Sports lore has been restored
Tigers, Saints will meet for D-II, Pawtucket honors
A double-take was required. This kid can’t be in kindergarten?
Oh, but he was.
The story begins with Tolman football head coach Jason DeLawrence picking up his son Josaun from Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School, located in Providence. DeLawrence noticed Josaun was engaged in conversation with someone who gave off the impression that he was a few grades ahead.
“I asked him if he was talking to a fourth grader,” said DeLawrence. “No daddy, that’s Moses. He’s in my kindergarten class.
“I was like, ‘Holy cow, this kid was big,’” DeLawrence added. “He’s also a great kid and a great player.”
Anointed with that “great player” tag is St. Raphael sophomore Moses Meus, someone DeLawrence and his Tigers will definitely need to pay close attention to come Saturday morning at Max Read Field (10:30 kickoff) for the renewal of a Pawtucket-centric rivalry against the Saints, a fellow Division II-A member.
Offensively, Meus lines up at tight end but can also come charging out of the backfield. Whenever the Saints dial up a blitz, you can bet Meus will be on the move from his linebacker spot. At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, you can’t miss him.
“He’s the best sophomore in the state as far as I’m concerned,” said SRA head coach Mike Sassi. “He’s a next-level kid and a ‘yes-sir’ kid in practice. He works hard. He’s already a good leader as a sophomore.”
In so many words, DeLawrence has told Meus that he owns a bright future that’s on a crash course with Tolman junior offensive lineman Devin Ward, someone who’s been on the radar of BCS programs since last spring.
“He’s going to be playing on Saturdays [in college] like my big guy [Ward] … either on the same team or against each other,” said DeLawrence. “I’ve known Moses since he was five. Back then, he looked like he was 12.”
Indirectly, the R.I. Interscholastic League restored a timeless piece of Pawtucket sports lore upon placing St. Raphael and Tolman in the same subdivision. For 73 contests spanning nine decades, the Tigers and Saints were Thanksgiving Day rivals. The holiday history was disbanded after 2001 but was rekindled three times between the 2010 and 2011 campaigns – twice in the regular season and once in the playoffs.
In 2021, they’re back at the
Friday
6 p.m. – Burrillville (0-0, Division I-A) at Shea (0-1, Division I-A)
Technically, the Broncos made their D-I debut last week when they traveled to face defending state champion Bishop Hendricken in non-league action. This week, Burrillville plays a game that counts against a Shea outfit that looks to find the end zone after getting shutout in its opener against Cumberland.
6 p.m. – Lincoln (0-1, Division II-A) at Mount Pleasant (0-1, Division II-A)
The Lions paid a steep price last Friday against Moses Brown with three of their four turnovers resulting in touchdowns for the Quakers. Mount Pleasant is looking to rebound after losing to Tolman.
6:30 p.m. – PCD/Juanita Sanchez Co-op (1-0, Division III) at North Smithfield/Mount St. Charles Co-op (1-0, Division III)
For the Northmen/Mounties, their first game as a D-III participant saw them barely break a sweat (36-0 blowout of Tiverton). PCD/ Juanita Sanchez is also coming off a shutout win.
Saturday
1 p.m. – Cumberland (1-0, Division I-A) at East Providence (0-1, Division I-A)
The Clippers’ defense dominated in a 15-0 season-opening win over Shea. Now, Cumberland gets a crack against a Townie squad that’s coming off a 42-0 loss to La Salle.
6 p.m. – Davies Tech (0-0, Division IV) at Hope (0-1, Division IV)
Could this be the week the Patriots break through and achieve the first win in the program’s two-year existence? Davies hung tough in a 6-0 non-league loss to PCD/Juanita Sanchez. Hope already has one league game in the books – a 51-0 loss to Narragansett.