The good news for the Redcoats was that they had managed to keep the game deadlocked.

When the turnover bug bit visiting Northwest Catholic in the second half, Berlin took advantage.

Quarterback Dan Madey ran for two touchdowns and the defense pitched a second-half shutout Friday night as the Redcoats won their sixth straight, 24-14, in a battle of Nutmeg League unbeatens at Scalise Field.

The Redcoats (6-0, 5-0 Nutmeg) muffed two punts and endured an interception yet generated enough offense and played stout enough defense to keep the game locked at 14-14.

"The team that turns the ball over the least generally wins the game no matter what level of football you’re playing," Berlin head coach John Capodice said. "I was very happy to get to halftime (tied). We were very fortunate."

Despite running just 19 plays to Northwest’s 38, the Redcoats still enjoyed a plus-30 in the yardage column.

"We had to regroup," Capodice said. "(Assistant coach) Josh Rozek did a great job on the defensive side. We made our adjustments on offense and executed our game plan in the second half."

Northwest (5-1, 4-1), which utilizes the spread offense with up to four wide receivers, drew first blood after the Redcoats fumbled away a punt. Sophomore quarterback Mike Bourdon directed a five-play, 53-yard assault that culminated with a 21-yard strike to 6-foot-4 wideout Justin Jarvis.

Berlin borrowed a little lightning from the neighboring New Britain Hurricanes to tie the game. Jon-Jon Morales, who has a ring from last season’s Class LL title but couldn’t play for the ’Canes this year due to school policy, transferred to Berlin and made an immediate impact.

He gathered in a short pass from Madey and bolted 72 yards. Rob Dornfried’s extra-point gave the Redcoats a 7-6 lead.

"He’s a student-athlete who wants to participate in football and he’s on our football team," Capodice said. "He’s a great kid. He’s got a great opportunity here and we’re glad to have him."

With limited time to adjust, Morales caught five passes for 90 yards, ran the ball three times and lent a hand in the secondary against the Northwest air attack.

Berlin took a 14-6 lead on the second play of the second quarter on a 1-yard, fourth-down plunge by Madey. The Berlin defense held on the ensuing Northwest possession but a second fumbled punt gave the Indians new life.

On fourth-and-goal from the 7, Bourdon hit Devon Walsh in the gut on a slant for the score. Fullback Pete Andruzkiewicz dragged half the Berlin defense across on the conversion to tie the game.

The Redcoats barreled out of the locker room for the third quarter and promptly wrested the momentum back.

An option pass from halfback Nick Catalano to Jon Brummell covered 31 yards on a third-and-10. Two plays later, Madey followed his line right up the middle and danced through the secondary for a 21-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead.

"Our line s unbelievable right now," Madey said. "The way they run their defense, we knew we could beat them with this play. We had more guys in the box and it worked out perfectly."

Madey praised tackles James Neurath and Mike Arciszewski, guards Mike Facciolo and Tom Smith, center Mike Mendoza and tight end Greg Balinskas for leaving three Northwest linemen face down at the 20.

On the Berlin kickoff that followed, Tom Liberda wrestled the ball away from Northwest’s return man at the 5. Northwest coach Mike Tyler cited that mistake and a number of missed opportunities in the passing game as the reasons for defeat.

"We dropped too many passes," Tyler said. "In a big game like this you can’t drop the ball that many times because it stops the momentum.

"We told the kids it’s just a bump in the road. We have to stay focused and concentrate. I’m proud and I thought our kids played hard. That kickoff hurt us and we couldn’t get things going."

The Indians’ defense stiffened and presented Capodice quite a dilemma on fourth-and-goal from the 12. He called on Dornfried who drilled the huge three-pointer from 29 yards out.

"I’m a guy who likes to take a chance and go for it but we have a sophomore stud kicker who could put us up by two scores," Capodice said. "I had a lot of confidence in him. He knocked it through and gave us insurance down the stretch."

Big defensive plays by Bryce Buffaloe and Neurath stuffed a Northwest drive near the end of the third quarter. An interception at the Berlin 5 by Catalano stunted the Indians’ next drive early in the fourth.

From there, the Berlin defense allowed Bourdon just one completion in his last nine attempts. A sack by Dan Russo and a tipped pass by Madey sealed the victory.