But when Hungerford hit paydirt, he didn't stop, running hard as if freed from a giant weight, until he reached the goalposts at the back end of the end zone, reluctantly stopping only when there was no further to run.

Plainville's first rushing touchdown of the season came too late in Saturday's non-conference game against South Windsor to make a difference in the outcome, but the Blue Devils, scoreless in the first three weeks of the season, broke free in putting up 313 yards in total offense.

South Windsor, however, punished the Blue Devils with 207 first-quarter yards, a brutal defense that presented its offense with great field position resulting in 36 first-half points, and rolled to a 43-25 win at home that leaves Plainville still searching for its initial win.

"We're taking baby steps now," Plainville's first-year head coach Greg Styles said in the aftermath. "Eventually it will come together for us."

Plainville was playing just five days after an emotionally-draining loss to East Catholic Monday evening, and it showed most on defense as South Windsor scored touchdowns on its first five possessions.

But Plainville took its first "baby step" on its second possession when quarterback Craig Vincelette found Nick Colagiovanni for a 74-yard catch-and-run touchdown that momentarily tied the game at seven, and gave the visitors their first points of the 2002 season.

"I was happy for the kids," Styles said. "We wanted that."

It also likely meant a lot to Styles and his staff, who have worked diligently in trying to find success on offense. Styles turned Vincelette loose on Saturday, and the senior didn't disappoint. He went 18-for-38 for 318 yards and three scoring strikes (along with two interceptions). His favorite target was Colagiovanni, who grabbed 11 balls for 193 yards and two of those scores.

Hungerford, too, proved to be a reliable target, with three grabs for 57 yards, while Dan Garewski grabbed a pair of balls for 66 yards, and Chris Bertola caught an 8-yard touchdown pass.

"We're going to go with what's been working for us. If that's what's going to work for us right now, then we're going to exploit that as much as we can," Styles said. "Craig's pretty talented back there, and if we can protect him, I think we have a shot."

The Bobcats had success running the football, gaining 182 yards rushing in the first quarter (245 overall) against a young (6 seniors), inexperienced Plainville team in which most players played both sides of the ball, resulting in physical fatigue.

"You have to play for pride. They have a lot of big kids over there," Styles said, alluding to another "baby step," the defense (led by lineman Andy Morse, nose tackle Mike Fabrizio and linebacker Nick Debboli) shutting down South Windsor for much of the last three quarters. "Most of these guys are being exposed, for the first time, to (assignment-based) football."

Mike Panora (9 carries, game-high 75 yards) scored on touchdown runs of 15- and 10-yards, while Matt LaCaprucia (9 carries, 59 yards) and Mark Lines (2 carries, 68 yards; 1 catch, 25 yards) scored one apiece for the Bobcats. Lines, who was named All-State as a sophomore cornerback in 2001put the Bobcats up to stay with his 58-yard run with 4:54 left in the first quarter, just two plays after Vincelette and Colagiovanni had drawn the Blue Devils even.