Campopiano, Raiders prepare to face Alves, Cranston West
Good friends meet for spot in Division I semifinals
PAWTUCKET – Shea High veteran chief Dino Campopiano had just finished up a helmets-and-shells practice late Wednesday afternoon when he was asked if facing Cranston West in a R.I. Division I quarterfinal tilt tomorrow night at 7 at Cranston Stadium seemed a bit close to home.
The reason: His Raiders will be battling a Falcons’ squad in which old pal Steve Alves Jr. acts as an assistant and his son, junior Cameron Alves, is the starting quarterback.
It gets better, as Alves’ freshman daughter Madison is the CW kicker, and Campopiano took over as head coach at Shea after his buddy had led the varsity program to three straight Super Bowl victories in the early 1990s.
“We’re good friends, Steve and I; we talk quite a bit,” Campopiano grinned as his troops trudged up the hill to school after the lengthy session. “His son Cam is a very good athlete. This isn’t weird, though. It’s just football.”
Campopiano’s crew will enter as the No. 5 seed from D-I-A (4-4 overall, 3-4 league), while the Falcons are ranked second in I-B (5-4, 5-3).
“I think we’ll be ready to play,” Campopiano stated. We’re going to have to put together four good quarters of football to beat them. That’s how good they are.”
He indicated CW runs a spread offense with the younger Alves as the field general, though sophomore Brennan Stetson is the key in the backfield, and both have an abundance of fleet-footed, sure-handed receivers to throw to.
“Their quarterback is their main guy; the coaches like to put the ball in his hands, and for good reason; he’s a solid athlete,” Campopiano said. “They like to run the ball, but they can throw it, too. The kid can also scramble, and that can cause problems.
“West has had a very good year,” he added. “The O-line does a great job of blocking for both the run and the pass; it’s big and physical. Defen- sively, they run an even (4-4) front, but they’ll throw some odd ones in, too, to keep you guessing. All of their guys complement each other extremely well, so it’s going to be a tough game.”
He stated for Shea, in its first season and opening playoff game in the state’s top division, to be successful, it must keep mistakes to a minimum; those include turnovers and penalties.
He will also need to rely on senior signal caller Eric Palmer and junior backfield mate Jaylen Smith to rebound from a disgruntling 42-21 loss at North Kingstown last week.
Campopiano also mentioned the weather forecast – which is supposed to include rain and wind – could play a role in the result.
“Cranston (Stadium) has a turf field, but of course it concerns you a little,” he said. “Still, what can you do? Both teams have to play in it. I believe our kids will be ready to play against a really good team.”