Norwich — There was something about the red of their uniforms that became more resplendent last week, even as the rain began falling. Maybe it was their newfound fire that turned the red of Norwich Free Academy into rojo, something that sounds more exotic.

The football players of NFA found their inner red last week, the color most associated with heat, activity and passion. They won a game — convincingly — over the state's No. 7 team, multiple-time state champion Staples, a victory that not only lifted the entire Eastern Connecticut Conference, but illustrated a particular mindset.

The mindset: Go play somebody. Sometimes, you get your ascots kicked. Other times, your voyage of self-discovery carries you to the playoffs.

"We shocked the world," all-everything running back/receiver Jawaun Johnson said. "And we're going to keep shocking the world. In the summer we knew the schedule was going to be hard. Once you play a team that's great and well coached, you need to punch them in the mouth. Then it's nothing."

And a child shall lead them.

Because how many decision makers in the conference, whose life experiences should suggest they possess greater wisdom than young Mr. Johnson, still don't get it?

OK: So NFA is a huge school and can (should?) schedule some nonconference Rockefellers. But why should that preclude smaller schools in the ECC from finding quality competition from within their own enrollment divisions, too?

NFA opened the season with Xavier, a traditional power, and lost 36-0. Two weeks later, the Wildcats went to No. 1 Darien and lost 45-6. Record at the time: 1-2.

"Those games prepared us for this moment," NFA coach Jemal Davis was saying inside a happy locker room last week. "When you open with a team like Xavier and then you play Darien, you know where you are. If you can get better, you've got an opportunity to have a pretty good season."

Indeed. NFA plays mostly within the conference through the regular season, save a trip to Class LL Stamford. It ends the season with New London. If they Wildcats win their last six, they're likely headed the playoffs. And they know just about every wart they have already because of the schedule.

"Playing those teams early gives you an opportunity to learn about your team," Davis said. "You grow from playing Xavier. We got our butts kicked. But it's better than dominating somebody and getting a false sense of security. You know right away. It forces your staff to be more committed, the players to be more committed. The kids learn if they're going to play that way, we'll get someone else."

This was the best nonconference win for an ECC school since New London went to Greenwich in 2011 and scored 51 points. And nobody saw it coming. Not with Staples, undefeated coming in, with one of the state's best coaches in Marce Petroccio, whose teams are unprepared ... never.

Plus, you figure Davis couldn't have been singing arias a week earlier, stepping on the bus after a loss to Darien, only to prepare for Staples.

"That game was done. Now it was how can we get better?" Davis said. "We wanted to make the kids understand there's a long season ahead. We lost two games. Win the rest, you are 8-2. We came away from Xavier and Darien knowing we had to give more effort. Against good teams, you are going to be down. Are you going to tuck your head or keep fighting? They scored on us today (a one-play touchdown drive after NFA went up 7-0) and our kids were like 'let's go!' Our energy had not been like that at all."

NFA hosts East Lyme this weekend (Saturday, 2 p.m.) No other team in the league has a better victory or knows more about itself into mid-October. Funny how good scheduling works that way.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.