Cozza may have been laying in wait, but he and his defensive mates nearly overslept in the season opener, a Nutmeg League battle, as Plainville took the opening kickoff and reached the end zone in merely seven snaps.

But the seventh snap, on which Plainville running back Will Hungerford galloped 29 yards off right end, was nullified by a holding penalty, and Cozza and his mates rose up.

Defensive tackle Nick Niro immediately sacked Plainville quarterback Rob Lessard for a seven-yard loss.

Coyne said his team heard the alarm when Hungerford pranced into the end zone. "We woke up," Coyne said simply of his team’s defense, which allowed the Blue Devils precious little room after that in keying a 20-7 win.

Plainville head coach Mack Scott, in his initial start, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "momentum shifted. It shifts several times in a game, and it shifted there."

It stayed on the Rocky Hill side as the Terriers’ offense took over and marched 86 yards in 8 plays, the key play being a 41-yard pass from quarterback Eric Fritz (3-for-13, 1 int., 80 yds) to fellow senior Jeff Courneen that brought Rocky Hill from its own 16-yard line.

JoJo Rush (10 carries, 78 yards) picked up 28 more on a quick-hitting sweep play that stymied Plainville to set up senior Matt McKinnon’s 5-yard run with 3:34 left in the opening stanza to make it 7-0.

The Terriers defense continued its mastery throughout the remainder of the first half, holding Plainville without a first down, and allowing only 34 yards before intermission.

After the touchdown, Rocky Hill immediately forced a punt, but an inadvertent touch allowed Plainville to retain possession. Still, The Hill’s defense rose up when Cozza sacked Lessard for a nine-yard loss before the Plainville lefty could even set up to throw.

The teams alternated punts before The Hill’s Jeff Courneen took a high punt at the 50, cut right, and was off to the races to up the lead to 14-0 with 6:50 left in the second.

In the third, the teams exchanged turnovers, with Plainville defensive back Mike Snyder, who earned high marks in defending the highly respected Courneen, intercepting Fritz after the opening kick, but Niro forced a fumble moments later, and Mark Fritz recovered.

Niro wasn’t done in the turnover department as he intercepted a tipped pass, and returned it 38 yards, making it 20-0 after the failed PAT with 5:24 left.

Plainville finally broke through moments later when Will Hungerford (12 carries, 128 yards) broke through the middle for a 57-yard run to cut the lead to 20-7, and Scott was pleased.

"We battled all the way," an upbeat Scott said afterward. "That was a positive for us, that we kept battling."

Rob Lessard finished 6-for-18, and completing passes to six different receivers.

While Keith Pernell and Mike Zommer also played well for the hosts defensively, sophomore Mark Fritz, running between the tackles, had 16 carries for 65 yards for Rocky Hill.