East Lyme — The old days returned — or at least they did Friday night — hearkening the tradition of stout defenses at East Lyme High School, days when the Vikings did shutouts by habit.

And they began their 2019 by honoring their past, not only blanking Westhill 14-0 but earning the Eastern Connecticut Conference some respect with a win over a school from the heralded Fairfield Country Interscholastic Athletic Conference.

East Lyme coach Rudy Bagos didn't necessarily think this was coming, either.

"We scouted Westhill and that kid (quarterback Matt) O'Connor was really impressive," Bagos said. "I was thinking, 'he's really good.' If we sit in a zone against him, he'll tear us apart. I think we got a little lucky, too, with some dropped balls."

But they managed to sack O'Connor three times (Zach Todd, Joe Reitmeyer, Cam Hart), also limiting him to 111 passing yards over the last three quarters. O'Connor began 5-for-6 for 77 yards and finished 21-for-45 for 186.

"We just came together," said Todd, a defensive end. "We really compete hard against each other in practice. Not just in football. But in the gym and weight room, too. We've played together a long time. Since grade school. We know we can trust each other."

While the defense was dominant, the offense crept along. Quarterback Noah Perry hit Scott Galbo with a 56-yard touchdown pass late in the first half to give the Vikes a 7-0 lead.

"We were in the same position last year," Bagos said. "We were up seven points at half against Norwalk (also an FCIAC team). But the momentum changed in that game and we didn't get it back. This ended much better."

Perry found Galbo again on a 14-yard scoring pass in the third period to make it 14-0.

East Lyme's defense held late, turning over Westhill on downs at the goal line after a lengthy drive.

"I'm proud of the kids," Bagos said. "We've been starting seasons against some really tough teams at the other end of the state. They are not easy games to win. I'm glad we were able to come out on top tonight, especially against a team from a good league."

m.dimauro@theday.com