Winthrop House earned its first football victory of the fall yesterday, defeating Cabot/ North, 12-8, at Soldiers Field in the third week of house football action.

Down, 8-0, at the half, Winthrop scored twice in the final period to overtake Cabot/ North.

The Quadlings, who remain winless at 0-3, tallied in the second quarter on a 45-yd. touchdown pass thrown by Captain-quarterback Paul Hayward to J.J. Gass on a flag pattern.

But Winthrop, in its first offensive of the fourth quarter, closed the gap to two points when running back Seung Chai scored on a sweep to the right side, concluding a 60-yd. drive.

Cabot/ North, though, stifled Winthrop's two-point conversion attempt. "They tried to bulldoze it up the middle," Hayward said, "but our linebackers pushed them backwards."

After two unsuccesful runs and a pass, the Quadlings punted away. Winthrop quarterback Neil Brady--operating in a two-minute offense--marched his team down the field without a huddle. With approximately one minute remaining, Brady completed a TD pass to tight end Scott Griswold, providing Winthrop the four-point margin of victory.

Off Guard

"They caught us off guard," Cabot/ North wide receiver and safety John Black said of Winthrop's two-minute offense. "Our cornerback wasn't able to get out there [in defensive formation] in time."

Despite Cabot/ North's third loss, Black has seen the team make progress. "Our defense was looking better," he said. "We have guys in key positions that know the game."

THE NOTEBOOK: Leverett finished first in the regular season of the AFL division with a 3-0 mark, followed by Kirkland (2-1), Winthrop (1-2), and Cabot/ North (0-3). In the NFL division, Quincy stands alone at 2-0; Adams/Mather and Currier are 1-1, and Eliot/Lowell brings up the rear at 0-2... Of the nine games played thus far, six have been shutouts...Leverett has scored 61 points in its three games, while its defense has recorded shutouts in all three outings...On Tuesday, Eliot/Lowell plays Adams/Mather and Quincy takes on Currier.