Champion Ponaganset gridders focus on one game

By PETER CONNELL

Sports Writer

Undefeated Ponaganset claimed first place in the Interscholastic League Division III football circuit with a solid two-way effort that produced a 14-6 victory over host Johnston last Friday night.

The Chieftains have two league contests left and host Burrillville on Thanksgiving morning. There was no mid-field celebration at the end of the clinching win as head coach Tom Marcello, his staff and his players narrowed their focus to one game, the next one, Saturday afternoon at Narragansett.

Mathematically the Panthers and Moses Brown could tie PHS for first if they each win their last two games and PHS loses twice. But the Chiefs own the tie-breaker having already defeated JHS and the Quakers.

At the other end of the local grid spectrum Smithfield (1-5 in III) allowed 39 points for the second straight week in a 29-point trouncing by Moses Brown at the Boyle complex.

Scituate's offense was AWOL after their big win at Central Falls a week earlier and they were trampled by Hope at Caito Field, 46-8. They dropped to 3-2 in D-IV and face must-win contests against Classical, Middletown and North Smithfield.

Ponaganset stuffed the Panthers twice deep in the red zone in the first quarter with some swarming gang-tackling that set the tone for the rest of the tight contest.

Midway through the second Josh Morgan picked off Dave Bubar's pass on the Johnston 32, but the drive netted just 12 yards. On fourth-and-9 at the 20, Morgan hit Adam Babcock in the back of the end zone for the touchdown 4:25 before half-time. Ethan Walsh kicked the PAT.

The Chieftains got the ball back later in the quarter after Zack Mason dropped Bubar for a loss and the ensuing punt. On the Chieftain's 43, Morgan flipped a pass to Babcock in the right flat. As he was about to be dropped, Morgan lateraled back to Nick Keeling zipping up the right sideline and the senior blew past a pair of defenders for a 50-yard touchdown.

The old hook-and-ladder play was in Marcello's moth ball bag ever since they used it to beat Tiverton two years ago. Walsh's kick made it 14-0 at the half.

The Panthers closed the gap on their third possession of the third quarter, moving from the Ponaganset 43 to the end zone in eight plays. Kody Fraser barged in from the five on a first-and-goal. The rush-for-two was fumbled just outside the goal line. Ahead 14-6 after three periods the Chieftains' "D" came up large, stopping one drive at their 45 and then bottling up the hosts twice deep in their own end.

Keeling got off a 35-yard punt that pinned Johnston at its 15 with the clock running down. They gained two first downs before the green machine swarmed into the backfield and dropped Bubar, Mike Porras and Tyler Haley for no gains.

Keeling came up short in his bid for a second straight 1,000-yard season. The Chieftains' strong defensive push was led by Mason, Joe Fogarty, Anthony Lemieux, Jake Fraatz, Mike Kitson, Phil Colasante and Brad Waterman. Mike Conti, Johnston's best offensive threat, left the game with a leg injury in the first half.

The Chieftains continue to be without defensive lineman John Greenhalgh, linebacker Alex Costa and quarterback Jacob Kravitz, all lost for the season.

Scituate was swamped by the Hope Blue Wave under a plague of turnovers and penalties and suffered their worst beating of the season. It was a 28-0 mismatch at half-time.

Quarterback Stephen Weghbey threw 57 yards to William Gbaye for one score and he ran seven and nine yards himself for six-pointers that gave Hope a 20-0 lead after one. William Martinez ran back a Spartan fumble 35 yards and Weghbey and Jamal Mangum each rushed for two-point conversions.

Hope tacked on three more touchdowns in the third period as Weghbey hit Mackenzie Gonzalez with a 35 yard pass and Troy Johnson for 13 yards and Weghbey capped the show with a 50-yard gallop.

The Spartans averted the shutout with 4:11 left in the third period. Jared Hanson connected with Joe Notorantonio for 17 yards at the Scituate 48 and, on the next play, Hanson lofted a spiral to Justin Staniorski streaking down the left side behind a pair of Wave defenders for the 52-yard scoring aerial, then converted for two.

The Spartans play Classical at Conley Stadium Friday at 7 p.m.

Smithfield's 39-10 loss to Moses Brown was the continuation of a long season for head coach Chris Branch, his staff and players. Branch summed things up saying "it was great effort by all the kids but we just couldn't physically move the ball and had a lot of three-and-outs."

Injuries hit the green hard, too, with three starters sidelined - Chris Robenhymer, Dan White and Tom Bennett. Branch was forced to deploy two or three inexperienced people into the trenches including a pair of sophomores.

The Sentinels scored all 10 points in the fourth quarter. The defense dropped the MB punter in the end zone for a safety, then sophomore quarterback Matt Luca combined with Matt Colucci on a 55 yard pass-run play and the two-point conversion.

Johnston comes to Smithfield Friday for a 7 p.m. game.