Gongoleski, Broncos thrash Ponaganset
BURRILLVILLE — It was the most devastating loss in the long, proud history of Burrillville football.
Needing just a yard to advance to the Division II Super Bowl two weeks ago, the Broncos came up a foot short on the final play against East Greenwich. And just like that, Burrillville’s dream of reaching the Super Bowl was over.
Burrillville’s season, however, wasn’t over. So, coach Gennaro Ferraro and his Broncos needed to pick themselves up and show up to practice two days later to get ready for a Thanksgiving Day showdown with an improved Ponaganset squad that reached the D-IV semifinals.
“It was a devastating loss being a foot away [from the Super Bowl],” Ferraro said. “What gave me strength was knowing I get to come back to work with these kids and these seniors. I was able to dust myself off. Any time you deal with a tough loss – whether it’s football or life – you find strength through your loved ones. I love these boys and they love me and their coaches. That’s how we got through it.”
“It was a tough loss to end the season against EG, but we’re a team that’s going to keep fighting,” Burrillville senior receiver Ryan Lockwood said.
“We went back to work, whether or not they wanted to or not, and we just came out here and gave it all we got. We wanted to be here today. We all knew it was going to be cold, but we wanted to give it to them one last time.”
The reality Thursday morning at a frigid Alumni Field was the Chieftains had no answers for a Burrillville senior class that led the program to success in three divisions over the last four seasons. Burrillville senior quarterback Jake Gelinas threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for two scores, while senior running back Matt Gongoleski ran in two touchdowns and caught a 33yard touchdown pass in the Broncos’ 42-6 pasting of Ponaganset.
The victory was Burrillville’s fifth straight in the western Rhode Island rivalry and the Broncos now hold a 19-14 edge in the series.
“Cold is a mentality and we just
had to get through it,” said Gelinas, who brilliantly piloted the Broncos for the last two seasons.
“This is definitely a nice victory for us,” Gongoleski said.
Burrillville (9-2) was happy to get a victory to end the season, but Ferraro was especially pleased for Gongoleski, who spent his senior season doing a little bit of everything while backing up sophomore running back Bobby Thatcher. Gongoleski didn’t get to play in last season’s Super Bowl victory over Juanita Sanchez because he was horse collared in a 21-0 victory over Ponaganset.
Thursday, the senior got his revenge against the Chieftains. Gongoleski rushed for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 34 yards.
“It definitely means a lot because I got hurt last year and I didn’t get to play,” Gongoleski said. “I think it just gave me extra motivation. It was hard to get back up after the loss [to EG], but realizing we had one more game gave us hope and motivation.”
Ponaganset (7-3) won its first six
contests, but starting with a blowout loss to North Smithfield/MSC last month, the Chieftains dropped three of their last four games and all three defeats were by at least three touchdowns. Senior running back Jeremy Stone produced the visitor’s only points when he ran for a 76-yard touchdown in the third quarter to cut Burrillville’s lead to 35-6.
Burrillville, which held quarterback Zach Silvaggio to minus-2 passing yards in the first half, scored the only points it would need with 2:16 left in the first quarter when Gelinas scored on a three-yard run. Shea Foisy followed with the first of his six extra points.
The Broncos added two more touchdowns to go into halftime with a 21-0 lead – the same score they defeated the Chieftains by last season. Gongoleski delivered a 20-yard touchdown run just 15 seconds into the quarter and Lockwood grabbed a 32-yard score down the left seam to finish the first-half scoring.
“I saw the kid fall that was covering me and I knew [Gelinas] would
find me because he always does,” Lockwood said. “He got it out there.”
Gelinas produced his second touchdown run on the first drive of the third quarter and then Gongoleski, after senior Marcus Audet caught a 63-yard pass down the left sideline, scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Stone responded with a 76-yard run up the middle for Ponaganset’s only points.
Gongoleski, the game’s MVP, put the finishing touches on a redemptive morning with a 33-yard touchdown reception from his classmate Gelinas to finish the scoring with 4:10 left in his scholastic football career.
“I think what he did today is very fitting after he got injured in the game last year,” Ferraro said. “He comes back today and competes. The resiliency of these kids is just demonstrated every time they come on the field.”
Even though the Bronco seniors came up short of reaching their four Super Bowl in their third different
division, they were proud of their effort on Thanksgiving morning and the way they responded to adversity.
“It was horrible coming up short on the 1-yard line, one play away from the Super Bowl,” said Gelinas, who ran a quarterback sneak on the final play against the Avengers. “It was great coming back here and knowing that we can end our last game with a win. If anything, I was happy to get back to practice and back on the field. We know coach loves us and it feels great to win again.”