By STEVE MAZZONE

Sports writer

GLOCESTER - Nick Keeling had his typical stellar performance.
The same could be said about teammate Larry Colaluca.
As for the rest of the Ponaganset High football team, not much changed there either.
In other words, it was business as usual for the unbeaten Chieftains - another game, another win.
With a key game against equally-unbeaten Tiverton on the docket next weekend, Ponaganset manufactured a suitable warm-up on Saturday, defeating a scrappy Central squad, 35-14, in its Division III tilt before a charged-up Homecoming crowd at The Reservation.
Keeling finished the contest with 191 yards and two touchdowns, while Colaluca shined on both sides of the ball and also found the end zone twice as the defending Super Bowl champions improved to a perfect 4-0 in the league (5-0 overall).

“I thought we played a great game,” PHS head coach Tom Marcello said. ”There’s always things to work on and always things to improve on. But when you look at the big picture, whenever you can put up a win it’s always a great feeling.”
Although it occupies the cellar in the division, dropping to 0-4 in the league (0-7 overall), Central certainly wasn’t an opponent that the Chieftains could push around. Even though Ponaganset was able to make an impact right away with two quick scores in the first quarter, the winless Knights managed to keep Ponaganset honest throughout the game with their athleticism, primarily quarterback Joey Daiz and running back Devon Perry.
“They have a lot of good athletes so they can easily break a run on every play,” Keeling said. “We knew we had to be careful. But it was Homecoming so we needed a big win.”
Keeling, who finished with 297 yards in last week’s 28-21 victory over East Greenwich, broke free on two big runs to score his touchdowns. On  just the second play from scrimmage, the talented junior out-sprinted a multitude of Central defenders for a 54-yard paydirt.
With 3:51 remaining until halftime, Keeling then gave the Chieftains a nice, 20-point cushion, at 28-8, when he took off for a 69-yarder. That play came after he was stuffed for a four-yard loss on the opening play of the drive.
“I just got pounded near the line (on the first play). It might have been my fault because I didn‘t sprint to the corner,” Keeling said. “It just reminded me that I have to sprint hard and not just relax. I can’t relax at all.”
Just like he has all season, Keeling benefited from some outstanding blocking from Colaluca to break free for his TDs.
“I give all those yards to Larry,” he said. “Larry has done everything, I just follow him. He usually does the work for me. He just hits the guys and I just break off his blocks and just run.”
“He blocks like a fullback should block,” said Marcello, about Colaluca. “He drives people out of the hole and Nick should buy him lunch or dinner every weekend.”
Colaluca made his presence known defensively, too, with a number of big tackles. On one drive at the beginning of the second quarter, Colaluca made the Knights pay dearly with back-to-back tackles that produced a combined 16-yard loss for the visitors. His biggest came when he sacked Diaz for a 12-yard loss on a third-and-10 situation.
“Larry is just unbelievable on both sides of the ball,” Marcello said. “I’d say he’s probably the best defensive player we have had here in my four years. He takes the same mentality on the offensive side of the ball. He crushes people. He really does.”
After Keeling scored his first touchdown of the day, Central went three-and-out and then the Chieftains struck again. With the ball near midfield, Ponaganset needed seven plays before capitalizing on a well-executed double reverse with Josh Morin taking the pigskin and hustling into the end zone on a 20-yard run. Ponaganset made it 21-0 just nine seconds into the second quarter when Colaluca finished off a four-play, 67-yard drive, that began in the opening quarter, by scoring on a three-yard run. The drive began on a positive note when quarterback Jacob Kravitz tossed a 25-yard pass to Morgan, who leaped above a Central defender to snag the ball.
On the enthusing possession, Central got on the scoreboard with a lengthy drive that ended when Daiz found receiver Kenny Watts-Water for a 13-yard touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone.
After Keeling scored his 69-yarder just two plays later, Central scored its only other touchdown with a quick five-play drive that ended with Perry darting into the end zone on a two-yard run.
Colaluca would add to the Chieftains’ total with a third-quarter, one-yard plunge.
Ponaganset will now try and keep its perfect record intact when it travels to Tiverton next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
“Tiverton puts up a lot of points and their defense is stingy,” Marcello said. “They have played a great, great brand of football over these first five weeks of the season. These are the games that you work so hard for. These are the game that you really strap up and play these games for…This team rises to the occasion and we will definitely be ready for Tiverton next week.”
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Ponaganset 14 14 7 0 - 35
Central 0 14 0 0 - 14

P - Nick Keeling 54 run (Keeling run)
P - Josh Morin  20 run (kick failed)
P - Larry Colaluca 3 run (Keeling kick)
C - Joey Diaz 13 pass to Kenny Watts-Water (Devon Perry run)
P - Keeling 69 run (Ethan Walsh kick)
C - Perry 2 run (run failed)
P - Colaluca 1 run (Walsh kick)