The Eagles (10-0) hammered Middletown last week 40-0 and all of their recent success prompted V/C coach Bob McNamara to pronounce East "the best team I’ve seen in our league." And he didn’t mean just this year.

The first half was no contest. In running up a 28-0 lead, the Eagles had 328 yards offense -- 250 on the ground and 78 in the air -- to V/C’s 24, all of which came on the ground. The Hawks managed to finish with 96 yards (all on the ground) to East’s 427.

"East is a far superior football team," said McNamara. "Their plays occur at a faster speed than most teams. They’re real good and they played real well tonight."

The winners scored on their second possession, zipping 67 yards in just five plays. Quarterback Dan Belli had a 38-yard run in the drive and UConn-bound Dahna Deleston had a 25-yard run to the three yard line which set up Joe Hartigan’s one-yard plunge two plays later.

East made it 14-0 with 1:57 left in the half on another one-yard run by Hartigan, a run that came at the end of a four-play, 60-yard drive. That drive was highlighted by a 27-yard pass from Belli to Akwan Shabazz and a 31-yard run by Deleston.

Deleston finished with 121 yards in 12 carries and Belli had 126 yards in eight carries. Belli also was 6-for-9 passing, good for 93 yards and a touchdown. And it was that TD that broke the backs of the Hawks.

"That was a huge play," said McNamara. "It was fourth down, late in the half. If we stopped them at 14-0 we were still in the game."

But V/C (5-4-1) didn’t stop them. Belli threw into the end zone from 30 yards out and hit Deleston in stride for a pretty touchdown pass with 4:46 left in the half. Although the kick failed, East was home free at 20-0.

The Eagles added a fourth score with 57 seconds left in the half on a nine yard run by Belli, a TD run set up by Belli’s 53-yard scamper to the Hawks’ 11-yard line.

"I think we were awestruck in the first half," said McNamara. "We got knocked back on our heels. But the kids regrouped a little bit in the second half and put together a nice touchdown drive to open the third quarter."

V/C drove 65 yards for its lone score, a two-yard run by Jason Dubowsky with 3:32 left in the third. East answered with a 28-yard TD run by Kyle Marandino on the first play of the fourth quarter before East coach Bill Baccaro called off the dogs.

East virtually wrapped up a Class L playoff berth with the win. Now the task for East will be to demonstrate it can win out of what many observers think is the very little pond of the the Nutmeg League. "I wish them well in the playoffs," said McNamara. "I think they’ll do well."

V/C will host Plainville on Thanksgiving at Palmer Field at 10 a.m.