That’s one
The Cumberland High football team picked up its first win of the season Friday, besting East Providence, 30-21 the finAl.
CUMBERLAND — After defeats to two teams highly ranked in their respective states, there was no panic for the Cumberland football team. The Clippers, who dropped decisions to Killingly, Conn. and Bishop Hendricken, entered Friday night’s home game against East Providence with a focus on the basics.
“Last year we lost a lot of close games due to turning the ball over, so going into this game we worked on not turning it over and eliminating mental errors,” Cumberland coach Josh Lima said. “A couple of their touchdowns were mental errors on our part. We eliminated that in the second half and our offense and specials [special teams] did a great job.”
Those mental mistakes had the Clippers in a seven-point hole early in the third quarter, but after receiver Ryan Larson made a highlight-reel catch in the left corner of the end zone to reel in a 22-yard pass from quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos, the opportunistic Clippers took over.
After creating one turnover in the first half that led directly to seven points, the Clippers forced two turnovers in the final 13 minutes to secure the win. First, Shane Meerbott picked off Justin Pena on the final play of the third quarter that led to the game-winning touchdown, and then another turnover setup Ben Fogell for a 23-yard field goal to seal a 30-21 Division I victory at Tucker Field.
“We needed a win. This will really boost us,” Meerbott said after catching two passes for 55 yards and a first-half touchdown. “We came in 0-2 – and that’s tough – but this win is going to keep us grinding every week. We got that check mark this week and we’ll go on to the next week.”
Cumberland (1-2, 1-1 Division I) received another solid performance from Aviles-Santos, who was 11-for-17 for 180 yards and four touchdown passes. Running back Isaiah Cole caught four passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns and he also ran 58 yards.
“This means a lot because we were 0-2 coming into this one and nobody picked us to win this game,” Aviles-Santos said. “We proved ourselves against a 2-0 team, but we still have a lot to work on and we need to get back to the drawing board next week at Shea. All week coaches stressed to be clean with the ball and not taking unnecessary chances.”
East Providence (2-1, 1-1 Division I) marched up and down the field for the better part of three quarters, but a muffed punt in the first half and those two crucial second-half turnovers sent the Townies back to the East Bay with a frustrating defeat. Pena threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Juan Diaz rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown.
The Townies took their final lead of the game four minutes into the second half when Pena finished off a 79-yard drive with a 36-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to Jahad Davis Pinto. The talented freshman caught four passes for 71 yards.
For the third time in less than three quarters, Cumberland had a response. The Clippers used a 16yard catch by Meerbott to move the ball into EP territory when Aviles-Santos lofted a pass into the left corner of the end zone. Larson made a great diving catch for a 22yard touchdown to tie the game at 21.
“All of those guys mean a lot to me because they’re great wide receivers, I’m just trying to get the ball out as quick as I can,” Aviles-Santos said. “[Larson] has the trust in me to make the throw and I have the trust in him to catch it. Unbelievable catch and I hope he continues to have a great year.”
EP had a chance to retake the lead late in the third quarter when Manny Santiago caught an 11-yard pass to bring the ball close to midfield. On the final play of the quarter, Meerbott, who moved from linebacker to safety because of injuries, picked off Pena to set the Clippers up in plus territory.
Facing a fourth-and-3, Aviles-Santos created a little extra time in the pocket before dumping the ball off to Cole, who bulldozed his way into the end zone for a 17yard touchdown to give the Clippers their first lead of the night. Fogell missed the extra point, but he would deliver a big kick to ice the game.
The Townies committed another blunder when Diaz fumbled the ball on the next possession. Cumberland moved the ball down to the 6-yard line where Fogell kicked his first field goal to increase the lead to nine with just over three minutes left.
“To get a win is just huge for the kids’ morale,” Lima said. “To get a league win is huge because it could be like last year where there are four or five teams that are tied trying to get into the playoffs. When you can beat any team in this league, that will help you down the road.”
Kaleb Almeida caught a 32-yard touchdown pass to give EP its first lead of the game, but Meerbott answered with a 36-yard touchdown reception. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the second quarter with Diaz running in for eight yards before Cole snagged an eight-yard pass from Aviles-Santos with seconds left in the first half.
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