The Bishop Hendricken football team was a very different club the last time it faced La Salle. The Hawks were struggling with consistency, fighting to find an identity and owned a 1-1 record in Division I. The Rams took advantage for a come-from-behind win that left Hendricken searching for answers after a particularly crushing 29-22 defeat.

But a lot has changed since then: the Hawks have found their way.

Since falling to La Salle on Oct. 9, Hendricken has done nothing but win – and win big. The Hawks have gone a perfect 6-0 in the last month-and-a-half, outscoring their opponents 170-27 in the process, and finished the regular season as the hottest team in the state.

Tonight they get a shot at redemption when they travel to take on La Salle in the semifinals of the Division I playoffs at 6 p.m.

“We don’t really talk about losing that first game,” Hendricken coach Keith Croft said. “We always try to take things one game at a time, but we know that we left that field disappointed last time. We remember that. You have to give La Salle the credit, they’re the defending champions for a reason, but we know we could have accomplished more against them and we didn’t.”

La Salle enters the postseason as the No. 2 team in the state behind top-ranked Barrington. Both teams finished with matching 7-1 records but the Eagles, who lost to the Hawks in late October, held the tiebreaker over the Rams. Hendricken finished 6-2 to earn the No. 3 seed and East Providence claimed the final spot by virtue of its 5-3 mark.

The Rams knocked off East Providence, 48-34, on Thanksgiving to clinch the No. 2 seed and set up tonight’s rematch against Hendricken. The rematch may only be theoretical though, as both sides have undergone some significant changes since their first meeting.

For La Salle the biggest change comes under center, where Corey Fossa has replaced Luke Francis as starting quarterback. Francis started against Hendricken and the Hawks’ secondary limited him to 122 yards on six completions. Fossa, a stronger pocket passer, torched East Providence for three touchdowns on Thanksgiving. He racked up 120 passing yards on those three plays alone.

“That is a big change for them,” Croft said. “Now Francis is playing wide receiver and that has changed their offense. They’ve morphed into more of a drop-back passing team instead of scrambling. They have three or four receivers that are very good and it gives them a different look. It is going to pose some challenges for us.”

The last times the teams met, it was a battle of running backs, with La Salle’s David Hansen and Hendricken’s Mike Flanagan each scoring three rushing touchdowns. Flanagan finished with 167 yards on 17 carries in that game and is still the focal point of the Hawks’ offense, leading a multi-tiered running attack that has proved very successful throughout Hendricken’s recent winning streak.

“That kid Flanagan is a big-play back,” La Salle coach Geoff Marcone said in October. “If he hits a crease and no one’s there, it’s curtains. He killed us a couple of times.”

Flanagan scored twice in the Hawks’ Thanksgiving Day win over Toll Gate and, when the Titans clamped down on him, it opened the door for Hendricken’s other backs to shine. Ethan Ferreira scored on a 9-yard run, Mike Maloof ran in a 33-yard touchdown and Zach Conte contributed on the ground as well.

The Hawks will rely on their ground game to help control the clock and take some pressure off their defense, which will be charged with holding back the top offense in the state. La Salle scored a division-best 250 points in the regular season, an average of more than 31 per game, and the Rams were only held to fewer than 22 points on one occasion.

“Their offense is formidable,” Croft said. “And that’s going to put a lot of pressure on our defense. We don’t have an illusion of stopping their offense entirely, they have too many weapons, but we have to be able to slow them down and not give up the big plays. That is going to be the key for us.”

If there is any defense up to that challenge, it is Hendricken’s. The Hawks have been nothing short of dominant over the last month. Hendricken surrendered 70 totals points through its first three league games but only allowed 21 over its final five, a string that included three consecutive shutouts. The team will need to continue that trend against La Salle’s high-powered attack.

The Rams’ defense ranks sixth overall in the Division I with 156 points allowed. Only Cranston West, St. Raphael and North Kingstown gave up more. La Salle’s offense has helped make up for the difference but another strong performance from Hendricken’s defense tonight could be enough to turn the tide for the Hawks.

“There have been a lot of things that helped turn our season around, but our defense has really carried us,” Croft said. “And now we are going to play the defending state champions on their field in the playoffs. We’ve been pulling out tough wins for two months now and we have to find a way to do it again. We have to keep that momentum going.”

Consistency, which haunted the Hawks early in the season, has become one of the team’s strengths. Hendricken, which ranks second overall in defense and third in offense, presents one of the most balanced fronts in the state. The Hawks will need to rely on that balance tonight if they hope to qualify for their first Super Bowl since losing to St. Raphael in 2007.

“La Salle beat us before, but everyone is 0-0 once the playoffs start,” Croft said. “Now it’s a game of match-ups and there are no favorites anymore. Whoever plays the best is going to win. They have a bounce in their step, but so do we.”