Football Game Preview: Ponaganset Chieftains vs. Cranston East Thunderbolts

The Ponaganset Chieftains will challenge the Cranston East Thunderbolts at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Ponaganset will be strutting in after a win while Cranston East will be coming in after a defeat.

On Thursday, Ponaganset humbled Pilgrim with a 47-7 victory. Considering the Chieftains have won four matchups by more than 19 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Aiden Harrison

Rushing Yards

10/30/25 @ Pilgrim	103
10/25/25 vs Classical	163
10/17/25 @ Rogers	121

Ponaganset found their leader in sophomore Aiden Harrison, who rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown on only ten carries. Harrison's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 103 rushing yards.

Ponaganset was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 328 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 185 rushing yards in six consecutive contests.

Ponaganset didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Hunter Lynch. Another thorn in Pilgrim's side was Daniel Cellucci, who picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made five total tackles (2.0 for loss).

Meanwhile, Cranston East didn't have quite enough to beat East Greenwich on Saturday and fell 23-20. The Thunderbolts have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Ponaganset pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 10.0 points on average over those games. As for Cranston East, their loss dropped their record down to 3-5.

Ponaganset strolled past Cranston East in their previous meeting back in September by a score of 21-6. Do the Chieftains have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Thunderbolts turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.