UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Hawks trounce Rams for record seventh title in a row

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 12/6/16

It was a fitting end to the season for arguably Hendricken's best-ever football team. And one of the most dominant players to ever throw on a green and gold uniform made the biggest difference. University of Michigan commit

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UNCHARTED TERRITORY

Hawks trounce Rams for record seventh title in a row

Posted

It was a fitting end to the season for arguably Hendricken’s best-ever football team.

And one of the most dominant players to ever throw on a green and gold uniform made the biggest difference.

University of Michigan commit Kwity Paye totaled four touchdowns – two in the second quarter and two in the fourth – to earn MVP honors and help the Hawks to their seventh consecutive state football title with a convincing, 48-28 handling of rival La Salle.

The victory pushed Hendricken’s already unmatched streak even further, and capped an outstanding four years for the senior class.

“This is just a tremendous accomplishment for this group of seniors,” Hendricken head coach Keith Croft said. “They came to play today. La Salle jumped out early and we battled back. We just kept fighting the whole game.”

The first five minutes belonged to La Salle.

Junior quarterback Andrew Wright faked a handoff and sprinted 60 yards on a keeper down to Hendricken’s 1-yard line. Three plays later, Wright forced his way through the Hendricken line for a 1-yard score to give La Salle a 6-0 lead with 7:53 left in the opening quarter.

However, Wright emerged visibly shaken following his touchdown plunge, and he wouldn’t return to the game with an undisclosed injury, which proved to be costly for the Rams’ title hopes.

After that, it was all Hendricken.

Hawks’ senior running back Matt DiTondo tied the game at 6 just over a minute and a half later, as the speedy rusher dashed through the Rams’ defense on third-and-15 for a 68-yard touchdown.

And the Hawks kept their momentum rolling from there.

La Salle fumbled a snap on the ensuing possession and senior defensive lineman Nick Martino pounced on the loose ball, giving the Hendricken offense the ball at La Salle’s 24.

On the first play following the turnover, Hendricken quarterback Chris Hindle was tackled in the backfield for a 3-yard loss.

But, he was not deterred.

On the next play, Hindle kept the ball on an option and cruised up the middle for a 27-yard score to give the Hawks their first lead of the game, 13-6.

La Salle tried to answer, but its offense lacked flow without Wright.

The Rams couldn’t gain any ground against Hendricken’s defense, which stacked the box when Wright went out to clog the middle for junior rusher Leroy Deoliveira.

The Rams completed just two passes in the first half, with Wright and Vince DiMonte completing one pass apiece.

While La Salle was puzzled on offense, Hendricken was anything but.

Paye got things going on the ground in the second quarter, getting into the end zone on a 34-yard power run to up the lead to 20-6 with 9:42 left in the second frame.

Just a tick over five minutes later, Paye added a second score in his high school finale, capping a quick drive after a short La Salle punt with a 13-yard run to give the unbeaten Hawks a 27-6 cushion heading into the locker room.

Paye’s defensive dominance was obvious during his high school career, but his emergence as an offensive threat was nearly equally as impressive, particularly over the last two seasons.

“I think he’s a much better running back than people think,” Croft said of Paye’s offensive capabilities.

“I feel like I put in a good amount of work,” Paye said of his preparation on the offensive side of the ball. “At practice, I’m always out there trying to learn the plays. I feel like I take offense as seriously as defense.”

La Salle’s offense found a groove a bit late, but not before DiTondo got into the end zone for a second time on a 25-yard dash to push the already insurmountable lead out to 34-6.

The Rams’ Jake Ribeiro answered with 2:44 left in the third quarter on a 4-yard rush, and an Owen Smith rush completed the 2-point conversion to cut La Salle’s deficit to 34-14.

La Salle got another rushing touchdown from Ribeiro in the fourth quarter and a receiving touchdown from Smith, but a pair of 5-yard rushes from Paye for touchdowns offset the Rams’ scores, making it a 48-28 final.

Just like last year, it was Hindle kneeling out the final seconds as the Hawks triumphed.

“There’s nothing like the Super Bowl, it’s a great experience,” Hindle said. “It feels great to be able to go out on top.”

There is little doubt that any another Hendricken football team has been as dominant as the 2016 champs.

The Hawks compiled a plus-323 point differential, scoring 433 and allowing just 110 against in-state opponents.

Furthermore, Hendricken’s closest margin of victory was 13 points in a 27-14 win at La Salle on Nov. 4.

There’s no question that Croft’s group this fall was special.

“It’s right up there,” Croft said when asked if this was the best team he’s had while coaching at Hendricken. “It would be tough to say the best, but athletically, there are very few teams that can match their athleticism.”

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  • JohnStark

    Congratulations to Coach Croft on a great season. This is the best team Hendricken has ever had (and they've had some very good ones), and one of the best teams RI has ever seen.

    Tuesday, December 6, 2016 Report this