With his Rocky Hill team trailing by three points and time running out, he was running an out pattern in the Avon end zone. Quarterback Eric Fritz defied a stiff crosswind and laid the ball out perfectly. Courneen gathered in his second touchdown pass of the game Saturday to give the Terriers a 13-9 win over Avon in a competitive battle between two Nutmeg League squads looking to revive their seasons.

"This is a great win for us," head coach Dave Coyne said. "It was evenly matched. I felt we were going to win. We ran the ball on them, we threw the ball on them, but we hurt ourselves with penalties and turnovers. They have a good team but we have a better team and I’m glad we came out on top because I felt we should."

The Terriers (2-4, 2-4 Nutmeg) trailed 9-6 when their defense presented them with a first-and-10 at the Avon 37 with 4:15 to go. A 15-yard Fritz-to-Courneen connection converted a first down moments earlier but once again, they were faced with third and long.

The Falcons (1-4, 0-4) had been double-teaming Courneen most of the day. This time, he had one-on-one coverage. When the ball was delivered, Courneen knew it was catchable but he had to make an over-the-shoulder play. His soft hands captured it in the corner of the end zone.

"They called a checkout - it’s our best play," said Courneen, a senior who grabbed six passes for 107 yards. "You have to catch it. If you drop it you lose, if you catch it you win."

Chris Tyler added the PAT and left the Falcons with just over 3 minutes to make a drive. That’s where the Terriers defense made a brilliant stand. Cornerback Sean Burgwardt stuffed a short pass three yards behind the line. On third-and-10, Nick Niro sacked Avon QB Tony Casorio for an 11-yard loss.

Safety Matt McKinnon knocked down the Falcons’ desperation fourth-down pass and the Terriers ran out the clock to snap a three-game dry spell. The defense allowed Avon only eight total yards in the second half and shut down the ground game completely (minus-17 yards).

"After our (opening) win, we’ve been getting killed every game," Courneen said. "We haven’t moved the ball on offense and haven’t played well on defense. This could turn around the season. Now we have confidence to go into the next game (Friday night at home against Vinal Tech/Coginchaug)."

Courneen scored Hill’s first TD 34 seconds prior to halftime. With Avon up 6-0, Courneen raced for the flag and pulled in a Fritz aerial for a 29-yard TD.

After a short kickoff, Avon moved the ball quickly. Casorio found Ben Lerer for 19 yards to the Hill 23. On fourth down with 6 seconds left, Chris Prudhomme booted a 40-yard field goal that gave the Falcons a 9-6 halftime edge.

Junior defensive tackle Bruce Raulukaitis returned to the lineup from an injury in grand style, making three plays behind the line of scrimmage. Tackle Chris Cozza had a big third-down sack in the second quarter and shut down a second-down pass on Avon’s final drive.

Tackle Papa Bediako and end Carey Brimmer - both seniors -- also played key roles in the Terriers’ domination on the defensive side.

"We came out with a different attitude defensively in the second half," Coyne said. "And we told the seniors, you’ve got one chance to beat Avon. If you don’t beat them today, this is it. The kids came out and played aggressive, hard-nosed ball, as hard as we’ve played all year."

Tom Canty scored the Avon TD on an eight-yard gallop midway through the second quarter. Canty led the Falcons in rushing with 58 yards but was held to minus-6 in the second half.

en Lipshez can be reached at klipshez@newbritainherald.com