Groton - Bobby Johnson came bounding off of Dorr Field midway through the fourth quarter on Saturday night, and it wasn't following one of his three touchdowns that led Fitch to a 40-7 win over Woodstock Academy in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Large Division.

No, Johnson was on the Falcons' hands team anticipating an onside kick after Woodstock scored its only touchdown of the night, and the Fitch running back had a chance to deliver a devastating block when the kick went deep. He was still talking about it after the game, not his 181 yards on just nine carries, and not about his three touchdowns.

"I love to hit," Johnson said. "Physical, physical, physical. That's what we are. We played Fitch football."

Along with Johnson's performance, which included a game-changing, 85-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that came after Fitch (6-2, 2-2) stopped Woodstock on fourth down deep in their own territory, Alan Anderson added 95 yards and a score and quarterback Derek Baldoz scored another touchdown.

"I thought it was our most complete game so far this year, in terms of offense, defense, the passing game, special teams," Fitch coach Mike Emery said. "When I say complete effort, I'm talking about the whole thing."

Fitch's first offensive unit scored on all but one of its possessions, while the defense held Woodstock (2-7, 1-3) to zero first downs in the first quarter.

Linebacker Tyler Duplin capped the Falcons' scoring with a 74-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

"We didn't play at their level, we played at our level, which was very important," said Duplin, who was in on several tackles.

Said Emery of Duplin: "He's a steady player, nothing flashy, and that's probably why he's never scored a touchdown, but he's a kid who ends up at the bottom of every pile."

Fitch scored on its first two possessions before Woodstock used 14 plays to drive to the Fitch 15-yard line midway through the second quarter. The Falcons stopped Craig Dunn on fourth down, and Johnson's 85-yard run on the very next play turned the complexion of the game.

"If we get that first down, maybe we score, maybe we change the game," Woodstock coach Gary Brine said. "Speed kills and we don't have it. Hopefully, this will be a learning experience. That's all it can be."

The win keeps Fitch's Class L playoff hopes alive with two games left, a far cry from last season's 2-9 team.

"Last year's team didn't have nearly as much heart as this one," Johnson said. "I can't stress how important these next two games are."

Fitch right tackle Dillon McClellan agreed with Johnson.

"Our attitudes were so poor last year," he said.

"We would just put our heads down when things got bad. This year, we have the desire to win."

Said Duplin: "The more games the merrier. These are the last ones most of us will play for the rest of our lives."

Emery, who won back-to-back Class L titles in 1999-2000, isn't looking ahead.

"We need some help, but we're just trying to take care of what we can do," he said. "All we can do is win our games. If the rest of it happens, it happens."

o.poole@theday.com