Playoff spot is on the line
Tolman set to play Mt. Pleasant tonight
“Between Mount Pleasant coming forward and offering and Moses Brown saying they would step aside, it’s true sportsmanship.”
— Tolman coach Jason DeLawrence
PAWTUCKET – You hear stories all the time about sportsmanship. What you’re about to read ranks right up there as one of the best examples of fair play.
The addition of Friday’s winor-go home Division II-A football contest between Tolman and Mount Pleasant doesn’t happen unless Mount Pleasant comes forward and declares that backdooring its way into the playoffs is unacceptable.
The 6 p.m. kickoff at Conley
Stadium isn’t part of the “Friday Night Lights” dance card unless Moses Brown makes the toughto-swallow decision to take itself out of the running because of COVID-19 issues within its program.
If neither step is taken, Tolman’s season ends with a whimper. That’s not the case, hence why Tigers head coach Jason DeLawrence kept repeating the same word over and over prior to Thursday’s practice – sportsmanship.
“Between Mount Pleasant coming forward and offering and Moses Brown saying they
would step aside, it’s true sportsmanship,” said DeLawrence. “Rhode Island athletics should be proud of those two programs.”
The end of a saga that encompassed two full days and parts of a third ended with an unprecedented resolution during what continues to be an unprecedented time in our nation’s history.
So many variables needed to be pieced together before Tolman and Mount Pleasant could confirm a second regular season meeting that doubles as an elimination game. Fortunately for the Tigers, plenty of folks within the R.I. football community were cognizant of their predicament and were willing to rectify the situation. The Kilties could have taken the ball and run with it, but they didn’t. The Quakers could have raised a stink in the name of keeping their own faint playoff hopes alive, but they didn’t.
The wheels were set in motion when DeLawrence called Mount Pleasant head coach Peter Quaweay to congratulate the Kilties on making the playoffs. Mount Pleasant was awarded the No. 2 seed from II-A based off playing more league games than Tolman and Moses Brown. The Kilties are 2-1 while the Tigers and Quakers are each 1-1.
Mount Pleasant was originally scheduled to play St. Raphael on Friday night. That game was scrapped after SRA fell in the “close-contact” category after playing Moses Brown this past Sunday. Moses Brown and Tolman hoped the R.I. Interscholastic League would sign off on the idea of playing next Tuesday night, but the league deemed that the final day of the regular season would be this coming Sunday. Therefore, any games taking place after Sunday would not affect the playoff picture.
“I called Peter to tell him I was happy he made it. He said, ‘No JD. This is not how I want to make it. You guys deserve a shot. It’s unfair to your kids,’” said DeLawrence.
After DeLawrence huddled up with Tolman athletic director Frank Laliberte, the Tigers along with the Kilties went to the Interscholastic League with the idea of the two schools scheduling a game that determines a playoff spot. It was a nice idea, but what about Moses Brown? The Quakers might be in COVID timeout, but they would still be stuck on one loss – same as whoever won the Tolman-Mount Pleasant game that was being floated about.
By early Wednesday night, it appeared there was no shot that Mount Pleasant and Tolman would meet. Then came the resurrection in the form of a phone call that same night at 9:08 p.m. Moses Brown athletic director A.J. Kizekai informed Laliberte that the Quakers would concede any hope of making the playoffs.
Just like that, Tolman vs. Mount Pleasant had legs.
On Thursday morning, Mount Pleasant Athletic Director Paul Rao talked things over with the RIIL. It was deemed a positive conversation with Interscholastic League Executive Director Mike Lunney calling the three additional Division II playoff teams (St. Raphael, Barrington, Westerly) to see if they would have a problem with what the Tigers and Kilties had simmering on the stove.
By midday Thursday, it was officially game on.
“The spirit of the gesture shown by the schools is what’s allowing this to happen,” said Lunney. “Very good sportsmanship in a really difficult situation.”
The Tigers defeated the Kilties, 26-14, on March 26. DeLawrence is expecting a much different outcome on Friday night. Health-wise, Tolman is welcoming back senior running back Jamarus Godette. He had been sidelined with a concussion. Senior quarterback Jordan Cooper has been ruled out as he’s still dealing with COVID symptoms.
Bottom line, the Tigers can’t wait to take the field at Conley Stadium on Friday night. They’re also appreciative of the paths that were cleared by others in order to make this matchup with the Kilties possible.
“Coach Quaweay is a good guy. For him and Mount Pleasant wanting to play us and for Moses Brown to opt out of the season, it means a lot to me and the team,” said Leandro DePina, Tolman senior receiver/safety. “We’ve been working hard since February, starting out in the cold, so it means a lot.”
Sportsmanship, indeed.