Last year, the Bishop Hendricken football team scored at least three touchdowns in seven of its eight Division I games. The only time it didn’t hit the mark, it lost 7-0 to Barrington.

Friday night, the Hawks missed the mark for the first time this season, but it didn’t matter. Behind a dominant defensive effort, the top-ranked Hawks shut out No. 3 Portsmouth 14-0 at Hayden Stadium.

“I think that was our best defensive effort to date,” said Hendricken head coach Keith Croft. “Do I think we could be better? Maybe a little bit. We’ve got a few injuries here and there. The one thing I like tonight was that our kids were physical. We knew Portsmouth was going to be physical. We asked our kids to step up and they did.”

Hendricken improved to 2-0 in Division I and 3-0 overall. Portsmouth dropped to 1-1 in D-I and 2-1 overall. The Patriots were coming off victories over D-II contender Rogers and last year’s Super Bowl runner-up, Cranston East. They totaled 68 points in those victories.

Against the Hawks, they couldn’t get anything. Portsmouth finished with just 52 yards of offense and minus-six yards on the ground, thanks to five Hendricken sacks and eight tackles for loss. They never got further than the Hendricken 34-yard line.

Hendricken’s offense had its own struggles with penalties and a Portsmouth defense that was flexing its own muscle, but first-half touchdowns from John Toppa and Power Kanga were all the Hawks needed.

“It’s a Hendricken-Portsmouth game – two teams playing physical, not a lot of offense,” Croft said. “If this was a game later in the year, I think both our offenses would be a little more in sync. I thought we moved the ball well in the first half. Portsmouth made some nice adjustments at halftime. Their linebackers were more aggressive in the second half, shooting some gaps and putting pressure on with the blitz. It is what it is.”

After a 34-14 win over East Providence last week, the Hawks looked poised for more of the same when they took the ball first and found the end zone just over four minutes into the game. Toppa capped a 54-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown run.

When the Hawks got the ball back after a punt, a 68-yard touchdown run by Toppa was erased by a holding penalty.

On the next play, another hold wiped out a 16-yard run by Toppa.

For the game, the Hawks were penalized seven times for 80 yards.

“We’ve got to clean some things up,” Croft said. “At this point in the year, it’s week two, every team wants to improve. We’ve got plenty of work to do.”

Hendricken’s drive continued after the penalties, but not for long, as Evan Criner intercepted Toppa on a slant pass that tipped off the hands of receiver Andrew Hopgood.

The Hawks also came up empty on their next drive, after two Portsmouth sacks pushed them back.

But with six minutes to go, they began a long march that would essentially put the game out of reach. Gary Gibbs had a 20-yard run to spark the drive. A facemask penalty on a third down kept it alive, and Kanga capped it with a 7-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds left in the half. The extra point from Ryan Blais made it 14-0.

From there, Hendricken’s lead never grew but its defense continued to make the cushion feel a lot bigger. Shane Olson ended the first half with a sack. On its opening drive of the second half, Portsmouth drove to the Hendricken 34, but two running plays went nowhere before a Joe DeGiulio sack put the Patriots into a fourth-and-15 at the 40-yard line. They punted.

“We came out with a bang and kept going,” DeGiulio said. “We wanted it today, until the clock hit zero.”

Criner intercepted Toppa in the end zone to stop Hendricken’s next drive, and the Patriots converted a fourth-and-14 with a 37-yard pass from Colin Tullson to Curtis Cory. But after a short gain on the ensuing first down, Portsmouth snapped the ball before Tullson was ready. By the time he chased it down and fell on the ball, the Patriots had lost 24 yards. DeGiulio and Brandon Mensah combined on a sack on the next play, forcing another Portsmouth punt.

Despite getting four more possessions, the Patriots wouldn’t run another play in Hendricken territory. Adam Lavallee and James Sauro had fourth-quarter sacks, while Kwity Paye applied consistent pressure from the edge.

“We’ve got some young guys, we’re starting some sophomores,” Croft said. “You can tell, they’re getting a little more confidence every game. I think they’re adjusting to the speed of the game against D-I opponents. It takes time, but we definitely saw improvement from them tonight.”

Gary Gibbs led the Hawks’ offense with 78 yards rushing on 16 carries, while Toppa had 54 yards on 14 carries. Toppa, a senior who didn’t play football last year, has quickly emerged as a weapon for the Hawks, with five rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in three games.

“Toppa has been great for us,” Croft said. “He’s exceeded my expectations so far. Coach Pantaleo has done a great job with him. Obviously, his biggest strength is running the ball, but I think as the year goes on, his passing will be a strength too. He’s got the ability. I think it’s just a timing thing.”

The Hawks will keep working as they gear up for another stiff test this Friday, when they host Barrington. The Eagles are 1-1 in Division I, with the loss coming by a single point to La Salle. They beat South Kingstown 32-14 last week.

“Another battle,” Croft said.