By STEVE MAZZONE

Sports writer

BURRILLVILLE –With only a few seconds remaining until halftime, Woonsocket High quarterback Danny Gonzalez broke free for a long run and fell a mere three yards short of the goal line. Lying on the ground, Gonazalez immediately turned to the official and signaled for a time out.
Although he was a bit too late, head coach Carnell Henderson was heard from the sidelines yelling to his player, “No, no, I don’t want a timeout.”
In Saturday’s Division II-A contest with winless Burrillville, it was obvious that Henderson was already in his comfort zone.  There was no need to add any more salt to the wound. The game was essentially over. With six scores before the break, the Broncos never posed a threat to visiting Woonsocket, who spoiled their Homecoming tilt with an eventual 35-0 triumph at Alumni Field.

Tyrell Nealy found the end zone twice and also rushed for 122 yards that included limited touches in the second half as the Villa Novans kept pace in their effort to solidify a berth in the postseason.
On paper, this was a mismatched before the opening kickoff. Burrillville, which dropped to 0-5 for the season, is a young squad that lost an abundance of players from last year’s team. The Broncos entered the tilt allowing teams an average of 35.6 points per game. Woonsocket, on the other hand, is in the thick of the playoff race and is now 4-1 for the season.
Henderson was confident his team would not look past the numbers.
“We play every game, take it one game at a time,” he said. “We couldn’t look to any other game.”
The bigger picture for the Villa Novans is what’s in store next. Woonsocket takes on Warwick Vets (4-1) next Saturday and then travels to first-place and undefeated Westerly (5-0) on Nov. 7. A win against either divisional power will more than likely sew up a date in the postseason.
“It looks like that,” Henderson said. “It looks like if we can win five (games) we’re in. We next take on Warwick, which we’ll be ready for. I don’t look past any other opponent.”
It certainly wasn’t a good start for the Broncos. On just the third play from scrimmage, after getting the ball at their own seven-yard line on the opening kickoff, Burrillville QB Jordan Grosso was sacked in the end zone by Woonsocket’s Kyle Corriveau. The Villa Novan senior was playing his first game since suffering a hand injury in a season-opening Injury Fund contest with Lincoln.
“It was a good start,” Henderson admitted. “The start was even better by the kid that created the safety, Kyle Corriveau. To have him begin the game like that gave us a lot of energy. That gave us a huge lift.”
 “That was tough backed up in the field right away and down 2-0,” said first-year BHS coach Steve Hauser. “It was definitely an auspicious start. With a young team, it’s important to start off quickly, which we didn’t.”
The Villa Novans, who racked up 367 total yards as opposed to 135 for the Broncos, would score on their next five possessions leading up to the half. Just over two minutes after registering its safety, Woonsocket needed just four plays before Nealy scored on an 11-yard run, scurrying away from a multitude of Burrillville defender on a sweep to the left side. Gonzalez connected on two long passes during the 60-yard drive with a 17-yard pass to James Suber and a 30-yarder to Luis Heredia to set up Nealy’s score.
After going three-and-out after the TD, a 10-yard punt by the Broncos would set up another paydirt for the Villa Novans. With the ball at the Broncos’ 23, Cody Mazarella capped off a short, five-play drive with a four-yard run into the end zone. Woonsocket would take a 29-0 cushion into the break with two more touchdowns in the second quarter, including a six-yard aerial from Gonzalez to Suber and a 33-yard run by Nealy. 
There were a few shining moments for Burrillville. Grosso, a versatile player for Broncos, where he’s a punter, handles kickoffs and plays defensive end, connected on a perfect 33-yard spiral to Dylan Armstrong about the midway point of the second quarter.
With 36 seconds until the break, Chance Batalon had a brilliant leaping interception off a pass by Gonzalez and a subsequent 20-yard gain.  But that went for naught just three plays later when Woonsocket’s Travis Gagne intercepted a Grosso pass near midfield.
“We went into the game like any other game and expecting to win,” Hauser said. “We just didn’t execute. Turnovers we’ll kill you and it bit us again today.”
“We graduated quite a bit of seniors. We have a very young team. I feel like we are getting better but we are shooting ourselves in the foot too often.”
Gonzalez was strong behind center for the Villa Novans, completing nine of 14 passes for 105 yards. Handling most of the running duties in the second half, Gagne had 93 yards on 10 handles.
***
Woonsocket 16 13 0 6 - 35
Burrillville 0 0 0 0

W – Safety
W – Tyrell Nealy 11 run (Luis Heredia kick)
W – Cody Mazzarella 4 run (Heredia kick)
W – Danny Gozalez 6 pass to Suber (Heredia kick)
W – Nealy 33 run (Heredia kick)
W – Heredia 3 run (Heredia kick)