Stonington — The detection of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Stonington earlier this month played a big role in Friday's high school football opener against Montville.

First it moved the game from a 6:30 to 4 p.m. start. Then it forced play to be halted after three quarters.

Stonington leads the back-and-forth game 40-34. The game will be resumed at 10 a.m. Saturday.

EEE, a rare mosquito-born virus, was discovered around Stonington's athletic complex. All personnel from both teams were to be off the field by 6 p.m. The third quarter ended at 5:45 and by 5:50 officials from both schools and the officiating crew decided to stop the game.

"I've never seen anything like this,'' said 14th-year Montville coach Tanner Grove. "I know that the schools are trying to do what they believe is right. The problem I have is I think they set us up to fail.

"To play a high school football game in less than two hours? There was no way that was going to happen,'' said Grove. "It's definitely a very bizarre situation. I don't think it's great for either team.''

Grove is also concerned about the quick turnaround.

"There's a reason we don't play back-to-back days,'' said Grove. "It's Week 1 so there's a lot of injuries and cramping. But tomorrow we have to get back on the bus at get at it.''

Whether it was good offense or bad defense, the first three quarters were exciting. Stonington sophomore Christian Hudson scored on a 27-yard touchdown run with less than a minute to go in the third quarter to break a 34-34 tie and give the Bears the 40-34 lead.

Hudson has already gained 214 yards rushing on 12 carries and run for four touchdowns.

Montville led 14-6 after one quarter and Stonington had a 26-20 halftime lead.

Hudson had a 64-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and added TD runs of 5, 44 and 27 yards in the third quarter. Stonington quarterback Drew Champagne threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Morrison to open the scoring and ran for a 1-yard score in the second quarter.

Montville running back Jayden Long scored two touchdowns, on runs of 1 and 13 yards. Senior linebacker Frank Cook gave Montville a 14-6 lead when he scooped up a fumble and ran 57 yards with it for a touchdown.

Montville quarterback Ryan Douchette also scored on a 1-yard run, hit Colin Nickerson with a 40-yard touchdown pass and run for a two-point conversion. Diego Garces-Cortes kicked a pair of extra points for the Indians.

There were touchdowns scored on the first four possessions of the game. Stonington senior running back Josh Curtin was hurt on the third play of the game and did not return, but the Bears went 55 yards to with Champagne's TD pass to Morrison.

Montville answered with a 50-yard drive and Long's 1-yard scoring run and, eight plays later, Cook scored on his fumble return.

Champagne's TD run came on the fourth play of the second quarter and closed Montville's lead to 14-12. Two touchdowns run by Hudson and Long's second touchdown finished off the first-half scoring.

Montville tied the game at 26-26 on Douchette's scoring run, Stonington took the lead back on a Hudson TD and conversion run and Douchette's TD pass and conversion run tied the game again, at 34-34.

Through three quarters Champagne was 4-for-8 passing for 65 yards, Douchette was 6-for-8 for 155 yards and has 31 yards rushing on nine carries while Nickerson has caught four passes for 136 yards.

d.davis@theday.com