroll, Borruso) 2:06.82; 200 freestyle – 1. Finnerty (NF) 2:04.40, 2. Harmonay (N) 2:18.35, 3. Amaturo (NF) 2:13.97; 200 individual medley – 1. Cassidy (NF) 2:23.57, 2. Stockmann (NF) 2:29.14, 3. Atkinson (N) 2:30.77, 5. Kroon (N) 2:32.85; 50 freestyle – 1. Van Waalwijk (N) 26.96, 2. Walker (NF) 27.51, 3. Hull (N) 28.11; Diving – 1. Borruso (N) 167.25, 2. Merrill (NF) 149.40, 3. Franklin (NF) 133.575; 100 butterfly – 1. Amaturo (NF) 1:07.22, 2. Poole (NF) 1:08.26, 3. Traynor (NF) 1:08.37, 4. Remitz (N), 5. M. Carroll (N); 100 freestyle – 1. Cassidy (NF) 58.86, 2. Van Waalwijk (N) 58.96, 3. Hull (N) 1:02.55, 4. Puglia (NF), 5. Legros (N); 500 freestyle – 1. Finnerty (NF) 5:33.31, 2. McSwan (NF) 5:53.15, 3. Iassogna (N) 6:00.55; 4. Harmonay (N), 5. Murphy (NF); 200 freestyle relay – 1. Newtown (Atkinson, Legros, Hull, Van Waalwijk) 1:51.92, 2. New Fairfield 1:52.31, 3. New Fairfield 1:53.65. 100 backstroke – 1. Donovan (NF) 1:07.36, 2. VanSauter (NF) 1:08.87, 3. Kroon (N) 1:09.64, 4. Weldon (NF), 5. Carnali (N)’ 100 breaststroke – 1. Stockmann (NF) 1:12.38, 2. Walker (NF) 1:14.17, 3. Atkinson (N) 1:09.64, 4. McSwain (NF), 5. Baylis (N). 400 freestyle relay – 1. New Fairfield 4:05.85, 2. Newtown (Legros, Iassogna, Kroon, Hull) 4:14.57, 3. New Fairfield 4:15.65.