This evening, in Wilton, Conn., the quarterfinal round of the Connecticut Class L state girls’ lacrosse tournament will see the host Warriors taking on Newtown (Conn.)
Wilton is the No. 3 seed with a 13-2 record, while Newtown, the 6 seed, is 17-0.
Newtown has had several sports teams, including field hockey and lacrosse, achieve great things in the last few years. One notable win was the football team’s 2019 state title, but other teams have had tremendous showings over the last couple of years.
It cannot be easy to be a Newtown High School student, given the circumstances.
The COVID-19 contagion and remote learning are not easy to overcome; I have had educators tell me that a number of today’s seniors are much less prepared than they were before the pandemic.
Also, a mere 11 years ago, a madman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 20 children and six staff members. A lot of their peers are likely seniors today at Newtown, depending on how they were grouped into their grade levels at first enrollment.
Wilton, by virtue of its schedule and having to play Fairfield County competition, is the favorite this evening.
But as the 2019 football team showed, the students at Newtown are resilient. Nothing would surprise me about the result this evening.
