Norwich — Senior Jawaun Johnson was asked what he remembers the last time Norwich Free Academy played Southington.

“Not much,” Johnson said. “Nothing I want to remember.”

It’s with good reason why Johnson has purged that 2014 Class LL-Large final from his memory. Southington had one of the most dominant performances in state finals history as it smashed the Wildcats, 49-0, in that state championship game.

Johnson is one of a handful of starters who played that day. They and a new group of Wildcats want to change their fortune against Southington in Tuesday’s Class LL quarterfinals a 6:30 p.m.

“It was great making (that 2014 LL final), but we just have to come and play this time,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to prepare because they are a great, well-coached team. If you don’t prepare for that, they’re going to come out and beat us. If we practice with high intensity, then we can definitely play with them.”

The Blue Knights also beat NFA in the 2013 LL quarterfinals, 52-14.

“It’s the third time we’ve played them in the last four years,” Wildcats head coach Jemal Davis said, “and even though the (jersey) numbers have changed with the personnel there, the consistency is still there.

“I think it’s important that we learn from previous meetings and control the tempo of the game. I think we allowed tempo to get away from us in the previous years we played them.”

Fifth-seeded NFA (8-2) has won seven straight games.

Fourth-seeded Southington (10-0), also ranked fourth in The Day's Top 10 state high school coaches’ poll, has scored the third-most points in the state (454). Its closest game was a 47-21 win over East Hartford (Nov. 4).

The Blue Knights have run a pretty balanced offense the past four seasons, but they’re running it a little more this season because they have an experienced line and talented senior running back Vance Upham to wear out defenses.

Upham has 178 carries for 1,605 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also plays linebacker and is the team’s second-leading tackler (71) with three sacks.

“If anyone can handle it (all the playing time), he can,” Southington head coach Mike Drury said of Upham. “He’s as tough as anyone I’ve coached. His mental toughness, the way he battles through games, he’s a warrior.”

First-year quarterback Will Barmore has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,622 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Anthony Plantamuro is the Blue Knights' leading receiver (36 catches, 549 yards, 10 touchdowns). The team has made good use of his versatility as he’s also rushed for three touchdowns and thrown for two.

Southington still utilizes speed (and strength) over size and allowed just 99 points.

The 2016 Wildcats are a different beast on offense this season as they’re passing more, especially with the use of screens.

Junior Shea McManaway has progressed nicely in his first season at quarterback for NFA. The same goes for senior R.J. Darby in his first season as the starting running back (team-high 14 rushing touchdowns).

The development of Darby and McManaway allowed the Wildcats to move Johnson from quarterback to receiver. He leads the team in rushing yardage (1,002) and receiving yardage (373). Junior receiver Caleb Parker has also been a top target.

“Since we’re a little more balanced, we’ll be able to spread them out a little bit and prevent them from packing the box in third-and-long situations,” Davis said. “And, if they do, we have some answers.”

NFA also believes its schedule has prepped it better for the postseason than in past years. It played four non-league games against Class LL teams, among them defending champion Darien, Staples and Xavier. It also handed rival New London its first loss on Thanksgiving, 13-0.

“In past years we could say, ‘yeah, we’ve been winning, but maybe those teams we’ve beaten aren’t as talented as the teams we’ll see in the playoffs,'” Davis said. “Now we can say these are playoff-kind of teams (we’ve played).”

n.griffen@theday.com