Turkey Bowl 2012

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4. HOW IT BEGAN: PILGRIM VS. VETS

5. THROUGH THE YEARS: PILGRIM VS. VETS

6. VETS TEAM PAGE

7. PILGRIM TEAM PAGE

8. CRANSTON EAST TEAM PAGE

9. CRANSTON WEST TEAM PAGE

10. GAME PREVIEWS

11. GAME PREVIEWS

12. TOLL GATE TEAM PAGE

13. HENDRICKEN TEAM PAGE

14. HOW IT BEGAN: EAST VS. WEST

15. THROUGH THE YEARS: EAST VS. WEST

16. HOW IT BEGAN: TOLL GATE VS. HENDRICKEN

17. THROUGH THE YEARS: TOLLGATE VS. HENDRICKEN

18. THANKSGIVING SCENES

19. SERIES HISTORY

It’s a special time for Thanksgiving football in these parts.Pilgrim and Warwick Vets will play for the 50th time this year,while Cranston East and Cranston West are meeting for the 40thtime. Hendricken and Toll Gate reached their 40th anniversarylast year and will start a new decade this season.

To commemorate the occasion, we’re looking back. Our “How it Began” series highlights the first game in each

of our Thanksgiving rivalries, with plenty of memories from thepeople who lived it. We’re also going “Through the Years,” withtimelines spotlighting some of the most memorable games inseries history.

To tie it all in with the present, we’re focusing on a currentplayer who embodies the old-school qualities that make footballspecial, from workhorse running backs to seniors who didn’tpack it in when times got tough, from hard-nosed defenders toplayers who can do it all. And as always, we’re previewing thecurrent games, which will provide another chapter in these sto-ried rivalries.

So Happy Aniversary, Warwick and Cranston. You’ve givenus some great football.

Here’s to another special year.- William Geoghegan and Kevin Pomeroy

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WE’RE TALKIN’ TURKEY (AND FOOTBALL)Tune in to the Football Focus Podcast

Brought to you by Tommy’s Pizza Toowarwickonline.comcranstononline.com

Thanksgiving edition online Tuesday, Nov. 20

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Warwick Vets 33, Pilgrim 6 - November 28, 1963The way Bob Padula remembers, Pilgrim started it.

Some of the Patriots spray-painted trash talk on tack-ling sleds and other equipment at Vets the weekbefore Thanksgiving. The next day, Vets players retal-iated by smashing pumpkins on Pilgrim's equip-ment.

"The feelings were running high," Padula said.It was no surprise. The Thanksgiving Day football

game in 1963 may have been the first meetingbetween Warwick Vets and Pilgrim - but the rivalrycertainly didn't need training wheels.

In 1962, every high school student in Warwickattended Vets. The school day was split into doublesessions to accommodate the nearly 5,000 students.Pilgrim opened in 1963, and the student populationwas cut in half.

So was the football team. On Thanksgiving, the two halves met. Like broth-

ers with a competitive streak, the teams didn't havesoft spots for each other. It was as natural a rivalry asanyone could hope to create.

"It was a very unique thing," said Padula, a Vetscaptain. "It was quite a rivalry, not because we hadplayed each other but because we all knew eachother. I think that's what really started the initialrivalry. We were all so close."

While the players don't know each other quite sowell now, the rivalry has endured for 50 years, and itremains one of the fiercest and most competitive inthe state. It's the fourth-oldest Thanksgiving rivalryin Rhode Island.

The first game provided the roots. Vets won 33-6 infront of a crowd that packed the bleachers and ringedthe field. All-State running back Bill Bjerke scoredfour touchdowns.

Bjerke still lives in Warwick and has vivid memo-ries of his big game. He was chasing the state scoringtitle and was neck-and-neck with Rufus Brackley of

East Greenwich. Brackley also scored four touch-downs on Thanksgiving, but Bjerke kicked extrapoints, which put him over the top.

"He thought he had it wrapped up, but I was for-tunate to have a great game," Bjerke said. "It was a lotof fun."

Bjerke and the Hurricanes ran over a Pilgrim teamthat was starting young players at some key posi-tions. They led 13-0 at halftime and added threescores after the break. Ray Haerry had the other Vetstouchdown. Wayne Wildes had Pilgrim's only score.

"We had a very good running game," Bjerke said."We had a great offensive line, so we were able to runup the middle, and we also ran a lot of end-arounds."

And on Thanksgiving, with the budding rivalryproviding some extra juice, it worked.

"It was tough to line up against a friend and wantto tear his head off," Padula said. "But once you getout there, it's a game. The butterflies are out andyou're there to win."

Both Padula and Bjerke still keep in touch withmany of their former teammates - and some of theteammates who ended up at Pilgrim. When they gettogether, talk always turns to football.

"We drop right back to 1963," Bjerke said. Sometimes, they talk about what might have been.

If the schools had been split a year later, the 1963 Vetsteam might have been the best in the state.

"I think we would have been state champs," Padulasaid.

Instead, they ushered in the birth of a tremendousrivalry - not a bad consolation prize.

"You're living in the moment and you're not think-ing about the future," Padula said. "But to see it go onfor 50 years is pretty special."

And those roots still run deep. "Let's hope it's another good year for Warwick,"

Bjerke said. - William Geoghegan

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After getting shut-out in fourconsecutive meetings, Vetsedges Pilgrim 21-20 for its sec-ond win in the series.

The only tie in series history is adefensive battle, as the Patsand 'Canes play to a 0-0 draw.

One of the most competitivestretches in series history fea-tures five straight games decid-ed by six points or less.

Pilgrim sets a record for mostpoints scored and its largestmargin of victory in the serieswith a 41-6 win.

After two straight victories, Vetsmakes it three in style with a36-0 romp, which still stands asits largest margin of victory inthe series.

Winless Pilgrim pulls off the biggestupset in series history, shocking a first-place Vets team with a 7-6 victory.

Vets star quarterback BobBentsen throws six touch-down passes as the 'Canesroll past Pilgrim 42-13.

Pilgrim makes a goal-line stand toend the game and clinch a 20-13victory, its second in a row.

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If they didn't know already, the players andcoaches on the Warwick Vets football teamfound out exactly what junior linebackerDavid MacDonald meant to the team in a pairof September games.

Both MacDonald and fellow linebackerDennis Scalzo missed the Woonsocket andCoventry games with injury, and the 'Caneslost those two games by a combined score of75-14. It was no coincidence - the 'Canesmissed their talent, but they also missedMacDonald's intensity. He paced the sidelinesin the Woonsocket game, trying to fire histeam up. But it wasn't the same.

"You could see it," said coach Bryan Nappa."It was evident. We had a couple of youngguys getting their first opportunity to play,and the team was really missing David's ener-gy out there."

Thankfully for the 'Canes, they didn't haveto miss it for much longer. MacDonaldreturned to the lineup for the Chariho gameand helped lead the 'Canes to a 22-13 victory,the beginning of a surge that kept Vets in theplayoff picture until the final week of the sea-son. The run included an upset win overWesterly, one that was sparked by a tremen-dous defensive effort.

MacDonald was in the middle of it, just ashe was all year.

"What he brought to the table this yearchanged the tone of our defense, to more of ahard-nosed group," Nappa said. "He broughttoughness that we've kind of been lacking thelast couple of years."

MacDonald grew up in Cranston and start-ed playing football with CLCF when he wasjust 6 years old. He moved to Warwick hisfreshman year and quickly found a home onthe football field.

The intensity was there from the beginning. "I don't know where it comes from, but I just

love the game," MacDonald said. "I've been

playing since I was young and I feel like I'vegot to lead the team."

MacDonald earned a starting job as a soph-omore, playing next to standout linebackerNick Salois. With Salois lost to graduation,MacDonald took center stage this year andhelped the Vets defense forge a new identity.

"Nick Salois was kind of the anchor of ourdefense last year and David had a good yearas a sophomore, learning next to him," Nappasaid. "He fed off that and he learned a lot fromwhat Nick brought to the table. They have dif-ferent styles. Nick uses his knowledge of thegame, plays off his intuition. David is puredrive."

At 5-foot-7, 196 pounds, MacDonald fit per-fectly into an inside linebacker spot. He alsosaw a lot of time at fullback and helped openholes for star running back T.J. Boyajian.

Wherever MacDonald was, his drive shinedthrough, mirroring the efforts of his team. The

'Canes finished 3-4 in league play this year,more league wins than they had in the previ-ous three years combined.

"It's been a big change this year,"MacDonald said. "Everybody wants it, every-body's so hungry for it this year. We gave itour all, and it's been a great season."

The 'Canes will try to continue it onThanksgiving. Last year, they sprung an upsetof Pilgrim. This year, they'll be a favorite, butthey know the Pats will be coming hard.

Vets has a formula for success, honed in thebig wins over Chariho and Westerly. It's justabout executing it.

Having MacDonald healthy and ready to goin the middle won't hurt either.

"We've just got to do our job, don't make anydumb mistakes," MacDonald said. "We needto play the game the way we've been playingit all year. If we do that, we'll win."

- W.G.

3 Thomas Galligan SO5 Anthony Lonczak SR7 Andrew Sjodahl SR8 Mickenzey Pacheco SO9 Timothy Hogan JR12 Jessie Sedoma JR14 Andrew Simons SR16 Jared Pelliccio JR20 TJ Boyajian SR21 Sean Suzedelis JR23 Collin Holton SO28 Carter Thomas SR29 Jacob Pelletier SO33 Dennis Scalzo JR34 Jamie Buteau SO43 Dante Crosby SO45 David MacDonald JR50 Bruno Parente JR51 Casey Beauregard SR53 Max Andrade SR54 John McNally SR55 Connor Thompson SO56 Brendan Daniels SO63 Nathan Brotman SR66 Aaron Gordon SO68 George Schmeider SR71 Ricky Antonio JR71 Khiet Pham SO73 Oliver Sylvestre JR82 Kyle Morrissette JR83 Jeremy Morrissette JR86 Chris Ferland SO91 Luke Cardillo JR

Alexander Andrade FRMichael Angell FRNicholas Beaufort FRMatthew Boulet FRTyler Buchanan FRJohn Carroll FRChris Conley JREdward Fera FRJason Garganese FRJoshua Ginaitt SRThomas Gonsalves FRTristan Heng JRJarrod Houle FRTyler Housman FREric Howell FRJacob Isaac FRSaif Izhar FRJonathan Masse FRRyan Nehiley FRCory Orourke FRChristopher Reid FRDenius Simpson FR

Head Coach: Bryan Nappa, Mike NappaAssistants: Kevin Silva, Terry Siravo

League Record: 3-4Overall Record: 4-6

Vets 38, PCD/Wheeler/JS 8 (Non-League)Vets 26, Toll Gate 6Woonsocket 35, Vets 6Coventry 40, Vets 8Vets 22, Chariho 13West Warwick 37, Vets 6 (Non-League)Vets 35, Westerly 20Johnston 46, Vets 6Mt. Hope 39, Vets 14Rogers 45, Vets 12

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Tony LonczakSeniorTE/LB“He's done a lot for usboth defensively andoffensively. I know he'sexcited to end his careeron a high note.”- Bryan Nappa

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MacDonald’s intensity powers Vets defense

DAVID MacDONALD

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Mike Kelly was a solid contributor for thePilgrim freshman team four years ago, butas a sophomore and junior, he hardlystepped onto the field for the varsity squad.

These days, players don't always comeout the other side of situations like that. Bytheir senior years, they're done with foot-ball.

But when summer practice started thisyear, Kelly was there. And when Pilgrimneeded a running back to step up later inthe season, Kelly was there again, askingwhat he had to do to get the chance.

"He's the kind of player who doesn't existanymore," O'Connor said. "His freshmanyear, he played a lot on offense and defense.His sophomore and junior year, he didn'tsee the field. Normally, kids quit and hangup their cleats at that point. He came to mehalfway through his senior year and said,'What do I need to do to get better?' Therewasn't any blame, there wasn't any pointingany fingers. He just took it upon himself. Isaid, 'Once you learn the plays, you'll getsome time. You get time, you prove it andyou'll stay on the field.'"

And Kelly has certainly done that.The senior running back started getting

more and more carries as the year went on,and he emerged in Pilgrim's last few gamesas the team's top offensive option. The late-season surge has been a welcome rewardfor Kelly's hard work.

"This year, I told myself it was going to bethe biggest season since it's my senior yearand everything," Kelly said. "All summer, Iworked out and I made sure I was inshape."

Kelly didn't get an opportunity right off

the bat, but when he did, he ran with it. "I talked to my coach and asked him to

give me a chance," Kelly said. "He gave mea chance in practice and I ran good. Thenext day, I came to practice and they said,'You're starting.'"

Kelly has been an important addition tothe Pilgrim attack, which needed someplaymakers. He's a straight-ahead runner,and if there's a hole, he can do some dam-age.

Kelly doesn't fit the mold of past Pilgrimrunning backs. In each of the previous twoyears, the Pats moved a lineman to runningback and ran with a bruising style. Kellyisn't a big back but he has the mindset to fitright in.

"When I'm running, I just think it's meand the other person," Kelly said. "I don'tthink, 'I'm going to get stopped' or 'Oh, he'sreally big.' I just think I'm going to runthrough them hard no matter what."

It's working. Against Rogers, Kellyrushed for 105 yards and a touchdown. Heled all rushers in the regular-season finaleagainst Toll Gate, rushing for 89 yards and atouchdown on 17 carries. He also returned akickoff for a touchdown.

"The more looks he gets, the better hegets," O'Connor said.

Kelly will try to keep the improvementgoing on Thanksgiving.

Whatever happens, he's just happy tohave the chance.

"Nowadays, you see a lot of kids quit,"O'Connor said. "They don't realize you haveto earn your time on the field. He earned histime."

- W.G.

3 Robert Quaine SO7 Taylor Stringfellow SR8 Chris Fitta SR11 Robert Ciaramello JR12 Nick Burns JR14 Zachary Ponte JR21 Mike Turchetta JR23 Michael Kelly SR24 Davien Brown SR27 Jett Rison JR33 Jaden Dominski SO42 Craig Bacon SR52 Nathan Brice SO53 Michael Pereira SO54 Henry Cascella SO55 Oluwasean Akinnostu JR57 Gregory Birmingham SR58 Austin Lemire SR59 Daniel Johnston JR60 Robert Allen SR62 John Hudson SR63 Evan Broccoli SO65 Gage Potter SR67 Zachary Miller SO70 Griffin Potter SO71 Jacob McMullen JR72 Joe Borges SO78 Nadir Qudir SO81 Kevin Blanchette SR82 Steven Medeiros SR89 Derek Hernandez SO

Head Coach: Tom O’ConnorAssistants: James Stringfellow, Alex Torres,Bill King, Dan Ford, Jim Hovey


Smithfield 33, Pilgrim 12 (Non-League)Shea 35, Pilgrim 0North Kingstown 49, Pilgrim 14Cetnral 47, Pilgrim 6West Warwick 41, Pilgrim 6Coventry 41, Pilgrim 14 (Non-League)Cumberland 43, Pilgrim 0Rogers 40, Pilgrim 13St. Raphael 34, Pilgrim 6Toll Gate 28, Pilgrim 20 (Non-League()

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Gage PotterSeniorTE“If he can block well andget a seam, a little holefor Mike Kelly, we'll bein good shape.”- Tom O’Connor

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Kelly making the most of big opportunity

MIKE KELLY

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Wide receivers typically can't playthrough hand injuries, for obvious reasons.If the injury is one that requires a soft castfor protection, forget it. Most receiverswouldn't even bother suiting up.

Nick Ferry isn't most receivers. TheCranston East senior hurt his hand in a late-season game against La Salle. It wasn't bro-ken but there was some nerve damage thatwould take a little time to heal. The nextweek, though, Ferry was in uniform againstSouth Kingstown. His hand was in a cast buthe was perfectly willing to perform one ofhis other many duties - he punted four timesagainst the Rebels, which helped East win23-17 in a game where field position waskey.

"He's such a valuable weapon to us," saidEast head coach Tom Centore. "He's a greatreceiver, but that night, if he could just punt,that's what we needed. It was hard to catchthe ball but he did it and he made somegreat punts for us."

It was all in a day's work for Ferry, who'sbecame a jack of all trades in his time withthe 'Bolts. He was a quarterback on hisfreshman team and a wide receiver the nextyear. He's played some running back andhe's now one of the team's back-up quarter-backs. Last year, he started punting and hetook on the job full-time this season. Hecould kick extra points if need be, and hereturns punts and kicks, too.

"He's the old-fashioned, just do whateveryou need kind of player," Centore said. "Hecan do everything."

When he was the freshman quarterback, itwasn't so much his arm that stood out, buthis legs. He was one of the fastest players onthe team, and that earned him a varsity shotthe next year. In the seasons since, he's con-tributed wherever needed.

"I started out as a quarterback as a fresh-man," Ferry said. "As I moved up, I startedgoing slot receiver, wide receiver, even run-ning back a little bit."

This year, East has a host of talented widereceivers and quarterback Alex Corvese hasspread the ball around. Ferry has made themost of his chances, with three of his fivecatches going for touchdowns. He's totaled122 yards receiving.

Punting has become a big part of hisgame, as well.

"His improvement as a punter has beenoutstanding," Centore said. "He's been asgood as anyone we've had here. It's been abig plus for us."

Ferry wasn't sure how he'd do as a punterwhen he started working on it last year, buthe's been pleasantly surprised. In the SouthKingstown game, his final punt pinned theRebels inside their own 20 when they weredown by just one score.

"We needed a back-up punter last year soI had to step up," Ferry said. "I'm doing bet-ter than I thought I would do."

And he jumped at the chance to keeppunting, even with the injured hand.

"It was Senior Night, I was happy that Iwas still going to get an opportunity to beon the field," Ferry said. "The doctors said Ishould take it easy and take a couple ofweeks off. I kind of wanted to play andwhen coach asked me about it, I was ready."

Ferry should be fully healthy forThanksgiving and beyond. The 'Bolts haveclinched a playoff berth and will be makingtheir first Division I playoff appearance in25 years after the holiday game againstWest.

"It's been fun, being part of a good teamthat plays together," Ferry said. "That's thebig thing, really coming together as a team."

And Ferry will keep doing whatever hecan to help the cause.

"He's an old-type, just a hard-nosed play-er," Centore said. "And he's been a goodleader for us this year. I'm very impressedwith what he's been able to do."

- W.G.

1 Marven Beauvais JR2 Nicholas Ferry SR3 E. J. Isom SR4 Matthew Rodriguez SR5 Terry Thompson SR6 Kelvin Duran SR7 Darwin Portes SR8 Melvin Paniagua SO9 Matt Marshall SR10 Adrian Collum SR11 Tyler Sullo SR12 Alex Corvese JR13 Osa Suos SO15 Darrio Carter SO16 Jimmy Saab JR17 Logan Mcconaghy SO18 Cedric Kyei SO19 Daniel Cornelio JR20 Anayimi (Isi) Ayeni JR21 Marquem Monroe SO22 Brayan Diaz SR23 Jessy Taveras SO24 Armand Lucchetti SO25 Mario Negron JR26 Christopher Correia SR27 Brian Venditelli JR28 Matthew Huy JR29 Michael Castillo SO30 Johny Phonephanh SR31 Luis Lopez SO32 Joseph Coste JR33 Mike Wheelock SO34 Michael Baptista JR35 Danewrys Tejeda SR36 Jonathan Lopez JR38 Nicholas Ngourn SO39 Arian Bodden SO40 Edward McKeon SO41 Hansel Ventura SR42 Tyler Bast JR43 Leudis Delacruz JR44 Justin Scheer JR45 Tuti Wehjla SO47 Richie Vargas SO48 Bruce Soscia JR50 Onassis Martinez JR51 Carl Nordstrom SR52 Eric Gomes SR53 Eric Almonte JR54 Blake Doyon SO55 Matthew Corey SR56 Derek Mott SR57 Nick Sawaia SO58 Austin Stadelbauer JR60 Wandy Jimenez JR64 Kenny Irizarry JR65 David McCormick SO68 Jeremy Muinde-Pires SO69 Juan Sandoval SR70 Andrew Paquin SR71 Marc Kosinski SO72 Adam Habershaw JR73 Josh Santos JR74 Dale Rodriguez JR75 Greg Scott JR77 Michael Raspberry SR78 Dashesky Pena SO79 Taylor Provost SR80 Max Bloom SO83 Tyler Edwards SR84 Amir Pettiway SO86 Haval Sindi SO87 Hanfernee Fiallo JR88 Dillon Foss SR89 Santiago Nino SR


East 41, Toll Gate 12 (Non-League)East 21, Tolman 13East 41, Barrington 18East 40, Central Falls 0 (Non-League)East 42, East Providence 20Hendricken 21, East 14East 51, Portsmouth 47La Salle 41, East 13East 23, South Kingstown 17

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Marquem MonroeSophomoreRB/DB“He's as good as anybody,and this could be a break-out game. When he getsgoing, I wouldn't want toplay against him.”- Tom Centore

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Ferry willing to do it all for Cranston East

NICK FERRY

Head Coach: Tom CentoreAssistants: Michael Giblin, Isaiah McDaniel, KenSimone, Jason Ward, Jeff Durand, Joe Madonna,Rafael Medina, Dan Perry

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The Cranston West running game has hadthree components for as long as Steve Stoehrhas been the head coach. Usually, betweenthe fullback and the two wing backs, carriesare split pretty evenly.

This season, with only one member of lastyear's backfield returning, and with a host ofother players not quite ready to take over afeature back role, the Falcons amended thesituation.

They still run the Wing-T, and there arestill three backs, but more often than not theball is going to one runner - Joe Ceraldi.

Ceraldi, a senior, is the one returner toWest's backfield. He started at wing backduring the tail end of his sophomore seasonand his entire junior season. And more thanany running back West has had in recentyears, he shoulders the load.

"I think he likes it," Stoehr said. "I thinkhe's done a very solid job. In the beginning ofthe year I don't think I ran him enough. Ireally started running him after we startedlosing a few games."

Ceraldi's increased workload has coincid-ed with West's rise in the Division I stand-ings. The Falcons started out 0-4 and havenow won three in row - plus a non-leaguevictory over Dennis-Yarmouth, Mass. - toturn their season around.

Now at 3-4, West can win on Thanksgivingto reach .500. Though they'll be missing outon postseason play no matter what, gettingback to 4-4 would still be an impressive feat.

"The beginning of the year was a little bitshaky," Ceraldi said. "The offense started toclick in the middle of the year, and it got a lit-tle better."

One reason for the turnaround andincreased workload was Stoehr's decision tomove Ceraldi from wing back to fullback.

It seems like an odd position choice for a

player of Ceraldi's size, as he's not physical-ly imposing, but it's worked. Ceraldi's speedhas been a useful tool coming out of thebackfield, and it's given West a jumpstart.

"People say he's real little," Stoehr said."Well he carries the ball 20, 22 times a game.He's tough."

Ceraldi's value to the team's success wasnever more evident than in West's September28 game with undefeated La Salle.

He ran for 128 yards on 22 carries, includ-ing a touchdown, against one of the bestdefenses in the state. The Rams, who are theNo. 1 ranked team in Rhode Island, had touse a furious fourth-quarter rally to escapewith a 28-17 victory.

No team has come closer than 17 pointsagainst La Salle this year besides the Falcons.

"Unfortunately for us, he's a senior,"Stoehr said. "But he's pretty solid. In the LaSalle game he was unbelievable."

There are some other players in West'sbackfield that will likely get some toucheson Thanksgiving, including AnthonyMeola, Isaiah Alvarez and RackwonKisilywicz.

But in the Falcons' final game of the sea-son, they will be relying on their feature backto handle the bulk of the work and to pro-duce - just like they have for the majority ofhis senior season.

"I like it better," Ceraldi said. "I like havingthe ball in my hands a lot. It's because coachmoved me from wing back to fullback. I likehaving control of the game."

- Kevin Pomeroy

1 Jeremy King JR2 Michael Foley JR4 Damien Andrus JR5 Joseph Ceraldi SR6 Rafael Gardiner SR7 Domenic Antonelli SR8 Matthew Downing SR9 Steven Furtado SO10 Jeff Grover SR11 Brendon Iannelli JR12 Juan Ramirez SO13 Ted Diehl SR14 Anthony Meola SR18 Alex Cortellessa JR20 Stefano Marziale SR21 Gersham Rainone SO22 Brandon McDonnell SR23 James Diehl JR26 Jared Santoro SO27 Rackwon Kisilywicz SO28 Jake Moretti JR29 Jonathan Hernandez SO30 Brandon Colon SO31 Christopher Santilli JR32 Devin R. LaPlume SO33 Jared Tirocchi SO34 Mazen Taman SO35 John Petrocelli SO36 Dylan Reinsant SO37 Alexael Martinez SO39 Isaiah Alvarez JR41 Alec Totten JR42 Brandon Langley JR44 James Hammond JR50 Anthony St. Laurent SR51 Nicholas James JR52 Dantes Carrasca SR53 Joseph Pelosi SR54 Paul Biello SO55 Richard D'Amico SR56 Michael Lonardo JR57 Mohammad Y. Kattan JR58 Arys Tavarez JR59 Lawrence X. Cusack JR61 Nicholas Russo JR63 Zachary Lussier JR64 Sean Perrino SO67 Elvis Sena SO68 Tim Thomas SR69 Dylan Oulette SO71 Michael Igoe SR72 Stephen Ohsberg SO73 Nicholas Porreca JR74 Guiseppe Creta SO75 Domenic DiSandro JR76 Anfernee Thompson JR78 Jeremy Wilner JR79 Anthony Caetano SR82 Olusayo Banjo JR83 David Anthony SO84 Michael Q. Pierce SO85 Tevin Goins SR87 Marwan Taman SR88 Matthew DeBalsi SO90 Giavani Valente SO

Head Coach: Steve StoehrAssistants: Corey Capirchio, Rob Malo,Thomas Milewski, Richard Aitchison, ErikBaccari, Justin Erickson, Mike Fitzgerald,Bob Izzi


West 12, Cumberland 6 (Non-League)Barrington 14, West 0Portsmouth 33, West 7La Salle 28, West 17Hendricken 36, West 0West 7, South Kingstown 0West 16, Dennis-Yarmouth 6 (Non-League)West 10, Tolman 7West 19, East Providence 13

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Matt DowningSeniorDE"We put him back at defen-sive end, he's been prettygood. [Anthony St.Laurent's] been great, buthe's had a few sacks himself. - Steve Stoehr

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Ceraldi emerges as workhorse for Falcons

JOE CERALDI

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The Cranston West football teamwishes the scenario were a little bit differ-ent, but that isn't likely to affect theFalcons on Thanksgiving morning.

While East will head to the playoffs,win or lose on Thursday, West will missthe postseason - win or lose.

The teams are separated by two gamesin the standings, and if West had won onemore game or East had lost one more, theThanksgiving game would have turnedinto a play-in game for Division I's finalplayoff spot. East is 5-2, while West is 3-4.

As it is though, the teams will have toplay mostly for pride more than anythingelse. Luckily, those are really the onlystakes these two teams need when theytake the field against each other. Throw inthe fact that it's the 40th Thanksgivingmatch-up between them, and there's stillplenty of luster on the rivalry.

"It's our Super Bowl, which meansthat our kids are going to put it all on theline," West head coach Steve Stoehr said."And I'm sure his kids will put it on theline too."

There is some playoff seeding in playfor the 'Bolts, who can sweeten their post-season outlook a little bit with a win. Ifthey do pull out a victory, they'll be theNo. 3 seed in the playoffs and they'll travelto No. 2 Bishop Hendricken for a D-Isemifinal game on Tuesday.

If they lose, however, they'll fall to theNo. 4 spot, and have to travel to playunbeaten, top-ranked La Salle in the semi-

finals. "We want to win on Thanksgiving -

that's the first thing," East head coach TomCentore said. "What comes with it is a No.3 seed. We certainly want to be the highestseed possible, and we want to be playingour best. You don't want to go into a play-off game with a loss."

While the records would indicate thatEast should be the favorite, West has cer-tainly narrowed the gap between the twoteams in recent weeks.

The Falcons had a brutal early seasonschedule, and started out 0-4 in D-I playwhile nearly upsetting La Salle in theprocess. Since then, they've won three in arow and are playing their best football ofthe season. Most recently, they beat EastProvidence 19-13.

Led by defensive end Anthony St.

Laurent - who has emerged as one of thebest defensive players in the state - theirdefense has allowed the third-fewestpoints in the division, and the steady run-ning of Joe Ceraldi has helped the offensecontrol the clock. Points haven't come inbunches, but that unit has done enough toget the job done.

It's been a recipe for success lately."No. 1, I think you have to stop the

kid Ceraldi," Centore said. "He's a very,very good back. Defensively, they've beenoutstanding. They've been as good as any-body. They don't give up a lot of points."

On the other side, East had a schedulethat was almost the polar opposite of theFalcons. The 'Bolts played some of thelower teams in D-I early on, began 4-0 andhave since lost to Hendricken and La Salle.

But, even with a couple of losses, East

is still very much a Super Bowl contender.It boasts the third-highest scoring offensein the division, and it's proved itself in avariety of ways.

Against Tolman early in the season,the 'Bolts used a strong defensive effort tooutlast the Tigers 21-13. Later in the year,they rallied from a 25-point deficit andoutgunned playoff-bound Portsmouth51-47. In their most recent game, theyovercame a less-than-perfect performanceto beat South Kingstown 23-17 and clincha playoff spot.

When things have clicked for East atcertain points this season, they've lookedas good as anyone in the state. Betweenquarterback Alex Corvese, receiversMarven Beauvais and Nick Ferry and run-ning backs E.J. Isom and MarquemMonroe, there are weapons all over thefield.

"I think East in space is pretty good,"Stoehr said. "They've got good runningbacks, good receivers. Their quarterback isreally, really good."

It all adds up to a game that bothteams desperately would like to win,whether it's for bragging rights, playoffpositioning or both.

"The rivalry is still there," Stoehr said."Me and Tommy both work at a camp inthe summer. We coach the same kids. It's agood rivalry. We tell our kids to go outand play hard, and that's all you can ask."

- K.P.Prediction: East 24, West 14

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EAST VS. WEST, THURSDAY, 10 A.M. CRANSTON STADIUM

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PILGRIM AT WARWICK VETS, THURSDAY, 10 A.M.

,1�31(0�)(/10.�0+)1-�01810-12�9+0��(/-�(,2��(,1-Last year, the Pilgrim football team

missed out on the playoffs when it lost toMt. Hope in its finale. This year, theWarwick Vets football team was in thesame situation, falling to the Huskies witha playoff spot on the line.

Will the similarities extend intoThanksgiving? That Pilgrim team lost to anupset-minded Vets squad last year. ThisVets team will be trying to avoid an upset,while Pilgrim will be trying to spring one.

"It's the same situation, even down tolosing to Mt. Hope to miss out on the play-offs, so the similarities are pretty eerie," saidVets coach Bryan Nappa.

This year's match-up will be the 50thThanksgiving meeting between the schools.They've been closer in the standings in pastmeetings - Vets sits at 4-6, while Pilgrim is0-10 - but when the Pats and 'Canes meet,records tend to go out the window.

"I've been saying it for years now -Turkey Bowl is different," said Pilgrim

coach Tom O'Connor. The 'Canes will be trying to recapture

the form that helped them stay in the play-off mix for the first time since 2008. Whilethey've lost three straight, their big winsover Chariho and Westerly stand out as theblueprint.

"Those two games, we played perfect

football and it showed," Nappa said. The 'Canes figure to rely heavily on

senior running back T.J. Boyajian, who hasrushed for 1,190 yards and eight touch-downs.

"This is his last game as a senior andhe's really looking to shine," Nappa said.

On the other side, a young Pilgrim

team hasn't yet seen its improvement showup on the scoreboard. Thanksgiving wouldbe a good time for it.

"If you're going to pick one to win, thisis the one," O'Connor said.

O'Connor will be looking for improve-ment from his defense on third and fourthdowns. The offense will need a big dayfrom Mike Kelly and some quick decisionsin the pocket from sophomore quarterbackRob Quaine.

"Offensively, we have to start out likewe finished against Toll Gate," O'Connorsaid.

But Vets will be looking for its ownstrong finish.

"You always want to end on a highnote, and this year is the 50th anniversarygame, so that's another thing at play,"Nappa said. "It would be great for thesekids to end on a high note because theyworked hard this year." - W.G.

Prediction: Vets 34, 20

TOLL GATE AT HENDRICKEN, WEDNESDAY, 7 P.M.

�(:;-.�/6/(,-�-1/�/+�01,1:�068()03�9+0��-/�/6<1The Bishop Hendricken football

team has won 20 consecutiveThanksgiving games over Toll Gate, andthe Hawks will be favored to keep thatstreak going when the two teams meetagain this year.

But with Hendricken making theplayoffs each of the last four years, thegame has taken on a very different look.

For the Titans, it's the final game oftheir season, and they'll hold nothingback. Yet, for the Hawks, it's a game thatthey always want to win, but also man-age well enough so that they're healthyand ready to go for a Division I semifi-nal game that will be played the follow-ing Tuesday.

It's a balancing act for Hendricken,and the game is itself is a mixing of twoteams in very different situations.

"Our big thing is to have fun," TollGate head coach Matt Mancuso said. "Iknow they're getting ready for a playoffgame. The tougher a game we make iton them early, the quicker those guyswill be out."

The Titans went 0-7 this year inDivision II-B, but did pick up a non-league victory on Nov. 10 againstPilgrim for their first win of the season.Hendricken went 6-2 in Division I and iscoming off a loss to La Salle in its mostrecent game.

The Hawks allowed the fewestpoints in all of D-I, and they'll look tokeep that trend up against a Toll Gateteam that put up the fewest points in D-

II-A. It seems like a little bit of a mis-

match on paper, but there's still urgencyon the Hawks' side. Nobody wants to bethe team that ends the long winningstreak.

"It's especially big for the seniors,"Hendricken head coach Keith Croft said."I think they want to keep the streakgoing against Toll Gate. We'd like to tryto get all the seniors to start, or at least

play significantly from the beginning ofthe game."

The game will be played onWednesday night this year, atHendricken at 7 p.m.

The Titans will be taking anothershot at snapping the streak and finishingthe season strong.

"We've got to play physical,"Mancuso. "If we go down there and letthem know that they can just run all overus, it's going to be as ugly as can be."

The Hawks, meanwhile, will be try-ing to beat Toll Gate and then turn theirfocus to a playoff game just six dayslater.

"You worry about Toll Gate a littlemore as the week winds down, gethealthy a little bit," Croft said. "We givea little extra attention to some of theyounger guys who haven't played thatmuch on the varsity team. Hopefully wecan get them out there for a little whileon Thanksgiving and then get ready forTuesday." - K.P.

Prediction: Hendricken 35, Toll Gate 6

� ��

2 Joseph Brosnahan JR3 Zachary D. Mitchell SR5 Malique D. Woods SR6 David J. Babcock SR7 Aaron Travers JR8 Bruce Soscia JR12 Daniel Smith SO20 Nicholas Lemioe SO22 Sean Vann SO23 Christopher Durand JR32 Joshua A. Thibeault JR44 Jacob Moran SO45 Jake T. Stachurski FR47 Jose E. Javier SR50 Matthew Cullen JR54 Nicholas Brown JR55 Colby K. Connell SR58 Joseph T. Mercurio JR64 Jackson Burgos JR65 Caleb Gouge JR66 Cameron Vickers SO68 Jake Lima SO70 James L. Marsella SO75 Dimitri C. Mylers SR

Duane E. Bodkin FRZachary DelDeo FRBrian M. Guertin SRAndrew R. Hunt FRRyan F. Jennings FRPatrick R. Leech FRWilliam Martorelli JRPatrick J. McMahon FRJoshua R. Mouritsen FRTuan C. Pham SOJason Silva FR

Head Coach: Matt MancusoAssistants: Joe Ucci, Mike Soto, AlexMendes, Pat McAteer, Zach Furtado, SteveHaley, Norm Houle

��

Jackson BurgosJuniorOL/DL“He didn't really knowwhat a football was lastyear, and he's come outand worked hard. He's abig kid and a good athlete." - Matt Mancuso

��

Javier stays the course in tough TG season


Cranston East 41, Toll Gate 12 (Non-League)Vets 26, Toll Gate 6Coventry 37, Toll Gate 12Johnston 40, Toll Gate 0Westerly 34, Toll Gate 6Ponaganset 34, Toll Gate 12 (Non-League)Woonsocket 34, Toll Gate 0Mt. Hope 35, Toll Gate 6Chariho 40, Toll Gate 20Toll Gate 28, Pilgrim 20 (Non-League)

��

Not many things have gone right so far thisseason for the Toll Gate football team. And asthe season wore on and the losses piled up,Toll Gate's roster began to shrink. Playersquit, others stopped showing up. On analready small team, that didn't help mattersgoing forward. Luckily, the team also hadplayers like Jose Javier.

Javier, a senior running back and defensiveend, didn't step away from the team when itbecome apparent that wins weren't going tobe easy to come by. Instead, his role increased.

He plays every play on both sides of theball, and also returns kicks. He almost neverleaves the field, and that's the way he likes it.

"When you're a back and you're down 38-0and you're getting killed all game long, andyou're still working as hard as you did in thefirst quarter, it's a tribute to how great a com-petitor and an athlete he is," said coach MattMancuso.

As the season wore on, Toll Gate started toplay a little bit better. On Nov. 10, Toll Gatepicked up its only win of the year with a 28-20 victory over Pilgrim. Javier was a big factor

in the outcome, rushing for 71 yards and atouchdown while excelling on defense.

"Just disregard what everyone else says,what's going on around you," Javier said. "I'mjust playing football and working hard andrunning the best that I can."

Earlier in the season, while Toll Gate'sstruggles were at their height, Javier's unclepassed away and he went down to Florida.

Missing that week's game against Mt. Hopewould have certainly been understandable,but Javier did all he could to get home in timefor the game.

"He was not at practice all week,"Mancuso said. "He tried to get back andcome right to the game. He was texting meall week to see how the team was doing.”

His flight home was delayed and he didn'tmake the game, but the sentiment was there.

Javier has consistently tried to do whateverhe can to help the team, every step of the way.

"It's been very tough," Javier said. "I think itbrings the team closer together.”

The Titans didn't qualify for the playoffs,meaning their season will come to an end on

Thanksgiving when they take on Hendricken.Though it'll be a tough task to keep up with

the Division I-playoff bound Hawks, that'snot really what Javier and his teammates arethinking about.

They'll just keep working hard, grindingout practices and hoping that it pays off inone way or another on the field.

"We want to prove something to them,”Javier said. “We're not just there so they cankick us around. We're a team." - K.P.

JOSE JAVIER

Happy Holidays from J & S AUTO REPAIR

51 KENT AVENUE, WARWICK (In the Apponaug section) 401-732-6070

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Two separate moments during MarcoDelVecchio's career at Bishop Hendrickenhelped elevate him to one of the top defensiveplayers in the state.

They both came last season, during his jun-ior year. The first was a decision - mademutually by DelVecchio and the coachingstaff - to switch from the quarterback positionto other spots on the field.

DelVecchio had played quarterback on thefreshman team and also for the junior varsityteam, but with a slew of talented playersalready in line for the quarterback job goingforward, DelVecchio was going to have to geton the field another way.

"He came in and he had every goal of beingthe quarterback at Bishop Hendricken," Croftsaid. "We saw him throw and we said, 'Thismight not work.' To his credit, he just workedso hard to be a linebacker and a safety and atight end. He's done everything for us."

He put on weight, worked on his speed andfocused on embracing his new role.

Then the second moment happened. WithHendricken's defense having a few problemsas last season wore on, Croft decided to giveDelVecchio his first start in a rain-soakedgame against Portsmouth with playoff ramifi-cations.

Needless to say, it paid off."He had a great game against Portsmouth

in a monsoon," Croft said. "And the rest is his-tory."

DelVecchio remembers it too. Most of itanyway.

"I was just going off," DelVecchio said. "Ibelieve I had five sacks, probably 20 tackles. Iblacked out halfway through the game and Iwas just tackling people left and right. It wasa close game, it was in the mud - terribleweather. I was only a junior, so I had to step itup that game, and I did."

Since that point, DelVecchio, now a senior,has emerged as the leader of one of the bestdefenses in the state. Hendricken allowedonly 107 points this season in league games,tops in Division I.

DelVecchio wasn't necessarily a natural starfrom day one, but hard work more than any-thing else has helped DelVecchio grow intohis role for the Hawks. He currently leads theteam with 72 solo tackles and 112 total. Thenext closest tackler is defensive tackle MarioMcClain with 40 solo and 59 total.

"There's a difference between talent andskill," DelVecchio said. "Talent, you're bornwith it. Skill is just hours and hours of work-ing on your craft. I believe that hard workbeats that talent when that talent isn't work-ing hard."

DelVecchio has also helped out the offensefrom the fullback and tight end spots, and he'shad two receiving touchdowns so far this sea-son.

Now, as his high school career is windingdown, DelVecchio is focused on going out instyle. He wants to lead Hendricken to its thirdconsecutive Super Bowl championship.

"He has a lot of pride wearing these goldhelmets," Croft said. "Hendricken footballmeans a lot to him. He's just been a greatleader."

After that, there's more football on tap. He'sbeen named to the USA under-19International Bowl team, and will play thatgame early next year.

Then it's college, as DelVecchio has gonefrom mid-season stop-gap at linebacker tocoveted college recruit for a variety of pro-grams at different levels.

He projects as a safety, and has drawn inter-est from schools such as Holy Cross, Brown,Penn State, Elon University, the University ofSan Diego and Illinois, among others.

It makes sense, given how he has capital-ized on his chances, and how much time,effort, position-changing, and hard work hasgone in to making him one of Rhode Island'spremier defensive players.

"He's worked so hard," Croft said. "He'sworked so hard since his freshman year. He'sthe type of kid that you hope these youngerguys emulate." - K.P.

1 Marco V. DelVecchio SR2 Terrence Gibbs SO3 Jehvine P. Quaweay SO4 Romario R. Rousseau SR5 Mitchell S. Lucci JR6 Patrick B. Gill JR7 John F. Toppa SO8 Anthony M. Markey SR9 Jarrid R. Witherspoon SR10 Patrick T. McDonald JR11 Anthony J. DiMauro SO12 John J. Arruda SO13 Brandon J. Kenyon JR14 Joseph L. Proulx SR15 Power Kanga SO16 Nathan Gyampo SO17 Caleb A. Burdick SR18 Bryce M. Famiano JR19 Michael G. Scarcella JR20 Matthew C. Duffie SO21 John F. Larkin JR22 Remington B. Blue JR23 Lee Moses SO24 Jonathan A. Petteruti SR25 Dylan E. Filipe SO26 Gary G. Gibbs SO28 Daniel J. Burke SO30 Aris Angel Cuello JR32 Thomas J. StPierre JR33 Robert A. Beer SO35 Robert Lineberger SR36 Robert C. Campbell JR38 Joseph J. DeGiulio SO39 Kelsey R. Woodbine JR40 Erik D. Olson SR43 Connor M. Hurst SO44 Michael A. Cedrone SR47 Javier A. Avila SO50 Michael E. Crisione SR51 Cory D. Sloan JR52 Jake Z. Batista SO53 Griffin C. Porter JR54 Joseph C. Vincent SR55 Christopher J. Celona JR56 Joseph G. Christianson SO57 Patrick D. Thacker SO58 Nicholas J. Mariano JR59 Tyler A. Joseph SR60 Dallas J. Sauer JR63 Evan F. Nelson JR64 Edward J. Gemma JR65 Adam J. Crabtree SO66 Sean M. Kelly JR67 Michael J. Murray SO68 Nicholas J. DeCiantis SR69 Mario R. McClain SR71 Ryan I. Caldwell SO72 Samuel A. Acevedo SO73 Christian J. Wesolowski SO74 Brysen T. Monahan JR75 Timothy A. Wright JR76 James E. Bowen SO77 Donte R. Bell SO78 Robert F. Bernard SO79 Edward Barber JR80 Derek W. Wilson SO81 Bret M. Buehrer SO82 Ryan J. Torrealday SO85 Adam A. Lavallee SO88 Kazre L. Cummings SR92 Rhys J. Humphrey JR96 Zachary N. Radja SO

Head Coach: Keith CroftAssistants: Joseph Bucci, Mike Green, DavidHaddeland, Jay Hogan, John Moran,DavidPaganetti, Frank Pantaleo,Michael Sackett,Thomas Underwood, Achille Yangambi


Hendricken 36, St. Ray’s 8 (Non-League)Hendricken 24, South Kingstown 0Hendricken 42, East Providence 13Hendricken 28, Tolman 7Hendricken 36, Cranston West 0Hendricken 21, Cranston East 14Portsmouth 39, Hendricken 13Hendricken 18, Barrington 6La Salle 28, Hendricken 7

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Nick DeCiantisSeniorOT"He's a co-captain, andhe’s been our best line-man. We'll see how hedoes against the TollGate front." - Keith Croft

��

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DelVecchio leads Hawks’ hard-nosed defense

MARCO DELVECCHIO

Different parts of the game stand out for different people. For Nick Capezza, it wasthe feeling he sat with after the final whistle, knowing that he had just played his last foot-ball game.

For Peter Cardi, the memories are a little sweeter, especially the one about that oneplay that just kept working, over and over.

But everybody shares one common memory - it was a hell of a football game. The first Thanksgiving Day game between Cranston East and Cranston West was

everything that a game between two high schools that share a city should be. Thirty-nineyears ago, in November of 1973, West - coached by the late Hank Orabone - beat East 12-3.The teams were nearly identical in total yardage, and the game wasn't decided until a lateinterception returned for a touchdown by Falcons' standout Lee Higgins.

And that game, which replaced the old East-Mt. Pleasant and West-North ProvidenceThanksgiving games, produced a rivalry that has grown into one of the fiercest and mostexciting in the state. With the 40th showdown between the two teams scheduled forThursday, the total count is West 20, East 19.

Overall - just like the first game - West is winning. But it's about as close as that game

at Cranston Stadium was nearly four decades back. "It was the highlight of the year," said Cardi, an offensive lineman for West that year.

"That particular game, that was the game that really stuck in our heads. We all still talkabout it to this day."

It's easy to see why. East took a 3-0 lead into half thanks to a 17-yard field goal by JoeDiBattista.

In the second half, Higgins took over. He connected on an 8-yard touchdown pass toPete Spinelli, and then picked off East quarterback Guy Maiorano in the fourth quarterand returned it 38 yards for a score to put the game on ice.

"He was a fair thrower, but he was a good running quarterback," said Jimmy Lynch, aWest assistant on that team, of Higgins. "He could throw a good pass from a Wing-T. Onthe run he could throw the ball."

West controlled the clock during the second half largely due to one play. The 'Boltscouldn't stop it.

"Lee was the QB, he would hand it off to Bob Morvillo," Cardi said. "Bob would runthrough the hole between me and Tony Castelli."

East actually outgained West 109 to 107, but it couldn't find the end zone all game. Fora 'Bolts team that won the Super Bowl in 1972 and was 6-1-1 that year, that was uncharac-teristic.

Capezza, a senior captain playing offensive tackle and defensive end for East, remem-bers just what that felt like.

"That's my recollection of the game," Capezza said. "I was a little depressed after thegame. My final game in high school. I sat in the locker room and didn't want to put thepads away for the last time."

Capezza's co-captain, Allan Chiulli, didn't want to put the pads away either. He hadbroken his leg in the second game of the season, and was not cleared to play onThanksgiving.

But Chiulli wasn't missing a game like this. "A couple of nights before the West game, Allan put his foot in the tub and took his

cast off," Capezza said. "He took his cast off and he actually snuck in the game for a coupleof plays without the coaches noticing. [East head coach Mike Traficante] said, 'How thehell did 61 get in there? Get him out of there, he can't play!'"

The opening paragraph in the Cranston Herald's preview of that first game read likethis: "Thanksgiving Day, 1973, will bring together our two high school football teams inthe first Thanksgiving Day meeting in what we hope will be the beginning of an annualclassic."

Forty games later, it is. - K.P.

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� ��

Cranston West 12, Cranston East 3 - November 22, 1973

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East quarterback RobReardon runs for a 26-yard touchdown withtime winding down, asthe 'Bolts rally late for a14-13 victory. The win isEast's second straight inthe series.

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After losing the last twoyears, West breaks outin a big way. The Falconsscore the most pointsthey ever have in theseries, and coast to aneasy 41-7 win.

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East snaps a 7-gameWest winning streakwith a 14-3 win over theFalcons. It's the 'Bolts'first win onThanksgiving since1998.

��#West has its longest run ofdominance in the series,claiming seven straight vic-tories. The Falcons also winthe Division I Super Bowl in2004. �"""&��

East uses some late-gameheroics to escape with aclose 20-17 victory. Thewin marks East's only vic-tory from 1994-2005.

�""$West comes through with ahard-fought 8-7 win over East inone of the lowest scoringgames of the series.

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East goes on its best stretch ever, win-ning seven straight games. During thestretch, the 'Bolts also shut out Westthree consecutive times - from 1977-79.

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In 1972, Warwick's Thanksgiving Day footballtable got a little more crowded. Pilgrim and WarwickVets had been playing for nine years in a rivalry thatwas fierce from the beginning. Toll Gate and BishopHendricken were new rivals, but when they squeezedinto a seat at the table, they made themselves right athome.

With a huge crowd turning out despite freezingconditions, the Titans knocked off Hendricken 14-6 inthe first Thanksgiving meeting between the teams.

Emo DiNitto coached Toll Gate and still remem-bers how happy his players were.

"The kids were ecstatic," DiNitto said. "It wasalways a big thing for Toll Gate to play Hendricken."

That's been a defining undercurrent throughoutthe history of the Toll Gate-Hendricken rivalry. Even in1972, when Hendricken wasn't yet the athletic powerthat it is today, the Toll Gate kids always had a chip ontheir shoulder and always wanted to knock off theHawks.

The rivalry has been lopsided for the last twodecades, but that first year, the Titans got the win theywere pushing for.

"It was a big thing for the school," DiNitto said."We were very happy about it."

Toll Gate opened in 1972, and the football teamblended players from Pilgrim and Warwick Vets. In itsseason preview, the Warwick Beacon asked "Can theymold into a team fast enough?"

The Titans had an answer. "You had a new coach and new kids getting used

to a new system," DiNitto said. "It makes it a littlemore complicated, but the kids adapted very well.They molded beautifully and they developed a realpride for the new school."

And on Thanksgiving, the program picked up its

first signature win. Toll Gate didn't yet have a field so the

game was played at Pilgrim. Record coldtemperatures froze the field - "It was hardas a rock," DiNitto remembers - but it did-n't keep the crowd away. More than 2,000fans bundled up and braved the cold.

Hendricken took a 6-0 lead when quar-terback Greg Collins scored on a 1-yard runmoments after a fumbled punt by Toll Gate.But the Titans answered quickly on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Bill Brzozowskito Dave Carlson.

The ensuing point after was the game'smost memorable play. Don Shortman wasset to kick the extra point but a high snapended up going right to him. He ran to hisleft and then threw a lateral back to hisholder, Chuck Lamendola, who fired a passto the end zone that Frank Vescera caughtfor a two-point conversion.

"We couldn't make that play workagain if we practiced it all season long,"DiNitto said in a post-game interview.

The Titans stayed in front the rest ofthe way and added to their lead. DonScialla returned a punt 48 yards to theHendricken 6-yard line. Fullback Paul Appoloniascored from there, and the Titans were on their way.

After the win in 1972, Toll Gate dropped the nextfive games before winning in 1978. Hendricken wonseven more in a row until Toll Gate put together itsbest stretch in the series with six straight wins from1986 to 1991.

"We had a run," said DiNitto, who coached until1993 and later became Athletic Director for Warwick

Public Schools. That was the end of the run. Hendricken has won

20 straight Thanksgiving meetings, but even as the gaphas widened in recent years, Toll Gate has gotten closetwice in the last seven seasons, most recently in 2008.

There's still the dream of an upset, the same onethat carried the Titans 41 years ago.

"Any time we beat them," DiNitto said. "It wasspecial."

- W.G.

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Toll Gate 14, Hendricken 6 - November 23, 1972

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Doug Johnson rushes for 227yards, including an 83-yardtouchdown run that features ahurdle of two defenders, but TollGate still can't spring the upsetand the Hawks prevail 21-18.

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With snow delaying the game untilFriday, Toll Gate recovers two earlyonside kicks and races out to an18-0 lead, but Hendricken fights allthe way back to pull out the 33-25victory.

��With a lineup that featuresfuture NFL player WillBlackmon, the Hawks roll tofour consecutive shutouts.

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Toll Gate outlastsHendricken for a17-12 victory,which still standsas its last win inthe series.

�""�One of the best stretches forthe Toll Gate program in its his-tory coincides with six straightwins on Thanksgiving, includinga 28-0 triumph in 1987. �"$#&"�

After a loss in the series opener,Hendricken wins five straightgames.

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2011 - Vets 21, Pilgrim 142010 - Pilgrim 20, Vets 132009 - Pilgrim 22, Vets 02008 - Vets 42, Pilgrim 132007 - Pilgrim 7, Vets 62006 - Vets 20, Pilgrim 142005 - Vets 20, Pilgrim 62004 - Pilgrim 35, Vets 132003 - Pilgrim 24, Vets 02002 - Vets 22, Pilgrim 02001 - Vets 21, Pilgrim 72000 - Vets 19, Pilgrim 71999 - Vets 39, Pilgrim 221998 - Vets 14, Pilgrim 01997 - Vets 21, Pilgrim 61996 - Pilgrim 39, Vets 71995 - Vets 21, Pilgrim 71994 - Pilgrim 12, Vets 91993 - Vets 28, Pilgrim 01992 - Vets 14, Pilgrim 61991 - Pilgrim 12, Vets 61990 - Vets 36, Pilgrim 01989 - Vets 12, Pilgrim 21988 - Vets 20, Pilgrim 01987 - Pilgrim 41, Vets 61986 - Vets 14, Pilgrim 12

1985 - Vets 20, Pilgrim 181984 - Pilgrim 12, Vets 61983 - Vets 20, Pilgrim 181982 - Vets 7, Pilgrim 01981 - Pilgrim 14, Vets 61980 - Pilgrim 0, Vets 01979 - Pilgrim 34, Vets 81978 - Pilgrim 16, Vets 61977 - Pilgrim 17, Vets 141976 - Vets 23, Pilgrim 61975 - Pilgrim 20, Vets 01974 - Vets 21, Pilgrim 141973 - Vets 14, Pilgrim 61972 - Vets 26, Pilgrim 81971 - Vets 16, Pilgrim 61970 - Pilgrim 16, Vets 81969 - Pilgrim 19, Vets 61968 - Vets 21, Pilgrim 201967 - Pilgrim 12, Vets 01966 - Pilgrim 27, Vets 01965 - Pilgrim 31, Vets 01964 - Pilgrim 12, Vets 01963 - Vets 33, Pilgrim 6

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BY DECADES1960's - Pilgrim 5, Vets 21970's - Pilgrim 5, Vets 51980's - Vets 6, Pilgrim 3, 1 tie1990's - Vets 7, Pilgrim 32000's - Vets 6, Pilgrim 42010’s - Pilgrim 1, Vets 1

LONGEST VETS WINNINGSTREAK: 6 games (1997-2002)LONGEST PILGRIM WINNINGSTREAK: 5 games (1977-81)

SHUTOUTS BY VETS: 7SHUTOUTS BY PILGRIM: 8

LARGEST VETS WINNING MARGIN: 36 points (36-0 in 1990)LARGEST PILGRIM WINNING MARGIN: 35 points (41-6 in 1987)

SMALLEST VETS WINNING MARGIN: One point (21-20 in 1968)SMALLEST PILGRIMWINNING MARGIN: One point (7-6in 2007)

��!��

2011 - West 27, East 142010 - East 14, West 132009 - East 30, West 192008 - West 41, East 72007 - East 21, West 142006 - East 14, West 32005 - West 20, East 02004 - West 19, East 02003 - West 41, East 02002 - West 33, East 142001 - West 14, East 122000 - West 39, East 71999 - West 28, East 81998 - East 20, West 171997 - West 23, East 91996 - West 27, East 01995 - West 29, East 131994 - West 33, East 61993 - East 24, West 01992 - West 6, East 01991 - West 18, East 61990 - East 7, West 0

1989 - East 26, West 71988 - West 14, East 131987 - East 37, West 201986 - East 14, West 61985 - West 14, East 131984 - East 12, West 01983 - East 20, West 61982 - West 7, East 61981 - West 20, East 121980 - East 21, West 61979 - East 14, West 01978 - East 22, West 01977 - East 27, West 121976 - East 31, West 81975 - East 27, West 01974 - East 10, West 71973 - West 12, East 3

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BY DECADES1970's - East 6, West 11980's - East 6, West 41990's - West 7, East 32000's - West 7, East 32010’s - East 1, West 1

LONGEST EAST WINNINGSTREAK: 7 games (1974-80)LONGEST WEST WINNINGSTREAK: 7 games (1999-2005)

SHUTOUTS BY EAST: 6SHUOUTS BY WEST: 5

LARGEST EAST WINNING MARGIN:27 points (27-0 in 1975)LARGEST WEST WINNING MARGIN: 41 points (41-0 in 2003)

SMALLEST EAST WINNING MARGIN: One point (2010)SMALLEST WEST WINNING MARGIN: One point (Three times;1988, 1985 and 1982)

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2011 - Hendricken 31, Toll Gate 02010 - Hendricken 19, Toll Gate 02009 - Hendricken 26, Toll Gate 62008 - Hendricken 21, Toll Gate 182007 - Hendricken 35, Toll Gate 82006 - Hendricken 42, Toll Gate 62005 - Hendricken 33, Toll Gate 252004 - Hendricken 35, Toll Gate 22003 - Hendricken 9, Toll Gate 62002 - Hendricken 22, Toll Gate 62001 - Hendricken 27, Toll Gate 62000 - Hendricken 27, Toll Gate 01999 - Hendricken 35, Toll Gate 01998 - Hendricken 29, Toll Gate 01997 - Hendricken 31, Toll Gate 01996 - Hendricken 26, Toll Gate 121995 - Hendricken 48, Toll Gate 81994 - Hendricken 33, Toll Gate 131993 - Hendricken 31, Toll Gate 01992 - Hendricken 7, Toll Gate 61991 - Toll Gate 17, Hendricken 121990 - Toll Gate 7, Hendricken 6

1989 - Toll Gate 16, Hendricken 81988 - Toll Gate 21, Hendricken 201987 - Toll Gate 28, Hendricken 01986 - Toll Gate 25, Hendricken 131985 - Hendricken 21, Toll Gate 201984 - Hendricken 31, Toll Gate 141983 - Hendricken 25, Toll Gate 61982 - Hendricken 7, Toll Gate 01981 - Hendricken 13, Toll Gate 61980 - Hendricken 7, Toll Gate 61979 - Hendricken 7, Toll Gate 01978 - Toll Gate 25, Hendricken 01977 - Hendricken 22, Toll Gate 01976 - Hendricken 20, Toll Gate 151975 - Hendricken 27, Toll Gate 01974 - Hendricken 26, Toll Gate 131973 - Hendricken 21, Toll Gate 01972 - Toll Gate 14, Hendricken 6

BY DECADES1970's - Hendricken 6, Toll Gate 21980's - Hendricken 6, Toll Gate 41990's - Hendricken 8, Toll Gate 22000's - Hendricken 10, Toll Gate 02010’s - Hendricken 2, Toll Gate 0

LONGEST TOLL GATEWINNING STREAK: 6 games(1986-91)LONGEST HENDRICKENWINNING STREAK: 20 games(1992-2011)

SHUTOUTS BY TOLL GATE: 2SHUTOUTS BY HENDRICKEN: 12

LARGEST TOLL GATEWINNING MARGIN: 28 points (28-0 in1987)LARGEST HENDRICKENWINNING MARGIN: 40 points (48-8 in1995)

SMALLEST TOLL GATEWINNING MARGIN: One point(Twice; 1990 and 1988)SMALLEST HENDRICKENWINNING MARGIN: One point (Threetimes; 1992, 1985, and 1980)

Turkey Bowl 2012

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