What made the play stand out in Berlin’s 40-0 thrashing of the Rocky Hill Terriers was that Boccia and The Hill’s Bruce Raulukaitis, who tackled Berlin’s senior co-captain, both were carried off the field and did not return, both having suffered injuries to their legs that appeared serious.

"That disoriented us," Rocky Hill coach Dave Coyne said afterward of losing his starting center and defensive tackle for the remainder of the game. "It was like we weren’t sure after that (of what would happen next)."

Boccia had already made things happen for Berlin (3-0, 2-0 Nutmeg), as he got his team off to a running start toward its 23rd consecutive regular season victory (and 30th straight Nutmeg League win) by returning the opening kickoff 87 yards to put the Redcoats up 6-0.

"That was a nice play," Berlin coach Al Pelligrinelli said of Boccia’s opening runback up the middle of the field. When Boccia reached midfield, he cut right, and raced untouched for the score.

What pleased Pelligrinelli was how the Redcoats responded to the loss of one of their team leaders.

"We kept working hard, and finding a way," Pelligrinelli said of his club, who faced a similar situation last week when quarterback P.J. Sanzo was injured, but responded much better Friday night. "(Tonight), we kept fighting."

Sanzo’s statistics were pedestrian, as he went only 3-for-8, but he hooked up with Joel Hartunian for a 72-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline as time expired in the third quarter to put the visitors up 40-0 after Robert Dornfried’s PAT.

Hartunian also intercepted a pass and gained 51 yards on 8 carries despite being charged with a 14-yard loss when, lined up as a punter, he fielded a low snap, and had his knee inadvertently touch the ground.

Bryan Hill (2 tds) led all rushers with 65 yards on 8 carries, while Chris Laroche (7 carries, 34 yards) added two touchdowns to lead Berlin as the Redcoats amassed 178 yards rushing.

"We got taken out behind the woodshed," Rocky Hill coach Dave Coyne said after the game. "We needed things to go our way, not luck, just things in general, and they didn’t work out. Berlin’s a good team."

Mark Fritz continued his terrific rushing with 62 yards on 12 carries, and Jeff Courneen caught six balls from Eric Fritz (8-for-22, one interception, 46 yards) to lead the Terriers.

In the game’s later stages, the Terriers had some success running a play that Berlin had executed with success before Boccia’s injury, a double handoff, and Coyne was pleased with the play’s results.

"We wanted to run it (earlier in the game)," Coyne acknowledged of the play, which had not been unveiled in the season’s first two weeks. "But when (Raulukaitis) was injured, we didn’t know if we could run the play successfully."