In the Class L bracket the No. 8 Newtown High School boys' lacrosse team visited top seed Fairfield Ludlowe in the quarterfinals on June 7 and lost 19-5, marking an end of the high school careers for several seniors. But not before those players left their marks on the program, Nighthawk Coach Tony Fitti said.

"We had a good group of seniors that worked really hard for four years. I'm just really proud of them. They did a lot for this program; they did a lot for me," Fitti said.

Possession was the name of the game as Ludlowe won 20 faceoffs. Charlie Massett scored twice and Graham Spencer, Marty Dunn, and Nate Pickard also hit the back of the net in the season-ending loss. Owen Hannah and Nick Stockwell had assists. Asher Williams led the way with five ground ball scoops. Goaltenders Andrew Faircloth and Hudson Wheat each made six saves.

Newtown was coming off a hard-fought in in the previous round. The Hawks defeated visiting and No. 9 Farmington 12-10 in opening round action on June 4. Marcus Gerace scored four goals and added an assist to power the offense, The Nighthawks fell behind 3-0 and 4-1 before battling back for a 6-5 halftime lead.

The game was close throughout the second half. Newtown had a 9-8 lead before scoring three unanswered goals and then hanging on.

Pickard had two goals and an assist, Cole Stockwell scored twice, and Massett, Luke Stewart, Hannah, and Dunn also hit the back of the net. Massett and Nick Stockwell added assists.

Faircloth made nine saves. Faceoff specialist Andrew Corey did a good job not only winning draws but creating 50-50 balls to help NHS in the possession game. "His ability to create 50-50 balls was through the roof," Fitti said.

Spencer recorded seven ground balls, Williams had four ground balls, and Pickard and Gerace each had three grounders.

"I'm proud of them for being able to answer the call. We woke up a bit, matched their intensity and matched their speed," Fitti said.

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