Déjà vu for Novans, Broncos
Woonsocket wins thriller to return to Super Bowl
EAST GREENWICH — ‘Bend, but don’t break’ is as ubiquitous a defensive adage as you’ll find in the sport of football. The Woonsocket Villa Novan defense found a way during Saturday’s Division II semifinal to bring that philosophy to newfound heights.
The Novans had a shutout going until East Greenwich punched in a rushing touchdown with 12 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. An extra point would’ve tied the game, but the Avengers went for a 2-point conversion and the win. Jack McMullen was ruled just short of the end zone on a screen pass, and the Novans outlasted EG, 7-6, to earn their second consecutive D-II Super Bowl berth.
“Our defense has been the clutch [unit] all season,” quarterback/defensive end Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan said. “Our offense – we’re pretty much like the [New England] Patriots. Our offense doesn’t really do much but defense puts in the work. We stop every team.”
Robinson O’Hagan scored the only touchdown of the day for his team, a 42-yard keeper in the third quarter.
The sophomore was also in on the game-winning tackle of McMullen in the fourth.
“Everybody was calling out screen,” Robinson-O’Hagan said of the decisive play. “Could be a screen to [McMullen]. [Terrell Durden] said, ‘Watch the screen, Tarik, watch the screen.’ I saw [McMullen] step back, [so I] went full speed and cracked him.”
McMullen ended up right on the goalline, and there was no immediate signal from any of the officials. After a lengthy huddle, the head official ruled the try no good and the Villa Novan celebration got underway.
The fireworks that ended the game followed what had been a chilly defensive battle. Neither team found any traction in the windy first half. Both teams turned it over on downs twice in the first half, while EG gave away a fumble and an interception.
“That was the main key, why we lost the first game,” Robinson-O’Hagan said of a 41-19 regular season defeat to EG. “We didn’t have the right defense, didn’t come prepared. We were prepared today and our defense balled out.”
Xavier Alvarez had Woonsocket’s first-half interception, which ended an Avenger drive right before the break. Davonte Lavallee also had a pick for his team. With EG in the red zone trailing 7-0, Lavallee made an outstanding play to tip a pass to himself and then come down with the ball despite pressure from the receiver.
That drive came on the heels of the only Novan touchdown. Robinson-O’Hagan may just be a sophomore, but he’s the size of Jerome Bettis when compared to your average high school boy. The quarterback runs countless tackles final win.
“[I] mostly [model my game] after Marshawn Lynch,” he said. “In his prime, not now. Mostly him because he’s a hard runner, he runs aggressive. A lot of my runs if you tough and during the broke semi
Photo by Jerry Silberman watch them, all that.”
Robinson-O’Hagan had the Avenger sideline screaming for their defensive players to tackle the bulky quarterback by his legs. It didn’t seem to matter what the EG defense did, Robinson-O’Hagan
there’s
stiff arms and just kept running.
His touchdown run came from 42 yards out, and started with contact at the line. The sophomore kept his legs churning and eventually found himself free up the right sideline.
The next offensive possession for the Novans didn’t end in points, but it was just as important to the victory. Robinson-O’Hagan marched his team down the field, and thanks to key runs by Logan Coles and Hayden Depault, the Novans were able to bleed most of the fourth-quarter clock down.
The Avengers eventually forced another turnover on downs, setting up the three-minute drive that ended in the failed 2-point conversion. Matt Plympton had a big catch that got EG down to the four-yard line before quarterback Conrad Swanson snuck the ball in on second down.
Woonsocket beat EG for last year’s D-II Super Bowl. That playoff run was where Robinson-O’Hagan got his first taste of varsity football.
“I was on the freshman team and a couple players failed off [varsity], so I had to step up in the Westerly game,” he said. “Last year was amazing, because I had a chance to play with guys I dreamed of playing with like Emmanuel [Gomes], and my brother Dwayne.”
Mt. Pleasant won the other D-II semifinal, over Burrillville in triple overtime. The Novans and Kilties did not play in the regular season. They’ll do battle for a Super Bowl next Sunday at Cranston Stadium.