Stonington — Plainfield rehearses the hook and ladder play every day at practice, sometimes out of seven different formations, a weapon to keep opposing defenses off balance.

"That way when you get in a game, it's not a panic," Plainfield coach Pat Smith said.

"It's not even a trick play if you do it every single game," Stonington coach A.J. Massengale said. "It's part of their plan. If you do it multiple times per game, it's not a trick play anymore. That's a huge part of what Plainfield has always done."

Plainfield (4-0) used the play to perfection in the fourth quarter of Friday night's high school football game to edge Stonington 14-7.

The Panthers scored from 21 yards out when quarterback Connor Davis hit Kegan Marcoux with a pass and Marcoux pitched the ball backwards to Brendan Ogden, who ran it in from the 12-yard line. An outstretched Ogden landed on the pylon on the left side of the end zone for the touchdown with 8 minutes remaining.

"We just didn't execute," Massengale said of his team, which dropped to 1-3. "They did a nice job."

The Bears, coming off last week's 35-0 win over Montville, dominating the Indians with their running game, got the ball to start against Plainfield and, again, methodically marched 66 yards for a touchdown that took 6:35 off the clock.

The drive featured a 16-yard gain by Riley Burnside on fourth-and-three and also a roughing the passer call that advanced them. It was capped by a 2-yard run from Kevin Ferrer, with Sean Bessette's kick making it 7-0.

With Stonington controlling the clock, Plainfield had only run two series so far when it got the ball late in the second quarter following an interception by by Ogden, giving the Panthers the ball at the Stonington 45. Plainfield scored with 58 seconds remaining in the half to make it 7-7, getting a 24-yard touchdown reception by Ogden and an extra point by Davis.

Stonington, however, which rushed 27 times for 149 yards in the first half, had just 16 carries for 22 yards in the second half.

The Bears had just one first down on their first two possessions of the second half. Trailing 14-7 with 7:51 to play, though, Stonington got the ball at the 50-yard line follow a personal foul on the kickoff return and got all the way to the Plainfield 32 on a 6-yard run by Hayden Parrilla and a 12-yard pass from Marco Tedeschi to Jared Rudzinsky.

That's when Stonington switched game plans and began passing, attempting five in a row. The Bears were slapped with a holding penalty which derailed the drive, giving them second-and-31 and what eventually turned into fourth-and-33, forcing them to punt.

"We were trying to do something different. We had some success with those things," Massengale said. "Unfortunately, we had a penalty, as well, which set us back."

Stonington stopped Plainfield and got the ball back with 4:25 to play, still looking for the game-tying points, but failed to gain a first down on fourth-and-one from the Plainfield 42. Plainfield took over on downs and was able to run the clock out.

"They were running down our throat in the first quarter," said Smith, whose team also executed a successful fake punt during the game. "... A.J. and I go back for years and years and years. We like to compare ourselves and play with the pride that they do."

Parrilla had 13 carries for 56 yards and Ferrer seven for 50 yards for Stonington. Ferrer also had an interception.

v.fulkerson@theday.com