Allard, Alexander lead N.S./MSC co-op team to another D-III win

North Smithfield/Mount Saint Charles senior Ethan Alexander, #12, intercepts a pass in front of teammate Kyle Kempskie, left, and Juanita Sanchez/PCD wide receivers Orlando Torres, #2, and Enrique Mitogo-Edjang, #15, during the second quarter of his team’s 42-8 victory last Friday night at North Smithfield High. Alexander did it all to help his team record its second Division III victory in as many games, as he also caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and returned a fumble 31 yards for another TD in the third quarter. (Breeze photos by Kayla Panu)

NORTH SMITHFIELD – Building on its 36-0 victory from the previous weekend over Tiverton High, the North Smithfield/Mount Saint Charles co-op football team picked up another lopsided Division III win on its home turf last Friday night, this time defeating the Juanita Sanchez/Providence Country Day co-op squad, 42-8.

North Smithfield senior tailback Jordan Allard was a key part of the offense again, as he ran for 102 yards in only three quarters of action and picked up half of that yardage on three touchdown runs. MSC senior safety/wide receiver Ethan Alexander also had a big night with an interception, a touchdown catch, and a fumble recovery that he ran back for another score.

“These guys are a good football team,” said head coach Wes Pennington, whose team has won 13 straight games dating back to 2019’s Division IV championship season. “We just started clicking, things started going our way, and we were able to put some points on the board.”

And N.S./Mount wasted little time putting points on board. After Juanita Sanchez/PCD (1-1) went three-and-out on the game’s opening drive, it botched a punt that gave its hosts the ball at the visitors’ 30-yard line. Two plays later, Allard breezed toward the sideline and sprinted into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown run.

Pasquale Camastro then kicked the first of his six extra points, and with 8:30 still left in the first quarter, N.S./Mount was off and running.

N.S./Mount’s defense, meanwhile, not only kept Juanita Sanchez/PCD off the board until the fourth quarter, but also forced four turnovers that eventually led to touchdowns. One was a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Mike Paiva early in the second quarter, which helped set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Allard and make the score 14-0.

Minutes later, Alexander’s interception at the visitors’ 38 set the stage for his touchdown catch, as sophomore quarterback Cole Vowels delivered his best pass of the night into Alexander’s open arms for a 38-yard score.

When Juanita Sanchez/PCD got the ball back, it had finally gained a first down, but the visitors fumbled the ball again, and N.S./Mount senior Nathan Tessier came away with the recovery. That led to an 18-yard touchdown run by Allard – giving his six TDs this spring – and a 28-0 command.

Before the half came to an end, N.S./Mount struck again, this time on a 25-yard touchdown run by Paiva. And in the third quarter, Alexander was in the right place at the right time to pick up a fumble by Juanita Sanchez/PCD at its 31 and rush down the field for his team’s final touchdown.

“It’s always huge when the defense can score points,” Pennington said. “We’ll take it.”

With most of N.S./Mount’s starters on the sidelines, getting the rest of the night off, Juanita Sanchez/PCD scored its touchdown in the game’s final minutes when junior backup quarterback Ziondre Ogiba scored on a 9-yard run.

While N.S./Mount cleaned up on its penalties from its victory over Tiverton, the team is still having issues with dropped passes.

“I don’t know why,” said Pennington. “It’s unexpected because the guys that were actually dropping the ball usually do not drop it. It’s still stuff to work on, so that’s a good thing if we have things to work on to make us better.”

After two straight home games, the N.S/Mount squad will be on the road on Friday for a 6 p.m. game against Johnston. N.S./Mount’s final three games are against teams who have dropped down from D-II; the locals will also host Coventry a week from Friday and visit Classical on Saturday, April 24.

“We’ll prepare, we’ll get ready, and we’ll go out there and play and see what happens,” Pennington said.

Jordan Allard