After dropping consecutive games, the Pilgrim football team responded in a big way by rolling past East Greenwich 31-6 on the road last week to reestablish itself in the upper echelon of Division III.
It was the team’s highest point total of the season and the first time it reached the 30-point mark. Quarterback Carter Clifton was electric in the win, tossing touchdown passes to Dylan Rodrigues and Hunter Schobel while rushing for another. Jacob Soulliere continued to pace the Pilgrim rushing attack and found the end zone as well. Pilgrim soared past 300 total yards in the decisive win.
“Our defense is a big reason why we’ve stayed in some of these games, so getting the offense going was a big help. We played complete football,” said Clifton, who feels the offense is beginning to turn a corner as it is introducing new pieces to the attack. “It was everyone’s first time playing offense together (earlier this season), so we’ve bonded and now we know who we can trust. It was great, I was passing the ball to everyone, spreading the ball out. They couldn’t stop it when we weren’t relying on just one guy.”
“To have those explosive plays on offense, we hadn’t had that all year. To be able to actually execute was huge for us,” added Schobel, who also hauled in an interception on defense against EG. “The first couple of weeks we’ve been hammering it down teams throats running, but Carter’s passing numbers have been increasing every game so if we can get everyone involved that will be big heading into the playoffs.”
Although a spot in the postseason is all but secured, the Pats will be fighting for seeding these final three weeks. Pilgrim hasn’t hosted a playoff game since 2021 and the seniors are looking to put an end to that streak.
“Every game from here on out matters so much more. These seniors want to host a playoff game. It’s been a drought for us, but the culture is shifting in the right direction,” said head coach Blake Simpson.
Next up for the Pats is a home game this Friday against first-place Classical. The team will then be taking on Johnston and closing out the regular season against unbeaten Ponaganset.
Pilgrim is looking forward to the chance to open more eyes this week when it hosts the high-flying Purple, who will enter the meeting as the favorite.
“This is our biggest test so far and this is the hungriest we have been all year. The energy and intensity has been big for us all week,” Schobel said. “Every game is a playoff game and we need to have that mindset. Every game matters and we need to scratch and fight for every win. We want to set ourselves up for the best seed possible.”
Having a tough start to the schedule, taking on teams like Woonsocket and Burrillville, has also helped the team prepare for these upcoming matchups, according to Schobel.
“Fighting through adversity and these gritty games, it helps you know that you can rely on the guys next to you and that you don’t have to do it all yourself,” Schobel said.