EASTHAMPTON - If the Easthampton football team is going to make a run at the playoffs, Saturday night's game was a step in the right direction.

In a driving rainstorm, the Eagles posted a 38-0 victory over McCann Tech on Sawyer Field Williston Northampton, a week after being blanked at Ware.

"To take it from the practice field to the game field is very rewarding," said Easthampton coach Joe Kocot. "Once they get used to the taste of winning, it's going to be #sky is the limit.'"

Addressing the up-and-down nature of the Eagles' season, Kocot said, "I really think it's the youth, the age. Anyone can get used to winning like this. They did everything we said to do in practice."

All three units scored points for Easthampton (2-4, 2-2 Tri-County), which raced to an 18-0 lead after one quarter.

Jared Bean rushed for 119 yards on 11 carries and scored two touchdowns, including an 8-yarder midway through the first to open the scoring.

Bean went off the right side, which seemed wide open for the Eagles all night. Bean's third-quarter, 15-yard score also came on the right side, where he went untouched.

Easthampton used nine ball carriers and racked up 295 yards on the ground.

Early in the game, special teams play helped set up the Eagles' offense. Tyler Phillips returned the Hornets' first punt to the McCann 8-yard line, and Bean got in the end zone on the next play.

"We really practice (special teams) a lot," said Kocot. "We do either punt or punt return every day, and then kickoff and kickoff return until it looks like it's perfect.

"If you pop them in practice regularly, it's going to happen in the game," he added. "It's just a matter of the right yardage, the right spot on the field, the right personnel."

The Eagles scored in the second quarter when Paul Bergeron scooped up a blocked punt and ran 30 yards for the touchdown. Earlier in the game, Eric Campbell blocked a punt for Easthampton.

With the score 8-0 late in the first quarter and McCann still in the game, quarterback Ben Raimer rolled right from his own 8-yard line but could not escape Bean, who dropped him in the end zone for a safety.

Jeremy Lessard's 36-yard return to the McCann 20 off the free kick set up Shane Andrews' 6-yard touchdown run two plays later to increase the lead to 18-0.

Among the Eagles' nine rushers were Andrew Bzdel (two carries, 44 yards), Phillips (4 for 42), and Andrews (5 for 29). Bzdel broke through the middle in the fourth quarter for a 36-yard score.

Kocot said that offensive coordinator Steve Dion "has done a great job of getting them some reps. You watch on film and see what they did against a varsity defense. Then the next week in practice, you can fine-tune."

McCann (0-6, 0-4 Tri-County) forced the first turnover of the game. Phillips returned the opening kickoff to the Hornets' 27-yard line. Two plays later, Bean found room down the right sideline but fumbled the ball at the 2. Joe Poulin recovered for McCann.

However, the Hornets' offensive frustration started on their first possession. Consecutive false-start penalties brought the ball back to the 1, and McCann had a three-and-out.

The Eagles limited the Hornets to 33 total yards and minus-9 yards on the ground.

Kocot, who runs the defense, said it was the fifth defense Easthampton has used through the first six games. "There aren't a lot of teams who can go back-and-forth, depending on the situation," he said.

Raimer completed just 2-of-10 passes for 42 yards. He was intercepted by Jeremy Lessard in the closing seconds of the first half.

"They were confused," said Kocot. "Raimer's a good quarterback. He was rolling out. It would look like there's nobody there, then it looks like everybody's there, everyone is covered."

The only down note for the Eagles was their three lost fumbles, largely due to the weather.

With four games remaining, including three in the league, the Eagles are in fourth place in the Tri-County. Even if they win their final four games, they would likely need some help to make the postseason. But their confidence remains high.

"I think we can be in the playoffs," said Kocot. "Other people can call me crazy, but I truly believe it, because our schedule is front-heavy. The back end is a little more manageable.

"It's going to be tight, but I tell the guys that they're a fourth-seed-caliber playoff team."