By Kim J. Harmon

By KIM HARMON

Published: May 15, 2001 12:00 am

By Kim J. Harmon

NEW FAIRFIELD â The action in the newly-formed South-West Conference really heated up this past week and even though the Newtown High School boysâ lacrosse team did win two out of three games, the win it wanted the most was the one it didnât get.

Okay, the Nighthawks did run their record to 7-7 overall and 3-2 in the SWC, but a 16-3 win over New Milford (on Saturday) and a 16-6 win over Immaculate (on Monday) is only a small consolation after suffering an 11-10 loss to New Fairfield last Friday.

Oh, but it was a thrilling game, all right . . . perhaps the most thrilling of the entire season.

See, the âHawks tried to climb a slippery slope all afternoon long. They started in a deep hole (down three goals) and for every two steps they took to close that gap they would slip back one. Even so, with 35 seconds left to play they were only down two.

And thatâs when it really got good.

The âHawks ratcheted up their assault on the New Fairfield cage and with 25 seconds to go, Matt Sodor dumped off a pass to John Conlon in front of the crease for a goal that would pull the âHawks to within one. The Rebels gained possession of the ensuing face-off, but a couple of stiff body checks and the âHawks had scooped up a ground ball with 14 seconds left and one last shot to tie the game.

It was up to senior co-captain Matt Saunders. Starting out near midfield, he brought the ball down into the box, worked off a couple of defenders, and got off a low shot that was shaved by New Fairfield goaltender Tim Taylor. The ball, however, remained loose and with just two seconds left Tom Ryan managed to scoop the groundball and get off a shot that sailed across the crease and out of bounds.

Game over.

It was a rather exciting finish and a rather historic (if that isnât overly dramatic) win for New Fairfield. After all, it was the first time the Rebels had ever beaten the Nighthawks.

The game did not start well for the âHawks. The Rebels were smooth right from the opening face off, scoring less than a minute into the game. Two more tough shots and the Rebels had constructed a somewhat startling 3-0 lead. Casey Kirch got Newtown on the board with a nice blast from the right side, but New Fairfield answered right back to maintain its three-goal lead at 4-1. Then Conlon (from Kirch) and Ryan scored back-to-back goals to get the âHawks to within one - only to see the Rebels, despite tough defensive pressure, take a step away with their fifth goal of the game. Conlon, though, kept it close in the waning moments of the second quarter with a power shot from up high that glanced off the goalie and into the cage. The âHawks stayed close - but not close enough.

Not until Saunders took the game into his own hands. With the âHawks down 7-5, Saunders scooped a groundball off a faceoff, powered his way into the box, and shot low for his first goal of the game. Just seconds later, he repeated the same thing nearly step-for-step and just like that the game was all tied at 7-7.

It was an incredible effort and one that led a New Fairfield fan to mutter, âThat kid just took it to the house two times in a row, man â no goofing around.â

And he had to do it all over again late in the third quarter and on into the fourth. New Fairfield took back its two-goal lead, leading Saunders to score two more goals with hard shots from the top of the box to tie the game back up at 9-9.

But the momentum â like a pendulum â swung back to New Fairfield and the Rebels scored back-to-back goals to take an 11-9 lead and set up the dramatic finish to the game.

The âHawks took that loss and 24 hours beat up New Milford pretty good, 16-3, as Conlon scored five goals, Ryan had four goals and two assists, Saunders had three goals and three assists, and Kirch had two goals and five assists. Matt Sullivan and Dan Maley also had goals and Sodor was credited with an assist.

And then on Monday, the âHawks had a not-so-easy time with Immaculate, starting off slow but finishing with a flourish in a 16-6 win. Kirch had a tremendous game with six goals and four assists (the record for points in a game is 13, set by Charlie Heinzer in 1996) while Saunders scored four goals and Ryan added three. Pete Yemc and Sodor were credited with assists.

Newtown will host Notre Dame on Wednesday and then finish up the regular season by hosting Norwalk next Friday. The South-West Conference semi-finals will follow on Tuesday, May 29, with the two highest-seeded teams hosting.

BOYS LACROSSE

PlayersÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â GÂ Â Â Â AÂ Â PT

Casey KirchÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 28Â Â Â Â 34Â Â Â Â 62

Matt SaundersÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 39Â Â Â Â 19Â Â Â Â 58

Tom RyanÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 32Â Â Â Â 15Â Â Â Â 47

John ConlonÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 27Â Â Â Â Â Â 5Â Â Â Â 32

Matt SullivanÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7Â Â Â Â Â Â 1Â Â Â Â Â Â 8

John OliverÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6Â Â Â Â Â Â 0Â Â Â Â Â Â 6

Dan MaleyÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Â Â Â 2Â Â Â Â Â Â 6

Pete YemcÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1Â Â Â Â Â Â 5Â Â Â Â Â Â 6

Matt SodorÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0Â Â Â Â Â Â 4Â Â Â Â Â Â 4

Ted YemcÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1Â Â Â Â Â Â 1Â Â Â Â Â Â 2

Brian HamiltonÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 0Â Â Â Â Â Â 1Â Â Â Â Â Â 1

Pat MonahanÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1Â Â Â Â Â Â 0Â Â Â Â Â Â 1

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A town administrator/operations manager will facilitate a more efficient management of town reseoruces and will result in cost avodiance in all departments. The position will payback much more than it costs.

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Thank you Brandon for providing a realistic view of the cost of war.

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Thank you for your service and thank you Brandon Moore. I come from a family of veterans that goes back decades. I am grateful for their sacrifice and have advocated for their rights, as an attorney. There is such a divide between the demands of military service and civilian everyday life that many do not appreciate. I watched my oldest brother manage the two cultures. In the current political climate, I want someone with a long track record of community advocacy that addresses the needs of the Newtown elderly, students, young families, the growing costs of everyday living expenses, gun violence, food insecurity, division amongst groups, long term strategizing for economic development and improvement of quality of life. I have lived in Newtown five years and still do not know all there is to know in order to address the needs of neighbors. Michelle has lived in Newtown for sixteen years and has a record of fighting for the needs of the entire community. At this moment in our existence that is the type of fighter that we need and that is why I am grateful for Brandon Moore's service but my family and I support Michelle Ku and hope that she will be the State Representative and that Brandon Moore will be involved in moving the needs of the Newtown community forward, with the rest of us learning the needs of the community.

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I generally agree with Tom Johnson, re: following the rules of the road, both legal and/or commonly accepted. However, there are times, especially when the bulk of the traffic is using Main Street to bypass congestion on 84, when yielding to turning drivers at the flagpole makes the most sense. Coming home from Trumbull today, I noticed that several southbound drivers were planning to turn left onto Church Hill, and the line of cars went beyond what I could see. The northbound lane was also very busy. I admit that I may have waived my right by slowing down to create a gap for a southbound car to turn. I then moved to the staging position within the circle (small car so no disruption to northbound traffic), but the intersection was then blocked by southbound traffic turning left. Of note, that intersection can easily become gridlocked if 6-8 drivers claim right of way (3 or 4 cars in each direction).Thankfully, the third lefthand turner stayed back and waived me through. To many people, it is not clear who has right of way in such circumstances. IMO, it makes sense to ensure that traffic can travel north and south, and sometimes that means yielding the right of way. Hopefully someday the State will address the traffic issues on 84 and we will no longer have as much congestion at the flagpole.

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