Hawks, Titans and ‘Canes set to open division play

Matt Metcalf
Posted 9/17/15

The Bishop Hendricken, Toll Gate and Warwick Vets football teams will all look to get in the win column this weekend as the trio kicks off divisional play.

- The Hawks will begin their quest for …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Hawks, Titans and ‘Canes set to open division play

Posted

The Bishop Hendricken, Toll Gate and Warwick Vets football teams will all look to get in the win column this weekend as the trio kicks off divisional play.

- The Hawks will begin their quest for a sixth consecutive state championship on Friday night, when they travel to take on East Providence (2-6 in 2014) at 7 p.m. at Pierce Memorial Stadium. A key to this game will be Hendricken’s defense, led by Shane Olson and Kwity Paye. The Townies scored a division-worst 75 points last season. The Hawks’ stout defense will look to provide some momentum for the offense, which will be led by junior quarterback Chris Hindle, who will be making his first start against a Division I opponent. Hindle should have a good showing for the Hawks, though, as the accurate thrower played well against rival La Salle in the Injury Fund game two weeks ago. The Hawks went on to win that abbreviated game, 7-0. I believe that Hendricken’s defense will just be too strong for East Providence’s offense, while Hindle should be able to move the ball down the field with the help of receiving options such as Trevor Lawton, Caleb Wurster and Billy Mueller. Score prediction: 35-6 Hendricken.

- Toll Gate is riding some momentum heading into its league opener after a 12-8 win over PCD/Wheeler/Juanita Sanchez in non-league action on Saturday. The Titans will now welcome in Narragansett (3-5 in 2014) to begin their Division III slate this Saturday at 10 a.m. The game presents Toll Gate with a golden opportunity to get 2015 started on a good note after compiling just one league win in 2014. If it’s going to do that, it will need some more consistent play out of its offense, while its defense will need to play as it did over the weekend. I believe that Toll Gate will be able to use its running back duo of Alex Mowry and Sean Devlin to control the game and move the ball on offense, as they’ve proved to be solid Division III backs. The Titans have also received stellar play out of their special teams early on, with Austin Giard returning a kickoff for a touchdown against PCD/Wheeler/Juanita Sanchez. They can look to special teams as a potential difference maker going forward. Narragansett played a non-league game this past weekend, defeating Division IV Tiverton, 22-19. I believe that the Titans will take care of business on their home turf to start the season. Score prediction: 18-12 Toll Gate.

- The ‘Canes may face an uphill battle on Friday night at 7 p.m. against Rogers (5-2 in 2014) at Toppa Field in Newport. Vets is coming off of a 6-2 loss to Chariho last Friday in a non-league contest. The ‘Canes were able to take some positives and some negatives out of the game. For instance, their defense was spot on, yielding just six points while Nick Beaufort and Richard Bateman were both able to intercept passes in the secondary. Unfortunately, Vets’ offense didn’t encounter as much success. The only points that Vets got came on a safety when Chariho snapped the ball over its punter’s head and through the back of the end zone. The offense will have to be much sharper against an extremely strong Rogers team, which played well against Division I Portsmouth last week, falling just 27-21. Overall, I think this may simply be a tough matchup for the ‘Canes, who are still trying to build some camaraderie with a young team early on. Score prediction: 28-6 Rogers.

- Pilgrim is idle this week, but will be back in action against Lincoln next Friday at home at 7 p.m. The Pats are coming off of a tough, 28-24 loss to Smithfield last Friday. However, Pilgrim showed glimpses of good things to come this season, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. In his first varsity start at quarterback, David McMullen displayed a great deal of promise. The junior threw for a touchdown and a pair of 2-point conversions, while also rushing for another 2-point conversion. If he can continue to be sound under center, the Pats will have no problem putting up points with Owen Kelly and Sean Cooney in the backfield. Additionally, Darren Grant and Ty Weldon-Martin will serve as quality targets for McMullen.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here