Newtown High School’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams both defeated host Joel Barlow of Redding and Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport in races on September 30. The boys beat Barlow 21-40 and topped Kolbe 15-50.

Kyle Mangold outkicked Barlow’s Ben Ruffing for his first career individual win as the Nighthawks improved to 7-3 this fall.

Freshman Joel Duval stuck with Mangold and Ruffing for a while and placed third overall, and David Csordas outraced Barlow’s Mike Bortulot to earn fourth. From there, the Newtown harriers took home the next seven spots. Top 12 results are as follows: 1. Kyle Mangold 17:31; 2. Ben Ruffing (Barlow) 17:38; 3. Joel Duval 17:49; 4. David Csordas 18:03; 5. Mike Bortulot (Barlow) 18:05; 6. Brendan Reeds 18:20; 7. Christian Lestik 18:45; 8. Ethan Burg 18:46; 9. Joey Whelan 18:59; 10. Joshua Bent 19:22; 11.  Jason Ferrari 19:40; 12. Dylan Lew 19:43.

The girls bested Barlow 18-41 and knocked off Kolbe, 50-50 to improve to 8-2. Erin Tressler was first overall, and teammate Sarah Mawdsley was a close second as Newtown earned six finishes among the top ten overall. Newtown’s top ten finishers (overall placement, name, and time) are as follows: 1. Erin Tressler 20:30; 2. Sarah Mawdsley 20:32; 4. Emma Bayuk 21:06; 5. Maddie Findley 21:53; 6. Camille Johnson 22:14; 7. Hannah Schwartz 22:17; 12. Kelly Coughlin 23:14; 13. Kelsey Miller 23:19; 16. Sarah Lyon 23:58; 17. Bridget Spies 24:02.

“The girls did an exceptional job today on a tough course. The teamwork they showed today continues to prove that they want to compete every time they step on a course,” Newtown Coach Doug Russell said. “Erin and Sarah continue to push each other every race and this pulls their teammates towards the front evermore. I am really proud of how they perform each and every day.”

The teams also had strong showings at the Winding Trails Invitational in Farmington on September 27. The junior varsity boys’ squad dominated its race, earning 16 points by taking the first four places and No. 6 spot. Bent won the race and was followed by fellow freshman Quinn Browne, Joey Whelan, Dylan Lew, and then another freshman, Max Filter-Calvo in sixth. The varsity boys were second to Avon with Mangold coming in third, Duval in tenth, and Reeds in 12th. The girls’ varsity group was third behind Avon and Simsbury, highlighted by second- and third-place finishes by Tressler and Mawdsley.

The varsity squads will have their only home meet of the campaign on Tuesday, October 7 when Bunnell of Stratford, Immaculate of Danbury, and Notre Dame-Fairfield visit Newtown’s course — the Fairfield Hills trails near Reed School. The girls’ meet begins at 4:30 pm and is followed by the boys’ race at 5 pm.