East thrashes Central to continue torrid start

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 9/28/16

Malik Gavek wasn't 100 percent on Friday night, but it sure looked like he was. The senior running back scorched Central to the tune of 173 yards on 25 carries (6.9 YPC) for four touchdowns en route to a 46-14

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

East thrashes Central to continue torrid start

Posted

Malik Gavek wasn’t 100 percent on Friday night, but it sure looked like he was.

The senior running back scorched Central to the tune of 173 yards on 25 carries (6.9 YPC) for four touchdowns en route to a 46-14 rout of the Knights. Gavek would sit out the entire fourth quarter after East put the game away.

“I was coming off a bad knee injury, I didn’t practice this week [but] I got out there on Thursday,” Gavek said. “It feels good to know the coaches have that much trust in me and that I can produce that much when I’m not 100 percent.”

After it looked as though the ’Bolts would be in for an easy blowout victory, the Knights fought back. East took a 22-0 lead midway through the second quarter before Central posted 14 unanswered. Demetrius O’Connor’s touchdown grab was the last score of the first half, getting the Knights on the board before the break.

“I’m really frustrated with that kickoff [return] right now,” East head coach Tom Centore said after the game. “Just not doing the things we need to do. That changed the game. Shouldn’t have been in position to do that. We’ve got to prevent that from happening.”

East was driving during its first drive of the second half, but a bad snap temporarily sucked the air out of Cranston Stadium. Just outside the Central red zone, quarterback Justin Neary saw the ball sail over his head and roll out to the 45-yard line. Linebacker Malakyi Harris picked up the fumble and took it to the end zone to make it a one-touchdown game.

The lead was too close for comfort, and East played that way for the remainder of the night.

The ’Bolts defense locked down and made several crucial, game-changing plays, while the offense proved resilient after a slow start to the half. Gavek stepped up on the next drive, too, gashing the Knights for runs of 17 and 12 yards as East ended up in Central’s red zone again.

Gavek recorded his fourth and arguably most important touchdown two plays later, extending the lead to two scores once again. The dominance Gavek has showed so far this season is reminiscent of former star tailback Marquem Monroe.

“He was a great mentor,” Gavek said of Monroe. “I started my sophomore year and just being under his wing really helped out. I learned the defense because that’s all I played sophomore year, and then watching him on offense helped me out with my cuts, my speed and just the whole game in general.”

From there, some crafty special teams work and defense took advantage of the Knights’ mistakes. Kicker Jaireal Rodriguez pinned Central at its own 15, where the first snap sailed past quarterback Christian Leo and into the end zone. East’s Brandon Figueiredo fell on the loose ball, earning back the three-score lead with 2:31 left in the third quarter.

Leo tossed an interception to Wesley Isom on the first play of the next drive. Central’s defense worked a fourth down, but it would be fruitless. Deja vu set in after the punt, and another bad snap inside the 20 rolled into the end zone. Leo picked it up, but linebacker Jay Bast ensured he wouldn’t escape. The safety capped the third quarter and put the game out of reach, 39-14.

Neary put an exclamation point on the win during the fourth quarter. He fired a 24-yard touchdown pass on third-and-15 to wide receiver Sam Hanley, who made the catch despite falling backwards and having a defender on him.

“We battled through tonight,” Centore said. “Hopefully we can get some rest and get ready for next Friday night.”

The ’Bolts got off to a quick start after receiving the opening kickoff. Gavek bursted for rushes of seven, 15, 10 and nine yards as East marched into the Central red zone. He would eventually punch in his first score from one yard out and add the 2-point conversion.

After a three-and-out for Central, East got back to work. An eight-play drive starting at its own 32 began with Jake Palazzo’s end-around rush for 19 into Central territory. Neary hit Isaiah Hinds on a third-and-8 for another first down at the 35. Three plays later, it was Gavek again who found pay dirt to bring the lead to 15-0.

“It was great,” Gavek said of the offensive line, which was missing starting guard Nate Sherman, in front of him. “We had a couple of mistakes, we had to have a talk with them, but it was good. We came out there after talking and we started dominating again.”

East dominated time of possession, and its third drive best represented its methodical use of the clock. The ’Bolts’ journey down the field killed the rest of the first quarter and chewed off nearly seven minutes of the second. The end result of the 12-play drive was the same as the first two, Gavek finding a hole large enough to dash through for a touchdown.

Central would get close, but it was a lead that East would never see evaporate completely.

“We were disappointed with some of the ways things happened,” Centore said. “It can be a very good football team, they can be even better if we can clean up some things.”

The road ahead gets more difficult for the ’Bolts. They tangle with the only other 2-0 team in their subdivision, Cumberland, this Friday under the lights at 7 p.m. at Cranston Stadium. The Clippers have taken down Rogers (41-0) and Tolman (47-7) thus far on the year.

“Cumberland’s going to be tough,” Centore said. “We know each other. We haven’t beaten them in a couple years. That’s going to be an important game in terms of seeding. So it’s a big battle for us.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here