Behind a consistent running attack, the Redcoats controlled St. Paul/Goodwin Tech in a 32-0 Nutmeg Football League victory as Berlin won its 15th straight game and improved to 7-0 this season before a chilly Homecoming crowd at Sage Park.

Four different players combined for 186 yards rushing, led by Alex Barwikowski and Matt Powell with 66 yards each. Four different Berlin players scored touchdowns. St. Paul (4-3, 4-2 Nutmeg) was limited to just 66 yards rushing and 68 yards total.

"We basically shoved the ball down their throats," said Powell. "It was hard-nosed running. The line did a great job. We wanted to show that we can run the ball on anybody. [Some] people thought we were soft [running]."

Berlin (7-0, 6-0 Nutmeg) marched 70 yards on 14 plays on its opening drive in the first quarter, eating up 7 minutes, 47 seconds. Mike Miller scored on a six-yard pass from P.J. Sanzo and Dan Putnam's two-point run made it 8-0. The Falcons had only four plays in the first quarter and gained 2 yards.

"We controlled the ball well and played good defense," Berlin coach Al Pelligrinelli said. "We came up with the big play when we needed to."

Berlin marched to the St. Paul 24-yard line on its second possession but the drive stalled when Jim Shanley and Jeff Lozano had back-to-back sacks of Sanzo. But two plays later, Berlin's Bryan Hill intercepted a Matt Dumont pass and returned it 10 yards to the 3-yard line. Barwikowski scored on the next play and Powell added a two-point conversion for a 16-0 lead with 5:22 left in the second quarter.

"I thought we played pretty well in the first half," St. Paul coach Joe Cefaratti said. "We made a few good defensive stops. Some days, you bite the bear and other days, the bear bites you."

Berlin drove to the St. Paul 30-yard line on its first possession of the third quarter only to be stopped by a sack of Sanzo by Robert Lavoie. After a 27-yard punt to the 10-yard line by Barwikowski, the Falcons marched 73 yards on the running of QB Matt Lamont and Michael Nadeau to the Berlin 17-yard line as the fourth quarter began.

Nadeau gained eight yards up the middle and LaMont nearly got to the 7-yard line on second down as the St. Paul coaches screamed in vain about the spot of the ball. Nadeau was stopped for no gain on third down and LaMont was short on fourth down and St. Paul's best chance of the night dematerialized.

Berlin responded with a 93-yard drive in 4:40, keyed by a 33-yard run by Powell and a key 14-yard reception by Joel Hartunian on third down to keep the drive going. Putnam's 13-yard run and the successful two-point conversion made it 22-0.

"Defensively, we played really well," Pelligrinelli said. "Everyone had a job to do and everyone stepped up."