By Steve Bigham

BETHEL – As the rain began to fall this week, the entire Newtown High School boys’ tennis team remained alive and well in the South-West Conference tournament. All seven slots had either been victorious in the quarterfinal round or were still in action when play was halted Monday afternoon.

Newtown’s march toward a league title was put on pause Tuesday and Wednesday as the rainy, Wimbledon-like conditions continued. Several matches were slated to be played Thursday and the tournament could end up going all the way to Friday.

And while the Nighthawks are in line for a handful of individual league titles, coach Martin Margulies believes his netters, if they play their cards right, could end up hoisting the league crown at the Bethel High courts.

“If we keep it up I think we have a real shot at winning it all,” he said Wednesday as he watched the rain fall outside his window.

Newtown’s number one guy, Zack Miller, the tournament’s second seed strode into the semifinals with an 8-1 pro-set victory over Mike Madar of Stratford. He was scheduled to face Brookfield’s Colin Robinson, a player he beat easily earlier in the season, in semifinal action on Thursday.

Jon Perachio, looking to repeat his second singles title from a year ago, beat Foran’s Jeff Kulenych, 8-1, in the quarterfinals. At third singles, Sean O’Mahoney beat Masuk’s Tony Pane to advance.

At fourth singles, Matt Beres led Brookfield’s Greg Garofalo, 1-0, when was play was halted Monday.

At first doubles, Pete Stephenson and Matt McFadden beat Foran’s Ben DiMaura and Ken Poland, 8-5, while the second-seeded doubles team of Steve Danyew and Jason Garbarino bested Bethel’s Steve DiBennedetto and Chris Rodriguez, 8-3.

The third doubles team of Aaron Johnson and Mark Stephenson were trailing Joel Barlow’s Pete MacLellan and Ken Brown, 3-1, when play was postponed. This contest was a rematch of the three-set thriller the four players engaged in two weeks ago.