Raiders eliminated by Cranston West
Contributing writer
CRANSTON — The No. 4 Shea football team was eliminated by top-seeded Cranston West, 34-14, Saturday night at Cranston Stadium in the Division I quarterfinals.
The Falcons’ offense was led by junior quarterback Cam Alves, who threw a touchdown pass and ran in another and sophomore running back Brennan Stetson, who rushed for three scores.
West started its opening drive from its own 35 after a return from Evan Degaitas.
On second down, Stetson rushed out to midfield and gained a first down. Next, Alves took a keeper 28 yards to the 22, once again, moving the chains. Then, on a second-and-10, Alves tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Degaitas and put the Falcons up 6-0. Freshman kicker Madison Alves had her extra point attempt blocked following the score.
The Falcons’ defense held off the Raiders on a fourthand-2, and gave their offense the ball back at the West 43.
Alves and Stetson took turns running the ball during the drive and Stetson capped it off with a 6-yard touchdown rush and upped the Falcons edge to 12-0 with 4:17 remaining in the first quarter. Next, Stetson rushed up the gut for the two-point conversion and extended the Falcons lead to 14-0.
Then, Shea junior running back DeJuan Hayes returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield.
And, on the first play, senior quarterback Eric Palmer connected on a pass to the sideline with senior running back Greg Williams and he took it to the Falcons 5. Next, on second-and-goal, junior running back Malik Jackson ran four yards up the gut and into pay dirt and pulled the Raiders within 14-6 with 3:17 left in the first quarter. Then, Ednilson Tavares added the extra point and got Shea to 14-7.
West drove 58 yards down the field following that with Alves carrying the ball five times and ending it with a oneyard touchdown run, which extended the Falcons edge to 20-7 as the buzzer sounded ending the first quarter.
“Cranston West, definitely in the first half – first quarter – controlled us up front and moved the ball real well,” Shea coach Dino Campopiano said. “I think offensively we settled down and had our opportunities to score, but we didn’t. I just think tonight Cranston West was definitely the better team and they deserve to win.”
The teams battled back and forth for two scoreless quarters after that before both offenses picked up momentum in the fourth.
The Falcons got the ball near midfield after West junior defensive lineman Robert Giarrusso put pressure on Palmer, forcing him to scramble, and when he did, he fumbled. The fumble was recovered by Cranston West linebacker Noah Robert with 9:17 left to play. That drive concluded with a 27-yard touchdown scamper by Stetson that saw the Falcons go up 27-7.
Shea would answer when on a second-and-7, from its own 44, Palmer tossed a screen pass to junior running back Jaylen Smith and he took it 56 yards, down the right sideline and into pay dirt while pulling the Raiders within 27-14.
West added to its cushion with 1:46 remaining in the contest when the Falcons took advantage of an abundance of Shea penalties which gave the Falcons the ball deep in Raider territory. And, on a firstand-goal from the 4, Stetson rushed into pay dirt and extended the Falcons lead to 3414.
The loss ends the Raiders playoff run while West moves on to play Central at home on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals.
All and all, it was a good season for Shea, who was in Division I for the first time this season.
“Our first year in D-I, I think we’ve done some good things, but I think we could have done better,” Campopiano said. “That’s good and all, but you’ve got to come out on the field and produce. That’s nice and I’m happy for the kids, but you have to come here and play football. And, you’re playing against a good team and there were dropped passes and missed tackles, and tonight we didn’t.”
PAWTUCKET — It’s not a stretch to say that the Tolman High football team is driving head coach Jason DeLawrence and his staff crazy with their seemingly weekly penchant for nerve-wracking finishes.
Friday night turned out to be yet another in a season full of memorable contests.
The Tigers survived several scary moments over the final 24 minutes, took advantage of a game-changing turnover and – in the end – eked out a frenetic 26-19 victory over Division III rival North Providence in both teams’ league finale at Max Read Field.
Thewin nailed down (6-2 overall, 6-1 league) a share of the regular-season title. Central Falls, however, will be the No. 1 seed after dominating Chariho, 36-10, Sunday night.
The Cougars (3-4 league) held Tolman cold after senior quarterback Justin Klemanchuck had maneuvered his squad 47 yards to the NP 15 before surrendering the ball on downs; a score would have catapulted the Tigers to at least a 26-13 cushion and, perhaps, an easy victory.
Head coach Glenn Williams’ kids, though, had other ideas. Senior signal caller Zach Estrela directed a wild, seven-play, 85-yard possession, culminating on sophomore Omar Vidal’s 16-yard touchdown reception in the left-middle of the end zone as the third-quarter horn sounded.
Strong-footed classmate Tyler Muccio’s simple PAT boot could have tied it at 20-20, but it flew just wide of the left post.
It gets better: The NP defense held Tolman to a three-and-out, and the Cougars again drove into enemy territory before the game turned back on a dime.
Midway through the fourth, DeLawrence’s pass rush finally got to Estrela, and senior Calvin Contreras forced him to cough up the pigskin behind the line of scrimmage. Classmate/ linebacker Tim Hennigan plucked it out of the air and returned the fumble for an apparent 52-yard score.
Officials, however, ruled him tackled at the NP 2, and Klemanchuck bootlegged the remaining distance around right end to increase the advantage to 26-19 with 7:32 left in regulation.
Call those the tilt’s two most critical plays.
“Do we have a flair for the dramatic? Unfortunately, we do,” DeLawrence happily sighed after the verdict. “These kids give me more gray hair every day, but when it’s time to make a make a big