"It makes the winter a lot shorter and warmer when you win on Thanksgiving," McNamara said after his team (3-8) played its way to a 22-20 win over Plainville (1-10) at Alumni Field. "This is the first time we’ve won more than one game in the conference, the first time we’ve won on the road. We’re getting a lot of the firsts out of the way."

The game was a battle of Nutmeg conference cellar dwellers, as both teams combined for a mere three wins on the season.

After the winter storm on Tuesday night, just getting the field cleared was a victory in itself. Both teams’ players joined together at Alumni Field Wednesday afternoon not with pads, but snow shovels. Players, parents and coaches worked for five hours to hand-shovel the field for Thursday’s festivities.

When Thanksgiving morning rolled around, the game turned out to be an offensive slugfest. The two teams scored 36 of the 42 total points in the first half. Plainville had a 20-16 lead going into the locker room at halftime. Then in the second half the Blue Devils could not get their team together.

"We don’t tackle well," first year Plainville coach Greg Styles said. "And in order to play football, you have to tackle well."

Vinal Tech relied greatly on junior Dave Francis, who repeatedly got the ball against the Blue Devils’ defense. By halftime, the tailback had over 100 yards and was well on his way to a career game. He finished with 128 yards on the day, including a 58-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

But it was Plainville drawing first blood.

The defense provided an early highlight. Vinal Tech quarterback Todd Manjuck dropped back to pass under heavy pressure. As he was getting tackled, he unleashed a shovel pass directly to Blue Devil defensive lineman Andy Morse. Seeming surprised, Morse hesitated for a second, then rumbled 71 yards for the touchdown. Fullback Will Hungerford ran in the two-point conversion for the 8-0 lead.

Then the Hawks got one back. On the kickoff after the touchdown, junior Todd Larese caught the ball at the 21, broke a few tackles and was gone for the score. Vinal Tech made a 2-point conversion of their own to tie the score at 8.

The second quarter brought a milestone for the hometown fans. After both teams traded touchdowns, Plainville was looking for a big score to go into the locker room ahead. The hometown Blue Devils got that TD from sophomore Nick Colagiovanni. The wideout caught his seventh scoring reception of the season to give Plainville a 20-16 lead at halftime. The reception broke a Plainville record for most touchdown receptions in a single season.

Then in the third quarter Plainville came out flat.

Both of its drives in the quarter ended prematurely with interceptions by VT’s Francis. The home team recovered a fumble and had the ball to start the fourth quarter. Both teams traded possessions in the fourth until Vinal Tech scored on its second possession, with Todd Manjuck running in the ball from two yards out.

Plainville had the ball to end the game with the final drive starting at their own 31. With just under a minute left and on fourth down, quarterback Craig Vincelette hit Colagiovanni on a slant pattern to bring the ball to the 46.

Then a slew of passes failed to connect, as the Blue Devils could not get into the end zone.

Time expired on the clock and coach Styles’ season.

"We have to get into the weight room," he said, speaking of the off-season plans for his squad. "The teams that we lost to, we just didn’t have enough to compete at the end. That’s what it boils down to."

"We had St. Paul, Northwest, teams that we matched up with. At the end they had a little bit more talent than we did, and that’s just strength and conditioning."

Vinal Tech/Coginchaug 22, Plainville 20

VT/Coginchaug (3-8) 8 8 06 -- 22

Plainville (1-10) 81200 -- 20

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter

P -- Andy Morse 71 interception return (Will Hungeford run).

VT -- Todd Larese 79 punt return (Todd Manjuck pass to Jose Santiago)

Second Quarter

P -- Vincelette 2 run (pass failed)

VT -- Dave Francis 58 run (Santiago run)

P -- Vincelette 22 pass to Nick Colagiovanni (run fails)

Fourth Quatrter

VT -- Manjuck 2 run (run fails)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Plainville -- Will Hungerford 7-50, Craig Vincelette 4-10; Vinal Tech -- Dave Francis 6-128, Dan Donecker 1-4, Jason Santiago 5-62, Todd Manjuck 1-2.

Passing: Plainville -- Craig Vincelette 5-86; Vinal Tech -- Todd Manjuck 1-9.

Receiving: Plainville -- Nick Colagiovanni 3-88. Vinal Tech -- Todd Laresse 1-9.