The smiles couldn't have been any bigger as Stonington exited the artificial turf field at Norwich Free Academy and began to come together in a large circle.
The Bears gave their usual cheer for themselves, their opponents ? the Wildcats ? whom they had just vanquished, 6-1, and the officials. But they added an additional cheer to the normal routine Tuesday afternoon. The chant of "ECCs, ECCs" rose from the gathering.
The win over NFA guaranteed Stonington its second consecutive Eastern Connecticut Conference title and 19th in the last 20 seasons. Stonington (8-2 overall) is now 8-0 with two league games to play. East Lyme is 5-2 with three to play, but even if the Vikings should win all three and the Bears lose both, Stonington still owns the tiebreaker. The Bears' two wins over the Vikings give Stonington the head-to-head advantage.
