By Jim
Stout
MaxPreps.com
Their defensive line was
undersized, their quarterback young and inexperienced. Then the early-season
hopes of the East Providence High football team were dashed at the beginning
of September, when it dropped a decision against rival Bishop Hendricken
during Week 2.
Seven Rhode Island Division I
titles in 30 years is a fabulous accomplishment, one that is sometimes
difficult to live up to. The way East Providence coach Sandy Gorham figured it
at one point, he wasn't sure many of his current players could have started
for his last championship team in 2003.
"But collectively,'' Gorham told
the Providence Journal, "they played so well together. That's
what this team did.''
That's what this East Providence
team did on its way to winning another state title last
Saturday.
Leaving its eight-point loss to
Bishop Hendricken in early September far in the past, East Providence erupted
for 21 points in the second half and captured the 2006 Citizens Bank Division
I title game with a 35-13 victory over the Hawks at Pierce
Field.
East Providence (11-1) completed
the season with nine-consecutive victories and its third state title in five
years.
Thomas Speaks scored on a 52-yard
touchdown run early in the second half for East Providence, turning a narrow
14-13 lead at intermission into a 21-13 advantage.
Hendricken (9-3) started another
drive after Speaks had increased the East Providence lead to eight points, but
this time the Townies' defense took a stand deep in its own territory.
Hendricken had moved the ball inside the East Providence 15, but the Townies
forced the Hawks to give up the ball on downs when the EP defense allowed only
six yards on four running plays.
East Providence scored its fourth
touchdown early in the fourth quarter, when Jared Awokande raced nine yards on
an end-around. Two key third-down runs by sophomore Corey Blair had moved the
ball into scoring position.
"This is too sweet," said Nate
Lovett, the East Providence junior quarterback, who developed markedly
throughout the season in directing his team's option offense. "To come back in
the Super Bowl against the only team that beat you this year and prove to them
that we could take it is so sweet."
The East Providence defensive unit
added to the victory only 14 seconds after Awokande's touchdown. East
Providence's Brian Bland started the play when he ripped the ball out of the
hands of a Hendricken ball carrier; the Townies' Michael Payne picked up the
fumble and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.
"Defense has been helping the
offense all year,'' said Lovett. "They have done a great job.''
Division II: Byron's
Big Day Carries Shea
Matt Bryson rushed for 195 yards
on five carries, scored three touchdowns and caught three passes for 92 yards
in helping Shea High win its first Rhode Island Division II Super Bowl in a
46-8 rout of Chariho at Bryant University.
Shea (12-1) last won a state title
in 2001, when it played in Division III.
Shea quarterback Jermaine Cabagno threw
for 141 yards and two touchdowns and did not throw an interception.
"Without a doubt, Matt is such an
integral part of this team,'' Shea coach Dino Campopiano told the
Pawtucket Times.
"He could run for over 150 yards
every game if we could give him the ball more often. We have so many good
backs, though, you can't.
"(Bryson) played a tremendous
game; he's one of the best backs in the state and he proved it here,"
Campopiano added. "At the same time, we're not a one-man show. All these guys
played terrific.''
Shea also received outstanding
efforts from running backs Curtis McBride, Tyler Kingsbury, Andre Rogers and
Akeem Williams. The Raiders out-gained Chariho, 419-116.
Chariho finishes at
10-2.
Division III:
East Greenwich Endures
Marathon Stretch
East Greenwich defeated Moses
Brown in the Division III final, 25-6, at Conley Stadium in Providence for the
Avengers' first Super Bowl title since 1999. East Greenwich (9-3) handed Moses
Brown (11-1) its first loss of the season.
The game was the fourth in 20 days
for East Greenwich and helped exact revenge for a 27-17 regular-season loss to
Moses Brown.
"When (the East Greenwich players)
came out tonight, I didn't know if they had enough gas in their tank,'' said
East Greenwich coach Bob Corr. "But they came out in overdrive. The kids just
played their hearts out."
East Greenwich built a 16-0 lead
over the first nine minutes of the game: Zach Gumkowski scored on a 7-yard
run; Moses Brown fumbled away the ensuing kickoff; game MVP Sean Donlon scored
on a 10-yard run; and Ben Drumm recorded a safety.
Moses Brown averaged 34 points per
game during the season, but was held to 262 yards of total offense in the
final.
"We went back to the basics," Corr
told the Providence Journal. "The first time around we tried
to suit our defense to their type of offense. And you know what? This week we
kind of went back to the basics.
"We did what we thought we do
best,'' he added. "It all comes down to playing hard and that's what my kids
did. We've been playing some physical teams and my team is physical. They knew
what they had to do and they did it."
Division IV: Humes,
Middletown Edge Classical
Senior quarterback and playoff MVP Brad
Humes scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and added the
two-point conversion to lead Middletown to a come-from-behind, 8-7 win over
Classical in the Division IV Super Bowl at Conley Stadium.
"This is not my MVP award," Humes
told the Newport Daily News.
"It's the team's MVP award. We had a
great game. It's the best game we've played all season and we deserved the
championship. This is the best group of kids that Middletown's had in a while
and I knew that we could do it, that it was just a matter of time. And this is
the time. Everybody in the town is proud of us. It just feels so
great."
Middletown (8-4) had won just one
game while playing in Division III three seasons ago.
Senior fullback Stanley Carmichael
scored from four yards out 3:08 left in the half to give Classical (9-3) a 7-0
lead.
A fumble by Classic deep in its own
territory led to the go-ahead touchdown by Humes with 1:39 left in the third
quarter.
"(Humes) deserves any accolades he
gets," Middletown coach Andrew Leys said of Humes, who completed 6 of 8 passes
for 89 yards.
"For him to be MVP of a Super
Bowl, that's amazing. He's come so far as a quarterback. He started his
sophomore year. Then he didn't start last year. He was just determined to
become a better quarterback and he's worked so hard with his technique and his
play calling and his leadership. He's really matured and the guys follow him.
They follow his lead."
Middletown had lost to Classical,
20-6, during the regular season.
Jim Stout is the
MaxPreps.com master photographer for the Massachusetts/Rhode
Island region and a Northeast region
columnist. He may be reached at j.stout@jmstout.org
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