Despite the Halloween night, both coaches spoke as if peeled from the days of the Wild West after their teams battled each other for 48 minutes separated by a mere score and 38 yards of spongy sod.

"We put the cards on the table," shrugged Rocky Hill coach Dave Coyne. "Like a Mississippi Gambler."

Coyne’s club showed its cards, and then some, with wide receiver Jeff Courneen having an eerily good 11-catch, 150-yard effort that failed to capture the essence of his 30-yard touchdown catch with 1:40 left on a fourth down play to bring Rocky Hill to within a single touchdown.

To heighten the fear factor, Courneen (who also recovered a first-half fumble) caused a fumble on Chris Tyler’s onside kick, and The Hill recovered at its own 45. A run, a pass, a pair of penalties (one on each team) left the ball at Enfield’s 38-yard line, but Eric Fritz’ fourth interception of the game left Rocky Hill’s comeback bid just short in an exciting 12-7 battle.

"Yeah," smiled Enfield coach Jay Gauthier, whose club improved to 7-1 (6-1 Nutmeg). "We got out of Dodge."

Gauthier’s club overcame a trio of turnovers, including two first-half fumbles, but Gauthier was most concerned with his club’s inability to score as the Terriers recovered at their 9- and 3-yard-lines.

"We got in the red zone, and we didn’t finish," Gauthier lamented. "I think that frustrated (his club). If we punch those in there, it’s not as close as should be."

Despite Rocky Hill’s defense adopting a bend-but-don’t-break philosophy, Enfield broke through with 47 seconds left before halftime when quarterback Pat Jubrey found senior wideout Jeremy Kauffman for a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 6-0. The extra point sailed wide left, setting the stage for the game’s exciting finish.

Enfield took the opening kickoff of the second half, and procured its best drive of the game, a 7-play, 75-yard drive that featured six runs by Mike Pinto (22 carries, game-high 206 yards).

But Enfield found the end zone when Jubrey hooked up with Mike Dalenta on a 22-yard flag pattern that made it 12-0 before Jubrey was stopped just short of the goal line by Tyler from his defensive end position on the two-point try.

Rocky Hill found its offensive legs on the next possession when Fritz (13-for-29, 176 yards) hit Courneen on a 40-yard catch-and-run down the middle. Two plays later, Tim Mason snagged his second interception of the game to keep Rocky Hill (2-6) off the scoreboard.

But Rocky Hill’s defense held, Chris Cozza coming up with a big second-down tackle that preceded Tyler’s 16-yard sack. However, Enfield thwarted two more drives, leaving the Terriers frustrated.

"We weren’t able to run on them," Coyne commented. "And Fritz-to-Courneen is a great combination, but everybody in the conference knows about it."

When the Terriers took over with 6:13 left on their own 14-yard line, Fritz looked for Courneen often and neither disappointed. What turned out to be perhaps the team’s best drive of the season took eleven plays, and covered 84 yards, with Courneen catching a ball over his shoulder despite a raging Enfield defense with 1:40 left.

"He beat us and we had two kids on him," Gauthier pointed out. "They (Rocky Hill) have some good athletes."

But Fritz’ attempt to Courneen over the middle from the Raiders’ 38 was snared by Chase, but Coyne was proud of his team’s brilliant effort.

"I’m really proud of (the team)," Coyne said, citing his team’s defense. "They worked hard tonight. We’re going to grow from here."