Kelly leads Pats past ’Canes in final Thanksgiving showdown

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 12/1/15

One more win was all that Warwick Vets was looking for.

The ’Canes were hoping to emerge victorious when they met Pilgrim for their annual Thanksgiving game on Thursday – the final game in …

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Kelly leads Pats past ’Canes in final Thanksgiving showdown

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One more win was all that Warwick Vets was looking for.

The ’Canes were hoping to emerge victorious when they met Pilgrim for their annual Thanksgiving game on Thursday – the final game in the illustrious history of the Warwick Vets football program.

The stage was set for a storybook ending for the ’Canes, but Pilgrim had other ideas.

The Pats rolled to a 46-12 win to close the rivalry series behind four touchdowns and over 200 rushing yards from senior running back Owen Kelly.

And the rout was on early.

Vets received the opening kickoff and quickly punted the ball away. When Pilgrim took over possession, it fed Kelly right away.

On his third carry of the drive, he broke through the defense and dashed past defenders for a 39-yard touchdown. Quarterback David McMullen rushed in for the 2-point conversion, giving Pilgrim an 8-0 lead just one minute, 41 seconds into the opening quarter.

Kelly would strike again before the quarter was up, too.

A blocked punt by Pilgrim’s Jamal Martey set Pilgrim up at Vets’ 27-yard line with 2:50 left in the first quarter.

And just over a minute later, Kelly punched it into the end zone from nine yards out to give Pilgrim a 14-0 lead.

Kelly would do all of the scoring in the first half, helping the Pats to a 22-0 lead by halftime.

Coming into the game, Kelly was 113 rushing yards shy of 2,000 for the season. He would reach that mark in the second quarter on his third touchdown run, a 53-yard sprint right up the middle. McMullen would fire the 2-point conversion to Sean Cooney in the right side of the end zone to make it 22-0 going into the break.

Kelly would open the scoring in the second half, as well.

Vets led a three-minute drive to start the third quarter, but ultimately turned the ball over on downs at Pilgrim’s 27-yard line.

A few plays later, Kelly recorded the final touchdown of his high school career on a 46-yard run to pay dirt. Darren Grant completed a pass in the end zone to Cooney for the 2-point conversion to up the lead to 30-0.

Kelly rushed 16 times for 207 yards in the win to go along with four scores. For him, there was simply no better way to go out.

“It feels great,” Kelly said following the game. “It’s the last game I’ll ever play with these guys and I’ll never forget it.”

Vets wasn’t ready to just roll over on its home turf, though.

On the ensuing possession, the ’Canes cruised deep into Pilgrim territory thanks to a 64-yard run by Owen Amirault.

Shortly after, the ’Canes took it down to the 1-yard line, where quarterback Nick Beaufort would plunge over the top of the offensive line to get Vets on the board. The 2-point conversion fell short, but Vets still cut its deficit to 30-6 with 6:03 left in the third quarter.

But Pilgrim would respond two minutes, five seconds later when McMullen threw a strike to a wide open Grant down the middle of the field for a 17-yard touchdown. Devon Maxwell ran in the 2-point conversion to increase Pilgrim’s lead to 38-6.

Before the third quarter ended, McMullen would run into the end zone from 10 yards out for the Pats’ final score of the game. Cooney bolted in for the 2-point conversion to push the lead to 46-6.

For Pilgrim, it was nice to get its offense going again after being held to just eight points over its previous two games. Minimizing penalties certainly helps, something that Pilgrim’s offense couldn’t keep in check against East Greenwich and Classical.

“The stupid penalties didn’t hurt us this week,” Pilgrim head coach Tom O’Connor said. “Our playbook isn’t built for a first-and-20 six times in a row. It was nice to keep it so our offense was in manageable downs.”

Although the game was no longer in doubt, Vets continued to play hard, and that paid off late in the fourth quarter.

Amirault sent a large contingent of Vets fans home with one final fond memory when he scooped up a fumble and took it back for a touchdown to cut the ’Canes’ deficit to 46-12 with two minutes, 27 seconds left.

That’s how the game and one of the best rivalries in Rhode Island high school football would end.

As for the Thanksgiving series, it was win No. 23 on Turkey Day for the Pats. However, Vets will claim the overall series record 29-23-1.

There’s no question that it’s a rivalry that has meant a lot to many.

“The rivalry is a good one, I was thinking about it last night at 3 a.m. when I was watching film,” O’Connor said. “Even when you’re having a bad year, you still have something to play for. It’s a shame that we’re losing [the rivalry]. Hopefully we can pick it up with Toll Gate, or whoever it is.”

Following the game, it was clear that the Vets side was thinking about more than just the rivalry.

The harsh reality began to set in that Vets had just played its last football game.

Although the ’Canes didn’t win, they were proud of the heart that they displayed, a trait they’ve continued to show since the early days of the program.

“Turning boys into men,” Warwick Vets head coach Rob Pacifico said of the program’s legacy. “That’s what this program has done more than anything.”

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