Burrillville takes care of business
Karraz, Rutter keep Lincoln in hunt to host playoff game
The Burrillville High football team (5-0, 6-1) pinned a 35-0 defeat on Hope Saturday in a Division III-B matchup, setting the stage for a first-place showdown with Central Falls next week.
LINCOLN – Sean Cavanaugh is a master at the understatement, especially when it comes to his Lincoln High football squad.
Minutes after pounding the North Smithfield/Mount St. Charles Co-op, 49-14, in a key Division III-A showdown at Ferguson Field on Friday night, however, the varsity chief deviated a bit from his usual post-game comments, exhibiting slight pleasure at the lopsided triumph.
“North/Mount is a tough, tough team, and (veteran head coach) Wes Pennington does a great job with it; they’re constantly fighting and scrapping, playing up to the challenge, but (on this night), it was about us,” Cavanaugh stated. “We challenged ourselves to compete and execute to the best of our ability, and we were fortunate enough to win that challenge.
“We had a balanced attack, and all the things we’re working on, we’re seeing progress,” he added. “We’re playing tough, fast and smart. I think we’re moving forward.”
“We had a balanced attack, and all the things we’re working on, we’re seeing progress. “We’re playing tough, fast and smart. I think we’re moving forward.” – Sean Cavanaugh
Junior tri-captain Julien Karraz manufactured a career night for the Lions, collecting a whopping 175 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries, while senior and fellow tricaptain Justin Rutter managed 36 yards and an offensive score on six carries, but also notched another on a blocked punt recovery.
Junior signal caller Randall Hien didn’t complete any of his four aerials, but – then again – he didn’t have to, not the way Karraz, Rutter and sophomore Isaiah Oliveira (four touches, 22 yards) tore up the Northmen’s defense.
For the record, Hien gained 22 more on seven keepers, and one went for a paydirt as the Lions improved to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in III-A.
NS/MSC fell to 2-4 overall and 23 in league action.
“Our whole division is balanced with talent, and this team knows we’re going to have to battle to win every Friday night, and we just executed well here, but we didn’t win this game (Friday),” Cavanaugh noted. “We won it during with the week with our preparation. We earned the right to win, it’s that simple.
“We received a team effort from all 11 guys on both sides of the ball, and also special teams. They finished plays.”
For the Northmen/Mounties, simply, they didn’t, but that goes back to the LHS defense, with highlights coming from Oliveira; Rutter; senior tri-captain Mike Mongelli; sophomore Aidan Murtha; and senior Blimpy Nasif.
Its foe’s leading ground rusher was junior fullback Dan Henley, who posted 44 yards on 14 carries. Classmate tailback Xavier Croteau didn’t have as much success, losing five on eight carries. And sophomore Jack Puccetti was constantly under siege, completing only eight of 25 passes for 192 yards and two TDs. He nevertheless threw two picks, both to senior John Mason Jr. (appropriate, as it happened to be Senior Night).
Lincoln made quick work of its opponent on its initial drive, rolling 58 yards on four snaps ending on Karraz’ 24-yard jaunt off left tackle, which he bounced outside. Frosh Erick Solorzano converted his first of seven PATs with just 1:17 elapsed for the 70 lead.
Cavanaugh’s defense held NS/MSC to a quick “three-and-out” at its own 15, and Salvatore blocked freshman punter Pasquale Camastro’s boot, LHS eventually recovering at the 1. Two snaps – and 2:12 after the opening score – Rutter plowed a yard for another.
On the ensuing kickoff, it nevertheless appeared the visitors would make it a game, when Croteau returned it 14 yards and officials whistled Lincoln for a personal four penalty, which would bring the pigskin to the Lions’ 47.
North/Mount later moved it to the 27 before the possession stalled, courtesy of Oliveira’s critical tackle of junior Jason Meriwether on a left-side screen pass.
On its next drive, the Northmen – pinned back at their own nine – attempted another punt, but Rutter not only blocked it but recovered in the end zone to construct a 21-0 advantage, that with 1:15 remaining in the opening stanza.
Consecutive positive rushes by Henley set up Puccetti’s issuance of back-to-back aerials to Pisano (26 yards) and Meriwether (34) to the Lincoln 4, but the hosts’defense stiffened. On a fourth-and-goal situation from the 5, Salvatore sacked Puccetti for a six-yard loss for the turnover on downs.
Following a fake punt and an eightyard sack by – who else? – Salvatore, the Lions gained control at the NS/MSC 33 and needed only four plays for Karraz to deliver a sevenyard TD off right guard.
That came with 4:18 left, lifting Lincoln to the 28-0 cushion.
The Northmen nevertheless made it interesting on its next drive, maneuvering 82 yards on nine snaps culminating on Puccetti’s 55-yard “pitchand-catch” over the middle with a scant three ticks left before intermission.
Camastro closed it with his PAT, then did again when his teammates closed the gap to 28-14, that after Pisano’s 59-yard snag from Puccetti with a mere 1:32 elapsed in the third.
What Pennington didn’t count on was an immediate response, but he witnessed it when Karraz sprinted 35 yards around left end for the TD exactly 64 seconds after the previous, and a Mason interception and subsequent 17-yard return set up another touchdown from the NS/MSC 39.
Eleven plays later, and with 39 ticks left in the third, Hien ducked for a one-yard TD sneak for the 42-14 lead.
Because of the previous two punt blocks, the Northmen coaching staff opted to try to convert fourth downs the rest of the way, and – the last time it did – Oliveira broke up a fourthand-10 toss to Meriwether at its own 27.
After an eight-yard flat pass to Mason, Karraz notched his fourth with a 19-yard hustle.
“We just made too many mistakes – blocked punts, muffs, fumbles, missed tackles,” Pennington sighed. “I didn’t expect it, not after what happened last (Saturday, when his team captured a thrilling 18-17 overtime victory over Smithfield with a do-ordie two-point conversion rush from Henley).
“I just think we’re a young team – I’ve had teams like this in the past, where they either win big or lose big,” he continued. “With this group, though, they’ve only lose two big games, and I love the fact they’ve got a lot of fight in them. They may not win, but they’ll battle for sure.
“Our mission hasn’t changed. Our goal is still the playoffs. We had a feeling before the season that Juanita Sanchez/PCD/Wheeler (Co-op) and Lincoln would earn the top two seeds, but it would be a fight for the other two.
“We’re right there.”