Colchester — And somewhere Saturday, Bill Mignault, the patriarch of the proud program, smiled. Everything Ledyard High School football represented for many years contributed to the 47-0 victory over Bacon Academy in Division II of the Eastern Connecticut Conference.

First, they gathered on a Saturday morning, a time when Ledyard teams of lore and legend under Mignault caught opponents still dozing.

Playing surface: real grass, not contemporary turf.

And the game plan? In simplicity there is poetry: when James Green wasn't running past them, Ryan Outlow was running over them.

"Our goal is to keep it simple so the kids can play fast," Ledyard coach Mike Serricchio said. "Give talented players the ball and let them do the rest."

Outlow ran for 191 yards and five touchdowns — all in the first half. Green added 149 yards and two more scores. The Colonels barely did anything more than sweeps and dives, simplicity run to perfection.

"Our line works hard every day," Outlow said. "When I get yards, I thank them. (The plays) were working every time. So, we kept calling them."

Outlow ran for scores of 3, 7, 27, 25 and 34 yards. Green, who gained 39 yards on the first play from scrimmage, added scores of 33 and 69 yards.

Ledyard (2-0, 1-0) has outscored Griswold/Wheeler and Bacon 97-8 thus far. But Serricchio didn't let them leave the field without reminding them the assignments gets tougher next week in Waterford.

"Waterford is a different animal," he said. "They do different things on offense and defense. We keep telling the kids to prepare every week like it's the state championship game, whether it's Bacon, Waterford, Griswold or the Patriots."

While it's true that Ledyard's preparation will be different, so will Waterford's. The Colonels have speed in skill spots and a large line.

"It's hard to win football games, so I'm happy where we are," Serricchio said. "But we're only 20 percent through this deal (the schedule). We didn't come to do this to be one win better than the previous year."

After Waterford, Ledyard goes on the road for an ECC/SCC scheduling alliance game at Lyman Hall in Wallingford before renewing its rivalry with New London.

m.dimauro@theday.com