Heading into last Friday’s football game between Pilgrim and Classical, I had a strange feeling that the Pats would take care of business.
The Purple entered the matchup unbeaten and as the top-ranked team in Division III. Classical was the favorite, no doubt, but I just could not help but feel that Pilgrim was going to walk out the winner. I could not put my finger on it when everything pointed toward a Classical win. Record, points for, points against, general momentum, everything screamed Classical.
Except for one thing: The Morry.
Pilgrim’s home field continues to be the best advantage in the state and there’s no better place to catch a game. There is something about that environment that continues to give even the best teams fits.
It’s dark, holy cow it is dark. Especially at midfield, there are times where opposing teams can’t pass the ball because it gets lost in the night sky mid flight. The Pats also have the all-black uniforms, which also makes them tough to track even though the players are right in front of you. As a media member, taking photos is a nightmare, but it is always fun watching opposing teams try to manage the light conditions.
There are fans everywhere and the other team knows it. The only thing separating the fans from the sideline is the track and even better, Pilgrim provides seating at the perimeter of the end zone. Fans are right on top of you and watching the banter is (usually) hysterical. Pilgrim fans do a great job of heckling without being disrespectful. There was a Classical red zone trip where the fans were all over the Purple receivers and you could tell the visitors were on edge, Classical struggled to stay focused in the red zone all night.
After Pilgrim pulled off the upset, I asked a few players if they noticed the home field advantage that they seem to have. They agreed, but also pointed toward the field conditions, which as a spectator is hard to evaluate. One player told me that it was “like running on gravel.” No lights, fans chirping, tough footing. If you are not a Pilgrim player, that is a nightmare scenario.
Now, you can’t take anything away from Pilgrim’s performance. It scored in all three phases, came up with turnovers on defense, big plays on offense. Classical punched back in the second quarter to make it a game then rallied late and forced the Pats to come up with one last stand. It was a great game between two excellent teams and Pilgrim was the better one last Friday. But, yes, Morry is the toughest place to play in Rhode Island.
I spent the final three quarters on the Classical sideline as an experiment. I typically stay on the home sideline when covering games, but I wanted to take the temperature of Classical after it fell behind by two touchdowns early. My suspicions turned out to be valid. The Classical players struggled with that environment.
I heard players complaining about slipping, losing sight of the ball, saying the fans were encroaching on the sideline in the back of the end zone. Credit to Classical for bouncing back in the fourth quarter. It seemed like it was on the brink of unravelling in the third quarter but the kids showed poise. But again, even more credit to Pilgrim for protecting its turf and taking out the division’s best team.
Pilgrim is now a contender in Division III, and should it host a playoff game, the Pats may very well end up being the favorite come championship weekend.
In terms of big picture stuff, it was also the last homecoming game that the field will host as this is the final season the team will be using the historic facility. I don’t think that it is hyperbolic to say that it was one of the biggest wins in program history for the Pats. A big upset against a divisional foe in front of a packed audience in the final homecoming bash ever. Should Pilgrim go on to win the Super Bowl, this will be the game that we look back on and remember, at least as far as the regular season is concerned.
What a big win for Pilgrim, the fans and the Morry.