The post-game huddle was so quiet that the message came through loud and clear. But on that damp October night, I’m not sure the Bishop Hendricken football team really wanted to hear it.

The Hawks had just lost a heart-breaker to La Salle. It was a game they could have – and maybe should have – won. The mood after the final whistle was somber, like a playoff loss more than an early-season defeat.

Head coach Keith Croft told the Hawks that they could better, that they would get better. They had more room to grow than a team like La Salle. They could catch up. Their record was 1-2, but they had time to change it.

Those words didn’t lighten the mood, but the Hawks must have taken them to heart. A month-and-a-half later, they’ve proved Croft right, more right than even he could have hoped for.

Since that loss on Oct. 9, the Hawks have won five consecutive league games, including a win over previously unbeaten Barrington. They clinched a playoff spot Monday night with a dominant performance against East Providence.

It’s enough to make that October loss to La Salle seem like a long time ago. The Hawks have been a different team since.

In the early part of the season, inconsistency was by far the biggest issue. Croft called the Hawks a team of spurts. On a few plays, they’d look like title contenders. On others, they’d look like a team that would struggle to make the playoffs.

These days, spurts have been replaced by steady efforts. The Hawks handed Barrington its only loss and took care of business against Rogers and North Kingstown. They almost had a major hiccup last week against St. Raphael, when their performance wasn’t quite so solid, but they survived.

At that point, the Hawks couldn’t yet feel too good about themselves. Because of a season-opening loss to Portsmouth, the Hawks’ playoff fortunes rested entirely on the outcome of two games Monday night. If Portsmouth won against Rogers and Hendricken lost to East Providence, Portsmouth would get the last playoff spot.

As it turned out, Portsmouth lost to Rogers, but Hendricken didn’t need the help. The Hawks came up with perhaps their best performance of the season. If the sluggish St. Raphael game showed signs of the old inconsistency, Monday’s victory erased them. The Hawks controlled the ball and shined on defense against EP’s option attack. The old spurts were replaced by one long spurt.

Now the Hawks head to the playoffs as a squad that no one wants to play. They’re the hottest team in the league and they’ve beaten two of the other playoff teams in Barrington and East Providence.

There’s a decent chance they’ll meet the one they haven’t beaten – La Salle – in the first round. If that happens, things will come full circle. The Hawks will have a chance to be the team they wanted to be on that October night.

Texas Bound

The CCRI women’s soccer team flew out Wednesday morning for the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I

National Championship in Tyler, Texas. It’s the first trip to nationals for the Lady Knights since 2003.

CCRI punched its ticket this year thanks to a 2-0 victory over rival Monroe Community College in the district championship. The Lady Knights had lost to Monroe in the regular season.

With a roster full of Rhode Islanders, CCRI has lost just one game and allowed just four goals all season.

When the championships get underway Thursday, the Lady Knights will be the No. 3 seed. They’ll take on Paradise Valley Community College of Arizona in the first round, with game time set for 3 p.m. EST. Second-round games will be played Friday with the championship set for Sunday.

Catching Up

Writing about Warwick PAL’s regional-bound Pee-Wee team last week got me thinking about some PAL alums who still strap on the pads. Bob Bentsen, Matt Brown and Doug Johnson, who were on the same PAL team before heading to Vets, Hendricken and Toll Gate, are all playing college football.

Bentsen is in the midst of a redshirt year at URI, where’s dressing for games, charting plays and running the scout team offense. Brown is at Division II American International College in Springfield, Mass., where he’s caught 27 passes for 418 yards in his freshman season. Johnson is playing for Dean College in the junior-college ranks. Lining up as a defensive back, Johnson finished 10th on the team in tackles. Dean won the Northeast Conference championship for the third straight year and is heading to the Valley of the Sun Bowl in Arizona.

Former Toll Gate basketball star Bryan Rouse is now in his senior season at Division III Emerson College, about to finish off an outstanding career. As a freshman, Rouse scored 56 points in one game, setting the all-time school record. After joining the 1,000-point club last year, Rouse was tabbed a preseason first-team all-conference pick this season. He scored 20 points and grabbed five rebounds in Emerson’s season opener.

Warwick native and Hendricken graduate David Rufful just started his second season with the Dartmouth basketball team. Through two games this season, Rufful leads the Big Green in scoring at 11 points per game. He also leads the team in three-point percentage.

On the local front, winter sports season isn’t far off. Girls’ hockey teams were eligible to begin practice Nov. 9, with the boys starting Friday. Wrestling teams can start practicing Monday, with all other sports scheduled to get going Nov. 30.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and so is the Beacon’s award-winning Turkey Bowl special section. This year’s edition features all the usual fixings, plus some new menu items. Look for it in Tuesday’s Beacon.

William Geoghegan is a sports reporter for the Warwick Beacon. He can be reached via email at williamg@warwickonline.com.