Hawks, Titans look to keep rolling; Pats aim for rebound

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 9/29/16

All three Warwick football teams will once again be in action this weekend, with Hendricken and Toll Gate looking to keep their momentum going following big wins, while Pilgrim will be trying to get …

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Hawks, Titans look to keep rolling; Pats aim for rebound

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All three Warwick football teams will once again be in action this weekend, with Hendricken and Toll Gate looking to keep their momentum going following big wins, while Pilgrim will be trying to get back on track after a lopsided loss at home to East Greenwich.

- Bishop Hendricken (4-0, 2-0 in D-I) will host St. Ray’s (3-0, 1-0 in D-I) in its homecoming/alumni game at 7 p.m. on Friday night.

The Hawks have been uncontainable for opposing Division I teams through the first two weeks of league play.

Their latest triumph came via a 35-0 rout of South Kingstown, a team that figures to be in the D-I playoff mix, at home last Friday.

The Saints do have some athletes that could potentially cause problems for Hendricken, namely quarterback Xavier Torres, who totaled over 200 yards of offense in a 41-14 win over East Providence last week, compiling three touchdowns.

However, there isn’t a better defensive team in the state than Hendricken, as the defending champion has allowed just one touchdown through its two league games.

The Saints’ offensive production will come to a screeching halt against the Hawks’ Kwity Paye-led defense, and Hendricken’s high-powered offense will continue to roll.

Prediction: Hendricken 42, St. Ray’s 6

- Toll Gate (1-3, 1-1 in D-III) is coming off of its best performance of the season.

The Titans cruised past Scituate, 36-14, on Friday night as junior quarterback Anthony Vann put on an offensive show to clinch the team’s first win.

The victory should certainly lift Toll Gate’s play for the remainder of the season, but it does have a tough matchup at Burrillville (2-1, 1-0 in D-III) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Broncos are coming off a non-league loss to Division II Shea, but they boast wins at D-II East Greenwich and Tiverton.

The Titans could certainly emerge victorious in this game if they get the same play from Vann that they got against Scituate, but it will be a stout task. The Broncos, recently in D-IV, have lost just one league game over the past two seasons and look to be strong again.

If Vann dominates on the offensive side and Toll Gate continues to get solid defensive play, then this game should be close.

I’ll give Burrillville the slight edge as it tries to rebound from a big defeat.

Prediction: Burrillville 28, Toll Gate 22

- After clinching a comeback victory to open league play at Mt. Pleasant two weeks ago, Pilgrim (2-1, 1-1 in D-II) had a letdown this past Friday, dropping a 37-14 decision to East Greenwich at home.

Now, the Pats will be looking to right the ship on Friday at 7 p.m. when they travel to Division III Smithfield (3-0, 2-0 in D-III) for a non-league test.

Simon Davis shined for Pilgrim against the Avengers, scoring a pair of second-half touchdowns and proving that he can add some depth at running back alongside senior back Nate Ferri.

But, other than that, Pilgrim struggled on both sides of the ball, trailing 30-0 by halftime.

And, although Pilgrim is playing a D-III team this week, that should be a tough matchup for the Pats.

Smithfield seems to be the best that D-III has to offer at this point in the season, scoring 133 points and allowing 18.

Additionally, the Sentinels, who won D-IV last season, defeated Pilgrim by one score last season with Owen Kelly in the Pats’ backfield.

Getting Ferri going on the ground will be critical for Pilgrim in this matchup, and stopping the dynamic Smithfield running duo of Corey Mabray and Ben Cortes will also be pivotal.

Pilgrim is certainly capable of winning this game, but after the letdown last week and with how Smithfield has been playing as of late, I’ll give the Sentinels the narrow edge at home.

Prediction: Smithfield 22, Pilgrim 16

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