As we near the midway point of the fall sports season, my biggest takeaway from our coverage area has been the strength of our boys soccer programs.

Since taking over as sports editor in 2018, I have to say that this is the best field we’ve ever had. Let’s break things down a bit.

In Division I, Bishop Hendricken looks ready to go on another deep run and defend its title. Despite a setback against East Providence last week, the Hawks still remain the favorite in my eyes. Jack Mefford, Charlie Urso and Tristan Boyns among others have picked up where they left off last year and the Hawks edged La Salle over the weekend in a championship rematch.

Close behind them, though, is Cranston West, who entered the week with a 4-1-2 record and in fifth place. The division is up for grabs, with any of the top six or seven teams capable of making a run. 

Jack Payne has been impressive in net for the Falcons, allowing just eight goals in seven games. The West offense has been so-so as it has looked to newcomers to produce, but the defense and goalkeeping has been top-notch. Don’t count the Falcons out.

Then we head over to Warwick, where both Pilgrim and Toll Gate have emerged as contenders in their respective divisions.

Pilgrim topped St. Ray’s on Monday to improve to 7-1 and maintain second place in Division II. Pilgrim is loaded with seniors, and guys like Jackson Bromage, Jacoby Foster, Jonathan Lopes and Patrick Rowe have stood out. Pilgrim felt like a dark horse heading into the fall but now appears to be a bona fide force. Like DI, the top of the division is packed, but Pilgrim is right in this thing.

The Titans are 6-1 and 5-0 in Division III, good for first place. Toll Gate got off to a rough start last year with a young squad but caught fire down the stretch to reach the playoffs and emerge as one of the more dangerous teams in DIII. That momentum has carried over and guys like Gabe Politelli, Adam Vespia and Ryan Enos have shined. Toll Gate is the early favorite to win it all, if you ask me.

We have two more clubs in Division III as well that are looking strong.

Johnston reached the title game last year and return a handful of key guys like Steven Vera Vaca and Freddy Magana. The Panthers are 4-2-1 as of this writing and have picked up some nice wins. Their schedule in the second half is a buzzsaw, but they got a taste of what they’ll be up against in their championship run last fall. Johnston is absolutely a team that can make another deep run.

Lastly is Cranston East, who is just one spot behind Johnston and battling for playoff positioning.

The Bolts have been led by a large junior core including Michael Ogunmola and Sasha Osingua, while a handful of sophomores are starting to heat up. I would not pick the Bolts to win it all, but what you can’t discount is their upside. 

Typically, players hit their stride in high school during their junior year, so point being, the Bolts have a chance to get hot here late. It will be an uphill battle when the playoffs begin, but I could see East being a tough out and picking up a win or two come playoff time.

We cover six teams here at Beacon Media and all six appear to be in line for the playoffs, at least. Hendricken, Pilgrim and Toll Gate feel like true favorites, while West, Johnston and East remain dangerous players. These next few weeks will be interesting while the playoffs are going to be a blast. We’ll be seeing a few of these teams at RIC, no doubt. 

Here’s your weekly New England Patriots thoughts.

What a frustrating loss on Sunday. One of the more disappointing games in the post-Brady era.

The Pats lost 21-14 to the visiting Steelers in a game in which they largely dominated. Unfortunately, the Pats committed five turnovers, their most in a single game since 2008. It doesn’t matter how well you play otherwise, you aren’t going to win games giving the ball away five times and Sunday proved it.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson has been taking a ton of heat since Sunday. He led the NFL in fumbles last year and coughed it up twice in the loss, one of which was in the end zone. I try not to overreact and call for players’ jobs when they fall short, but I don’t know how you keep him around after that debacle. He’s owed guaranteed money on his contract through next year, so I don’t anticipate them parting ways, but you can’t put him back out there anytime soon.

Then, of course, is Drake Maye, who tossed an interception in the end zone and fumbled the ball in the fourth quarter to give the Steelers one last chance to win it, which they did. Maye is a young player, but at some point he needs to mature and take care of the football. The pass was tipped and the ball was stripped from behind, but his pass was poorly thrown and the fumbled occurred when he needlessly tried to extend the play in a muddled pocket. It was first down with plenty of time on the clock, take the sack and move to second down.

Ultimately, Mike Vrabel deserves the most blame. 

What Sunday taught me is that I overestimated Vrabel’s ability to coach bad football out of this team. The roster contains nearly 50 percent new players with a new coaching staff. I expected the Pats to take some early lumps but felt confident that Vrabel would at least keep them from beating themselves, which clearly he has not achieved. 

I wouldn’t say I’m panicked because expectations were low coming into the season, but I am discouraged. This team is further away from contention than I thought, and Vrabel should be called out. His team is undisciplined, inconsistent and sloppy. It’s on the players, too, but it’s Vrabel’s program. It’s time to start seeing some improvement.