Archive - 2010 - Sports Article
October 28th
As he watched his team apply the finishing touches to consecutive Division II titles last June, Mount St. Charles head baseball coach Tom Seaver started to prepare for the impending direction the program figured to be heading in.
Based on the amount of success the Mounties had achieved during the now completed four-year alignment period, a bump up to Division I seemed certain.
The two championships stand out, but so too does the 62-10 regular season league record Seaver’s MSC squad has compiled.
October 24th
A typical Division II playoff scramble is developing with two weeks left in the regular season schedule.
This is the lone league that features an eight-team playoff field. Division II possesses 16 teams, almost double the size of Division I. And because of those numbers, the D-II playoff situation is almost always complicated.
Right now, four D-II teams seem certain to make the Nov. 12-13 quarterfinal round: Tolman (5-0), Woonsocket (4-1), Chariho (4-1) and Johnston (4-1). The scramble for the other four spots won’t be figured out until after the dust clears on Nov. 6.
WARWICK – When he took the head coaching position at Woonsocket High a few years ago, Carnell Henderson stated that one of his primary goals was to develop the Villa Novans into a Division I squad.
He may have got a glimpse of how that would look on Saturday afternoon as his talented and speedy crew certainly played like it belongs there.
An expected close affair with Div. II-B rival Toll Gate was a rout by the first quarter as the Villa Novans spoiled the Titans’ Homecoming contest in a big way, coasting to a surprisingly easy 48-0 victory.
NARRAGANSETT – Two steps forward, one step back.
All of the good vibes Lincoln High gained in beating previously undefeated Moses Brown the previous week went up in smoke Saturday at Zepp Field. Turnovers and several ill-timed penalties were the major bugaboos in a 23-7 setback to Narragansett High that places the Lions squarely on the bubble of the Division III playoff scene.
“We completely beat ourselves,” was the quick-to-the-point assessment Lincoln head coach Dave Waycott offered after his club slipped to 3-3 in the league, a record now shared by the Mariners.
October 21st
WOONSOCKET – There haven’t been too many occasions where Mount St. Charles has been tested this season, let alone pushed to a deciding fifth game. Thursday night against red-hot Ponaganset wound up being the exception.
In the end, the Mounties proved to be a little tougher, grabbing a 15-12 thriller in the clinching game to come away with an exciting 3-2 victory over the Chieftains, who coming in had won seven straight in league play and eight in a row overall.
BURRILLVILLE – The instructions were simple.
With the more-important class and state meets coming up in the next few weeks, Smithfield High coach Joe Bennett didn’t want his runners to go all-out at Thursday’s fifth annual Bronco Invitational.
PAWTUCKET — Burrillville High broke open a close game at the break by scoring five times in the second half and rolling to a 7-0 victory over Shea High on Thursday afternoon in their Division III-North meeting at Max Read Field.
Paige Oram and Trista Cardone each scored a pair of goals for the Broncos, who outshot the Raiders by a 19-4 count and recorded their 10th shutout of the season.
Nikole Moutinho, Shannon Murphy, and Emma Lapierre added the other goals, and Sarah Barry had a pair of assists.
October 20th
By ERIC BENEVIDES
Sports writer
Must-win games? It seems like fans will have their pick of the litter when it comes to teams in the Blackstone Valley this weekend!
Friday’s action features four schools -- East Providence, Cumberland, Shea, and St. Raphael -- who sorely need to win their games over tough opponents in order to keep their respective playoff hopes alive.
PROVIDENCE -- The good news for Joe Gardner is that he’s going to fight for the EBA (Eastern Boxing Association) New England light heavyweight championship on Nov. 12 at the Twin River Event Center.
The bad news is that the Woonsocket fighter is going to have to battle a very familiar boxer to him, his trainer, Bob Moreau, and his corner -- his favorite sparring partner, Keith Kozlin of West Warwick.
PROVIDENCE -- It’s been two years since Peter Manfredo Jr. last fought in Rhode Island, but for the Manfredo’s Gym world middleweight champion, it seems like a lifetime ago.
The last time Manfredo stepped into the ring in this state, he endured one of the worst defeats of his pro career -- a third-round TKO loss to Sakio Bika for the IBO (International Boxing Organization) super middleweight title at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
