The new, neon green uniform tops of the Griswold boys cross country team lit up the course Thursday even after the sun came out following an unanticipated thunderstorm complete with hail.

But the Griswold girls team chose to stay with their black uniforms and strode through the Eastern Connecticut Conference cross country race relatively unnoticed, avoiding even the seasoned eyes of former Norwich Free Academy coach Gene McGrath, who thought NFA had six runners in before Griswold had five.

It was a script that Griswold coach Mike Flynn had plotted to perfection, and the results were what he ? but few others ? expected.

The Wolverines captured their first-ever overall ECC title with 74 points to edge Fitch (78) and defending champion NFA (79).

"I honestly thought we were the best team," Flynn said.  "Nobody else knew it."