Strong messages sent
Saints start strong, hold on for 14-6 win over previously undefeated Raiders
PAWTUCKET — Football coaches are notorious for having tunnel vision, but for the second time in two days a Blackstone Valley football coach talked about the potential playoff implications of a victory in late September.
One day after Cumberland coach Josh Lima spoke about the importance of a home win over East Providence, St. Raphael’s Mike Sassi beamed with pride after the improving Saints knocked off previously unbeaten Shea at Pariseau Field.
The Saints used a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs from quarterback Andre Gray to take a 14-point advantage and then held off a furious Raider comeback attempt to secure a 14-6 Division I victory Saturday afternoon.
“This is big for a lot of reasons,” Sassi said. “We had a terrible loss last week [to East Providence] on the last play in overtime and our backs were against the wall. We have a lot of respect for Shea; their speed is amazing… You know you have to win at least three division games to be a playoff team and that is our goal.
“We have a long way to go – and my only focus after this game is on Cranston East – but we’re trying to get that winning feeling back at St. Ray’s.”
St. Raphael (2-1, 1-1 Division I) went into Saturday’s contest intent on slowing down Raider All-State senior running back Jaylen Smith, who shredded Lincoln and Cranston East in his team’s first two wins of the season.
On Saturday, Smith carried the ball 15 times for 47 yards and caught five passes from senior quarterback Erickson Bans for 41 yards.
Sassi said the Saints ran their regular defense with one adjustment: senior Andrew Andella didn’t play a position, he just spied Smith the whole game. Even though Andella doesn’t have the speed of the reigning 100-meter state champion, the Saint kept Smith at bay for three quarters.
“We we’re running a coverage where I could just shadow Jaylen and I was basically man-to-man with him basically the whole game,” Andella said. “I mentally prepared myself to stay on him the whole week. I worked hard. I know I have speed – I don’t have his speed – and I worked hard. I’m a good football player and I put it in my head that I could stop him.”
Shea (2-1, 1-1 Division I) had dominated the rivalry with its city rival over the last few seasons, but the Raiders couldn’t get anything going on offense for nearly three quarters. Bans completed four passes for minus-6 yards in the first half and ended the game 10-for-18 for 106 yards and a touchdown.
The Raiders made the score 14-6 in the fourth quarter when Bans hit senior receiver Jaydason Goncalves for a 25-yard touchdown. The Raiders were driving again in the final two minutes of when the Saints forced a fumble at their own 21 to secure the win.
“St. Rays just outplayed us today,” Shea coach Dino Campopiano said. “You have to hand it to them because they just wanted the game more than we did. We didn’t play well. In my estimation, St. Rays wanted the game more than we did, and they proved it from beginning to end. They had a tough loss last week and played very well today and we didn’t.”
While Andella did a great job slowing down Smith, he actually played a big part in opening the scoring in the first quarter. After the Saints forced a punt and started a drive at the Shea 41, Andella punched a hole in the Shea defense for a 37-yard run. Devin O’Malley then carried the ball to the 1 where Gray scored on a quarterback sneak. Adam Gomes kicked the extra point for what turned out to be the game-winning score.
The Raiders earned a first down at the SRA 22 in the second quarter, but a holding call submarined the drive, sending the visitors into halftime down by a touchdown.
St. Raphael marched 70 yards on nine plays to double its lead to start the third quarter. O’Malley (37-yard run) and Andella (23-yard reception) made big plays before Gray scored his second 1-yard rushing touchdown.
“This feels very good because we haven’t beaten Shea since I’ve been at this school,” Andella said. “After losing to EP and knowing that our side of D-I is very strong, it was just big to get this win.”
Bans finally started finding holes in the Saints’ defense over the final 18 minutes. The first-year starter completed an 18-yard pass to Kenny Silva in the third quarter before completing passes of 14, 25, 10, 27 and eight yards in the fourth quarter.
Shea made it a one-possession game when Bans finished off a two-play drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Goncalves with 9:04 left in the contest.
After Shea stuffed O’Malley on a fourthand-2 at the Shea 30, the Raiders earned a first down at the SRA 30 following a 27yard reception by Smith. The game was over two plays later when the Raiders fumbled and the Saints recovered.
“It was very frustrating, but you have to go out and play the game and we didn’t today,” Campopiano said. “St. Rays did, good for them and not good for us. This is the type of league where you can’t win games if you don’t come out to play every week. We didn’t today.”