Archive - 2010 - Sports Article
November 25th
CUMBERLAND - Oswald "Pepe" Torres sensed the ball was coming his way. When it did, the Woonsocket High senior leaped high in the air, caught the ball and ran 70 yards for a touchdown.
Torres interception return at the start of the fourth quarter of Thursday's Thanksgiving Day showdown versus host Cumberland turned into the crucial play of the day as the Villa Novans survived a hard-fought 14-0 verdict over the Clippers at Tucker Field.
The victory is the fourth straight for the Villa Novans, who are back on the field this Tuesday for a Division II semifinal contest at Chariho.
November 24th
NORTH SMITHFIELD – The North Smithfield football team just keeps raising the bar in this breakout season.
The Northmen rolled to a 44-6 victory over Scituate on Wednesday night, an impressive outing that sets them up for next Tuesday’s Division IV playoff semifinal contest against Exeter/West Greenwich.
“We wanted to finish the regular season on a roll,” Northmen coach Wes Pennington admitted after Wednesday’s game ended. “And I think we did. Now we can finally focus on EWG.”
November 23rd
There’s no need to panic over the Red Sox losing Victor Martinez to Detroit in a free agent signing on Tuesday. The Red Sox will find a catcher somewhere. It would be better if they could develop one through their farm system but their best prospect is at least two years away from competing for a big league job.
November 22nd
WOONSOCKET — As a vice principal at Woonsocket High, Carnell Henderson appreciates how important a responsible senior class is to the school’s younger students, who watch their older colleagues and see how they handle certain situations.
As head football coach, Henderson knows his team depends upon senior leadership to carry the younger players through some of the tougher moments in a season full of challenges.
With the 2010 season building to a climax over the next two weeks, Henderson feels confident his Villa Novans are ready for the biggest test of their young careers.
November 21st
NORTH SMITHFIELD — It’s never an easy task to go from an 0-9 season to a playoff campaign in just two seasons, and second-year North Smithfield head coach Wes Pennington recognized that last week when he talked about his Northmen’s past, present, and future.
The Northmen are enjoying one of their finest seasons and will be marching to the playoffs for the first time in the team’s 43-year history. Their 5-2 mark was their best record since 1997 and good enough for a third-place finish in the Division IV circuit and the No. 3 seed in next week’s postseason.
November 20th
FOSTER — Bad timing may best describe Ponaganset High’s move up to the Division II ranks this season.
Behind a talented core of players that included a pair of all-staters in Nick Keeling and Josh Morgan, the Chieftains captured the last two of the past three Div. III crowns to convince the alignment committee that it was time for a move to the higher division.
BURRILLVILLE — Gennaro Ferraro looks back on his football team’s frustrating season with a mixture of realism and pragmatism.
“We lost four games by a total of 11 points,” the Burrillville coach was saying earlier this week. “We lost Tyler Kimatian to an auto accident and two other key players left the team due to disciplinary issues. And Brendan Darigan missed 2 ½ games with a sprained ankle.
November 19th
LINCOLN — Dave Waycott is currently bouncing around the same dilemma 14 other playoff-bound head coaches around the state are pondering as they prepare for their respective Thanksgiving matchups.
“Do you play (your players) to keep them sharp or rest them to avoid getting hurt?” the Lincoln head coach asked. “I’ve been going back and forth with this. I haven’t really decided what we’re going to do when we play them.”
Roland Lavallee was getting a little itchy.
After an almost two-month layoff from competitive running, he was anxious to know how his 100-mile weeks of pounding the pavement had paid off.
The 32-year-old Lavallee satisfied that itch last month when he hopped into his car and made the 45-minute drive to Newport.
November 18th
CUMBERLAND — Cumberland High was officially eliminated from postseason play in Division II back on Oct. 29 when it lost to Central High at Conley Stadium.
Since that 19-6 defeat to the Knights, the Clippers have reeled off two straight victories – a narrow 9-0 shutout of Coventry High and a 31-6 rout of Ponaganset High in a consolation game last Friday.
