BRISTOL – Woonsocket inserted itself into the Division II-A playoff race with a solid 13-0 victory over previously unbeaten Mount Hope on Saturday night.

Jordan Barr scored both touchdowns for the Villa Novans, picking up a lateral pass by Mount Hope behind the line of scrimmage and running 14 yards for the opening score, then adding a one-yard touchdown run to cap a 60-yard ball-control drive in the fourth quarter.

“This is a huge win for us,” Woonsocket coach Carnell Henderson admitted. “It was like two heavyweights going at each other tonight. Both defenses played very well. We were just waiting for the other team to make a mistake. In the second half, I thought our offensive line played very well and our running backs found some holes.”

Mount Hope made the game’s major mistake, of course, when it attempted a tricky double screen pass in the second quarter. The ball ended up on the ground and was ruled a lateral.

“Jordan was smart enough to pick the ball up and run it into the end zone for a touchdown,” Henderson said.

Barr and fellow running back Travis Gagne keyed the ball-control offense in the second half as the Novans, who appear to have a very physical football team, got the upper hand.

Woonsocket is now 3-1 in Division II-A, one game behind unbeaten West Warwick. Mount Hope and Westerly are also 3-1. Four teams make the playoffs from each of the Division II leagues.