AUGUSTA – Matt Rende was running out of options.

As he went through his mental checklist of receivers, he couldn’t find a opportunity to his liking. Just when he wasn’t sure what he should do, he spotted receiver Andrew Pullen in the back of the end zone.

“My big 6-foot-5 receiver sticks his hands up and he was right there in the back of the end zone,” said the Cony quarterback. “That felt good. It opened right up. He was right there exactly where we wanted it.”

Rende connected with Pullen for a 10-yard pass with 1:40 left in the third quarter Friday night. It gave Cony a 13-6 lead that held up despite a late Edward Little charge. It broke a streak of 27 straight losses for the Rams.

“It’s great,” said Rende. “We been 0-27 for three years. To get a win at Homecoming, it’s awesome. We started the season out 0-4. We’re ready to win some more.”

It was a disappointing loss for EL (0-5), the Red Eddies were plagued by penalties early on and had turnovers limit their chances in the second half. Still, EL had cracks at a comeback late in the game but could execute a tying drive.

“It’s just the way it is right now,” said EL coach Darren Hartley. “This is the fourth game out of five where I felt that we outplayed our opponents a good portion of the game.”

Cony’s only lengthy possession in the second half led to the game-winning score. The Rams got their running game moving and marched the ball downfield in the 78-yard drive. Cony got down to the 16, but EL’s defense blanked them on two straight plays. After a short run, Cony faced a fourth-and-four from the 10.

“We decided to run a fade with it,” said Rende. “So I was looking to go to the tight end because he had been open. As soon as I got around, I didn’t see him. He was my first read. I looked at my fullback. He was right in front of me. He wasn’t open either. So I just kept looking. I almost ran it.”

As he rolled left, he finally spotted Pullen in the end zone for the score.

EL had chances to rally in the final quarter. After a Ram defensive stop, EL recovered a fumbled punt on the 37. Garret Wyman made the recovery, giving EL excellent field position, but that opportunity was lost on a four-and-out series that had a pair of no gains and an incomplete pass on fourth down. After Cony fumbled at its own 32 on its next possession, the Red Eddies had a pass intercepted. Cony was forced to punt with 1:51 left giving EL one final try. Merton Foss provided a lengthy kick return to get EL to the 35. The Red Eddies got as close to the 10 but a delay of game penalty pushed them back. Then an incomplete pass in the end zone on fourth-and-12 ended their hopes.

“Our two minute offense for us, we’ve got confidence,” said Hartley. “We feel we can score from anywhere in about a minute. At the end, when we needed to execute, when the game is as fast as it can get, we just couldn’t answer them.”

Kyle Bussiere led EL’s cause with 102 yards on 26 carries and he had the lone touchdown.

EL’s offense sputtered early. Its’ run game couldn’t generate much yardage while 65 yards in penalties in the first half didn’t help the cause.

Though two interceptions by Derek Bisson ended two Cony possessions, the Rams were able to strike first with 3:35 left in the first quarter. Rende connected with Ray Cotnoir for a 40-yard scoring play and 6-0 lead.