SPGT coach Ben Lee wants to stay upbeat but in an honest assessment after Saturday’s 38-0 loss to Northwest Catholic, Lee’s Falcons made just a handful of good plays and at times, really looked overmatched against a more-seasoned foe.

"Our young guys will only get better," Lee said. "So will the team as everyone gains more experience. But we need to play with the same intensity as Northwest did. That’s something our players learned today.

"I really don’t think you can play much better than Northwest did today," Lee said. "We were a bit sluggish at the start. Our inexperience showed there against a senior-laden team."

The Indians, who opened a week ago with a 55-15 rout of Vinal Tech/Coginchaug, dominated the line of scrimmage and made a number of big plays. Overall, NWC rolled up 394 yards in total offense and limited SPGT to just 92 yards.

There were plenty of terrific efforts on both sides of the ball for Northwest with maybe the key one coming from QB Mike Sarnese.

Sophomore Mike Bourdon had the misfortune of getting injured while trying to complete a pass on NWC’s second possession and Sarnese took the reins.

He completed his first two passes -- the second went for 34 yards and a touchdown, the first of three TD catches for wide out Justin Jarvis.

Overall, Sarnese clicked on 10 of 17 passes for 271 yards. Jarvis also hauled in grabs of 62 and 77 that went for additional Northwest scores.

Sarnese scored points with NWC coach Mike Tyler this season by understanding that a shift to receiver would help ease Bourdon into a bigger role.

"We want our best 11 players on the field," Tyler said. "Mike started at quarterback last year, but he’s also a pretty good receiver, and can run with the ball."

But Sarnese’s leadership calling plays boosted the Indians who took control of the game in the first quarter to open a 14-0 lead.

As much as NWC’s first touchdown midway in the opening period gave the Indians a peek at SPGT’s weak passing coverage, Joe Robinson’s 58-yard dash off left tackle moments later assured that the line of scrimmage was theirs.

NWC opened a 26-0 lead by the half -- a short run by Peter Andruzkiewicz and a 62-yard bomb from Sarnese to Jarvis in the second quarter -- but the Indians opted not to shift gears and think about next week’s date with Enfield.

"I’m just pleased with our enthusiasm, attitude and energy we had today," Tyler said. "The kids played hard from start to finish."

Lee, meanwhile, said his team seemed "sluggish" in the first half, maybe a carryover from Friday’s practice that lacked the usual upbeat or this being the team’s second game in six days.

Because of last weekend’s rain forecast, the Falcons wound up playing Plainville on Monday and lost 10-0.

"We didn’t come off the line firing like Northwest did," Lee said. "At half-time, we light a fire under our guys and some of the younger guys we put in there played better."

The Falcons, on defense, allowed just one score in the second in the second half.

Northwest’s other touchdown came when Dan Murphy returned one of J.P. Jacobsen’s passes for 42 yards that padded the Tribe’s 26-0 intermission advantage.

The Falcons, however, were unable to sustain any consistency on offense throughout. They mustered only three trips into NWC territory and one came when Kenny Byrd scooped up a fumble and returned it 24 yards that set up SPGT’s only real chance to score in the game.

But that series ended inside the NWC five when the Falcons ran out of downs midway in the fourth quarter as the Indians preserved the shutout.

The Indians intercepted four passes in the game with the exception of Byrd (13 carries, 60 yards), Jacobsen and Jamel Greenlee, lacked the extra second to spot a receiver.

The pair completed 3 of 14 passes for 27 yards and certainly know what looms next week against Berlin should the pass blocking be non-existent.