Up for grabs
Two Valley teams square off with a spot in the Division III Super Bowl on the line as Burrillville hosts Lincoln today.
BURRILLVILLE – It was unusual for Gennaro Ferraro to pick up his phone at 1:04 p.m. on a weekday, but that’s just what he did Wednesday.
A science teacher/head football coach at Burrillville High, he should have been in school, but the caller didn’t know he had been saddled with a cold for the past several days.
He admitted to being sick last week, but felt so poorly on Sunday morning – less than 24 hours after a respectable but not overly impressive 27-6 Division III quarterfinal triumph over North Smithfield/Mount St. Charles Co-op – his wife Olivia brought him to an area urgent care facility.
There, doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia and placed him on antibiotics.
“I’m on the upswing, I think,” Ferraro stated. “I’m not 100 percent, but I’ll be at practice (Wednesday afternoon). Nothing could keep me away.”
While Ferraro is recovering, he’s going to try to help his squad do the same before battling Lincoln in a Division III semifinal at 10:30 a.m., Saturday at Alumni Field. The Broncos – the No. 1 seed from III-B (9-1 overall) – failed to score in the red zone on their first two possessions of the game against NS/MSC, and on a third in enemy territory in the opening quarter alone.
The Lions, meanwhile, buried Toll Gate, 3418, in their quarterfinal clash, and in the process extended their win streak to five. That’s one of many reasons why they own the No. 2 ranking in III-A.
“They’ve improved across the board; their offensive line is better, their defensive front is better, the quarterback and running backs run with speed and authority,” Ferraro stated. “Coach (Sean) Cavanaugh and his staff have done a great job working with their team since the last time we played them.”
That happened to be a 36-14 rout on the same Alumni turf back on Sept. 16, but Ferraro promised the same type result will not occur Saturday, and it all starts with his respect for junior signal caller Randall Hien.