By Kim J. Harmon

Two South-West Conference championships, one CIAC State Open championship and a possible CIAC Class L state championship in the offing at press time and while few athletic programs get to enjoy that kind of success, there is a little disappointment in Newtown after both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams were stopped in their quest to defend their CIAC Class LL state titles.

The girls’ were defeated, 2-1, by Cheshire last Friday while the boys’ were stopped, 3-0, by Glastonbury on Saturday.

Still, it’s been a good fall ... and it’s not quite over, yet. The swim team was fighting for a state championship at press time and the football team will be trying to find another way to pull off an upset of Masuk when the two rivals meet for their annual Thanksgiving tilt next week.

FOOTBALL

Newtown 14, New Milford 12

It went for 135 yards – or only 75 yards as the crow flies – and at the end of it there was no touchdown to be had.

But with that interception return early in the third quarter, junior Joe DeVellis completed a defensive trifecta (blocked field goal, blocked extra point, interception) and presented the Newtown High School football team with the opportunity to score the insurance touchdown it needed against New Milford in order to retain The Boot.

Just a few moments after DeVellis zigzagged across the field with the interception, Billy Beatty jolted off tackle 15 yards for a TD that put the Nighthawks ahead by eight and provided enough cushion for them to survive a 14-12 win.

“Joe DeVellis is a special player,” said head coach Ken Roberts. “Any coach would love to have him. And it’s not just the stuff on the field – it’s off the field, his attitude, his presence. He’s a great kid.”

With the win, the locals improved to 6-3 overall.

Now, the interception return was remarkable – but DeVellis has done remarkable things before; it’s why some call him the playmaker. What is equally remarkable is that in the course of the return and the three times DeVellis changed directions, there were no penalties (i.e., blocking in the back) committed.

“That’s not surprising,” said coach Roberts. “The interception drill is something were work on every day in practice.”

Practice paid off on the interception, but not so much for the rest of the game.

“It was ugly,” said coach Roberts. “We had a lot of bad breaks, but we toughed it out. It’s what high school football is all about.”

New Milford scored first with just 10 seconds gone in the second quarter – the end result of an interception. But with DeVellis blocking the kick the Green Wave were only out on top, 6-0. About six minutes later, the ‘Hawks took the lead for good when Marc Ingerman barreled in from the three and John Nelson booted the extra point.

But the ‘Hawks dodged a bullet at the end of the half when a low punt snap bounded towards the end zone. Ingerman landed on the ball inside the five, but the Green Wave took over with an excellent chance to score heading into the locker room.

The Wave was denied, however, when DeVellis scooted around the corner of the line to block a field goal attempt.

“We were very fortunate to be up at the half,” coach Roberts admitted.

DeVellis set the tone in the second half with his interception return and guys like Max Reed followed suit. Reed, a junior tackle, pounded New Milford quarterback Kevin Oberg twice with punishing sacks.

Still, the ‘Hawks had to hold on for dear life. With less than five minutes remaining, a fumble near midfield presented the Wave with the ball and an opportunity to tie the game. With 2:55 left, Nick Barillaro plunged into the end zone from two yards out for the touchdown but was, on the two-point conversion, unable to do it again.

Chris Potter led a solid Newtown rushing attack, gaining 112 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Tucker Kass was 6-of-10 for 38 yards with senior split end Gary Andrews snaring four of those completions for 18 yards.

The Nighthawks will close out the regular season on Wednesday, November 23, in their annual Thanksgiving matchup with Masuk. Kick off is slated for 7 pm in Monroe.

Newtown 14, New Milford 12

Second Quarter

NM – Pisano 8 pass from Oberg (Moglia kick blocked)

N – Ingerman 3 run (Nelson kick)

Third Quarter

N – Beatty 15 run (Nelson kick)

Fourth Quarter

NM – Barillaro 2 run (Barillaro run failed).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Newtown – Chris Potter 18-112, Marc Ingerman 7-22, Bill Beatty 3-20, Tucker Kass 2-minus 3, Oliver Paynter 1-minus 9 (TOTALS: 31-142); New Milford – Kevin Oberg 13-32, Frank Sclafani 9-25, Jamie Pisano 9-15, Nick Barillaro 5-33 (TOTALS: 36-105). Passing: Newtown – Tucker Kass 6-10-1 for 38 yards; New Milford – Kevin Oberg 11-17-1 for 86 yards. Receiving: Newtown – Gary Andrews 4-18, Joe DeVellis 1-12, Joe Bowen 1-8; New Milford – Pisano 4-40, Rob Fisher 4-32, Don Pezzolo 1-9, Steve Moglia 1-5.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Vs Immaculate (Nov. 12)

Rushing: Chris Potter 22-97, Joe DeVellis 8-79, Marc Ingerman 8-25, Billy Beatty 6-20. PASSING: Tucker Kass 7-of-14 for 112 yards and a touchdown. RECEIVING: Joe Bowen 4-60, Joe DeVellis 1-25, Gary Andrews 1-16, Grant Speer 1-11.

 

BOYS SOCCER

Glastonbury 3, Newtown 0

Newtown 2, Staples 1

It had been more than two years since the Newtown High School boys’ soccer team last tasted defeat and in between November 5, 2003, and November 12, 2005, they captured a South-West Conference championship and a CIAC Class LL state championship.

All good things must come to an end some time and that amazing run by the Nighthawks came to an end last Saturday with a 3-0 quarterfinal loss to Glastonbury at Blue & Gold Stadium. Ian Serrao, Dan Kissane and Chris Guerrini scored the goals that grounded the ‘Hawks in their quest to defend their Class LL title.

With the loss, the ‘Hawks fell to 17-2-1.

After opening the Class LL tournament on November 8 with a comfortable 4-0 win over Southington, the ‘Hawks slipped past Staples of Westport last Thursday. A year ago, the ‘Hawks blasted the Wreckers, 7-1, in the Class LL tournament but this year needed goals from Chris Hoagland and Alex Meisel to squeeze out a 2-1 win. Marc Doherty and Tony Magliocco registered the assists while goaltender Louis Ritzinger made 10 stops.

Over the last two years, the ‘Hawks are 39-3-1 … an incredible .918 winning percentage.

Glastonbury 3, Newtown 0

GOALS: Glastonbury – Ian Serrao, Dan Kissane, Chris Guerrini. ASSISTS: Glastonbury – Dan Kissane, Matt Simon. SHOTS: Glastonbury – 7; Newtown – 5. SAVES: Glastonbury – Brian Guerrini 2; Tim Olah 0; Newtown – Louis Ritzinger  2. CORNER KICKS: Glastonbury – 1; Newtown – 2.

Newtown 2, Staples 1

GOALS: Newtown – Chris Hoagland, Alex Meisel; Staples – Ben King. ASSISTS: Newtown – Marc Doherty, Tony Magliocco; Staples – Ross McGibney. SAVES: Staples – David Sharpe 5; Newtown – Louis Ritzinger 10. SHOTS: Staples – 9; Newtown – 7. CORNER KICKS: Staples – 5; Newtown – 2.

GIRLS SOCCER

Cheshire 2, Newtown 1

Newtown 4, Hall 2

After a disappointing, 1-0, loss to Bunnell in the semi-finals of the South-West Conference tournament the Newtown High School girls’ soccer team tried to sharpen its game in order to stage a defense of its CIAC Class LL championship.

The Lady Nighthawks couldn’t sharpen it enough, though, surviving a 4-2 second-round win over William Hall of West Hartford but suffering a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Cheshire.

The ‘Hawks finish up 14-4-1.

In the win over Hall last Wednesday at Treadwell Park, Darcy Fiscella scored three times and Tania Domingos scored once. Senior co-captain Casey Frobey provided an assist. In the loss to Cheshire last Friday, Kristi Nowak scored the lone goal to put the ‘Hawks ahead, 1-0, through the first half but the Lady Rams came back on second-half goals by Camillo Grello and Torrey Leroy.

Both second-half goals resulted from defensive lapses in the midfield – an extreme rarity for the ‘Hawks.

Cheshire 2, Newtown 1

GOALS: Newtown – Kristi Nowak; Cheshire – Amanda Carvalho, Rachel Schuyler. ASSISTS: Cheshire – Lauren Nowakowski, Lauren Olsen. SHOTS: Newtown – 9; Cheshire – 8. CORNER KICKS: Newtown – 1; Cheshire – 3.

Newtown 4, Hall 2

GOALS: Hall – Camilla Grello, Torrey Leroy; Newtown – Darcy Fiscella 3, Tania Domingos. ASSISTS: Hall – Carey Baldwin; Newtown – Casey Frobey. SHOTS: Hall – 4; Newtown – 14. SAVES: Hall – Allison Goldberg 6; Newtown – Emily Kluga 1. CORNER KICKS: Hall – 2; Newtown – 7.

SWIMMING

At CIAC Class L championships

Last year, the Newtown High School swim team finished second at the CIAC Class L championship meet … a mere 31 points behind powerhouse Ridgefield.

If the Lady Nighthawks have designs on climbing past Ridgefield (or whomever may be standing in their way) to a Class L title – and, of course, they do – then their divers certainly got them started on the right foot.

Shannon Kennedy, Melissa Metzger and Nicole Borruso finished second, third and fourth at the diving championships last Wednesday at Hamden High School. Kennedy finished with 298.10 points, just 2.30 points behind Ellen Pelletier of Conard.

So, heading into the swimming finals at Wesleyan University in Middletown on Wednesday the ‘Hawks had 78 points in the bank. Mercy of Middletown is closest with 55 points while Hall of West Hartford has 45.

In the swim preliminaries on Saturday at Cornerstone in West Hartford, the 200 medley relay team of Maricate Conlon, Abby Atkinson, Sally Tabler and Dana Gnerre finished second to Ridgefield; Conlon finished 10th in the 200 freestyle; Atkinson finished first in the 200 individual medley by almost three seconds over Barbara McHale of Ridgefield while Tabler finished fourth; Dana Gnerre finished third in the 50 freestyle and fifth in the 100 freestyle; Tabler finished eighth in the 100 butterfly; Jaclyn Van Waalwijk finished eighth in the 100 freestyle; Jen Iassogna finished 10th in the 500 freestyle; the 200 freestyle relay team of Emma Atkinson, Annie Hull, Liz Gugino and Van Waalwijk finished fifth; Conlon finished second in the 100 backstroke, just .04 seconds behind Marilyn Purvis of Ridgefield; Abby Atkinson finished first in the 100 breaststroke, just .06 seconds ahead of Cydney Eldh of Staples; and the 400 freestyle relay team of Van Waalwijk, Tabler, Gnerre and Atkinson finished first, just over a half-second ahead of Conard.

The championship meet will be scored to 14th place.

FIELD HOCKEY

Staples 2, Newtown 0

Victimized by a pair of first-half goals, the Newtown High School field hockey team saw its 2005 season come to an end.

Katie Baxter and Libby Myers scored the goals that lifted Staples to a first-round win last week in the CIAC Class L state tournament. With the loss, the Lady Nighthawks dropped to 10-5-2-1 under first-year head coach Kim Lowell.

Alissa Gross made seven saves in the cage.

Staples 2, Newtown 0

GOALS: Staples – Katie Baxter, Libby Myers. ASSISTS: Staples – Eliza Howe, Brooke Donovan. SAVES: Staples – Claire Warriner 6; Newtown – Alissa Gross 7.

VOLLEYBALL

Newtown 3, South Windsor 1

Shelton 3, Newtown 1

After posting a 14-3 record during the regular season (including an 11-match win streak), the Newtown High School volleyball team was rewarded with a bye and a second-round home match against South Windsor.

And after defeating the No. 9 Lady Bobcats 3-1 (25-21, 25-23, 19-25, 25-18) in a tough match, the No. 8 Lady Nighthawks were then rewarded with a match against top-ranked Shelton, which entered the match boasting a 19-2 record.

That’s where it all ended as the ‘Hawks were bested 3-1 (25-13, 26-24, 25-9, 25-13) to fall to 17-5 overall. Senior co-captain Diana Grimaldi registered 11 kills and a pair of blocks while Christie Iwanicki had five kills and 11 digs. Jill Logan added six digs and 19 assists.

For Grimaldi, co-captain Becky Huot, Miranda Rucinski and Jenna Van Waalwijk it was the final match in a Newtown uniform.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

8th in New England

Back at the South-West Conference championships in October, Alister Ratcliff had his eye on an All-New England selection.

And on Saturday at Thetford Academy in Thetford, Vermont, the senior achieved that goal with his 25th-overall finish at the New England Cross Country championships. He helped leading Newtown High School to an eighth-place finish with 309 points.

Amity Regional of Woodbridge – one of the teams Newtown surprised in capturing the CIAC State Open championship last week – earned the New England title despite not having a single runner finish in the top 25.

Griswold, New Milford, Glastonbury and Norwich Free Academy came in ahead of the Nighthawks.

On a slow and difficult 5,000-meter course that winds through the woods across the Thetford Academy grounds, Ratcliff came in at 17:37.3 and finished 15th in team competition (which discounts individual runners who may have qualified). Eric MacKnight finished 95th overall at 18:23.6 and was followed in by Zach Schwartz (121st – 18:39.7), Matt Cole (123rd – 18:39.9), Scott Nichols (126th – 18:40.9), Jake Sullivan (157th – 18:56.9) and Ryan Morrissey (191st – 19:12.2).

TEAM SCORES: 1. Amity (CT) 134, 2. Bishop Hendricken (RI) 147, 3. Griswold (CT) 187, 4. Coe-Brown (NH) 229, 5. New Milford (CT) 242, 6. Glastonbury (CT) 260, 7. Norwich Free Academy (CT) 297, 8. Newtown (CT) 309, 9. Falmouth (ME) 318, 10. Londonderry (NH) 329, 11. Cape Elizabeth (ME) 330, 12. Manchester Central (NH) 344, 13. Mount Mansfield Union (VT) 386, 14. Pinkerton Academy (NH) 400, 15. Champlain Valley Union (VT) 433, 16. Portland (ME) 441, 17. Concord (NH) 448, 18. North Kingstown (RI) 468, 19. Mascenic (NH) 484, 20. Lisbon (ME) 502, 21. Scarborough (ME) 525, 22. Cumberland (RI) 545, 23. La Salle Academy (RI) 545, 24. York (ME) 569, 25. East Greenwich (RI) 585. 26. Windsor (VT) 593, 27. Essex (VT) 602, 28. BFA St. Albans (VT) 609, 29. U-32 Union (VT) 688, 30. South Kingstown (RI) 735.

INDIVIDUALS (Top 25): 1. Thomas Webb (Bishop Hendricken, RI) 16:26.9; 2. Jay Koloseus (Guilford, CT) 16:32.3; 3. Tradelle Ward (Griswold, CT) 16:35.8; 4. Christopher Croff (Griswold, CT) 16:50.8; 5. Anthony Merra (Bishop Guertin, NH) 17:06.1; 6. Eric Couture (Spaulding, NH) 17:08.9; 7. Alex Hall (Manchester Central, NH) 17:09.9; 8. Nick Williams (Poland, ME) 17:10.9; 9. Tyler Clark (Lisbon, ME) 17:11.2; 10. Matt Paulson (Manchester Central, NH) 17:11.6; 11. John Schroeder (Nashua North, NH) 17:13.8; 12. Ethan Shaw (Falmouth, ME) 17:15.7; 13. Miles Bartlett (Lake Region, ME) 17:19.2; 14. Eyob Eyualem (Oyster River, NH) 17:26.7; 15. Robert Dugger (Glastonbury, CT) 17:27.4; 16. Andrew Coleman (Cumberland, RI) 17:28.7; 17. Dan Ramsey (Essex, VT) 17:29.7; 18. John Loeser (Weston, CT) 17:30.9; 19. Donald Cabral (Glastonbury, CT) 17:31.8; 20. Adam Vess (Xavier, CT) 17:34.4; 21. Jared Samuel (Londonderry, NH) 17:36.6; 22. Job Christiansen (Mascenic, NH) 17:36.6; 23. JJ Forcella (Falmouth, ME) 17:36.7; 24. Jordan Peeples (Brattleboro, VT) 17:36.7; 25. Alister Ratcliff (Newtown, CT) 17:37.3.

Other Newtown finishers: 95. Eric MacKnight 18:23.6; 121. Zach Schwartz 18:39.7, 123. Matt Cole 1:39.9, 126. Scott Nichols 18:40.9, 157. Jake Sullivan 18:56.9, 191. Ryan Morrissey 19:12.2.