Eric Rueb knows who's going to win Super Bowls this fall. Read this column and you will, too.
So who will win Super Bowls this year?
I told you back in September who I thought would make the playoffs and win titles in Division I, II, III and IV. Then football happened.
All told, the picks weren’t bad. In D-I, I had Central in third and NK in fourth, but got the Hendricken-La Salle order correct. In D-II, I hit six of eight playoff teams and, while Barrington and Cumberland may end up playing, it just won’t be in the round I thought.
Division III-A saw me hit three of the four correct seeds and missing the fourth, I made a note that I hated leaving Tolman out. I got three of four on the other side and my Super Bowl winner and two of my semifinalist predictions can still be correct (but that could change Friday).
As a D-IV whisperer, I hit three of four playoff teams and that fourth team, Smithfield, could still qualify. While I correctly predicted an Exeter-West Greenwich-North Providence playoff matchup, it’ll be the 2-3 instead of the 1-4.
With the postseason starting Friday, we’re going to give picking Super Bowl champs another shot. Trust me, it’s so much easier when you know the teams who are playing.
Division I Playoff Prediction
Having seen three of the four teams, there’s no reason for me to change my mindset. Next weekend’s Division I playoffs seem eerily predictable — Hendricken will overpower Central in the second half and La Salle’s run game will prove too much for North Kingstown to handle.
In the Super Bowl, I’m not going to overthink this. La Salle is a good team, but with Jayden Falcone injured, Hendricken is going to win the way it prefers, by playing four quarters of smashmouth football.
RUEB’S DIVISION I SUPER BOWL CHAMP: Hendricken
Division II Playoff Prediction
One side of the bracket is significantly more difficult than the other. Cumberland won’t mind the challenge. I expect the Clippers to do what they’ve done all season and take down Portsmouth. I really want to take Burrillville over Westerly, but the Broncos haven’t had a second to breath to get to this point. At some point, winning close games every week has to wear on a team and, with Westerly starting to click, I think this is a night during which Landon Husereau shows why he’s the best quarterback prospect Rhode Island has had in quite some time.
As much as I’d love to take Mount Pleasant over Barrington in an upset, the Eagles’ defense is too strong. David Rodriguez is an all-world talent, but Sandy Gorham has stopped more than a few future NFL players during his time as a coach.
South Kingstown-St. Raphael will be for football purists only, because it’s going to be 40 minutes of smashmouth football. The Rebels have the best player on the field in Amani Boamah, but I like the Saints because of their three-headed attack at running back with Damien Ocampo, Aaron Julius and Kenny Jacques.
Barrington cruises in the semifinal, regardless of who makes it. Neither team can really score with the frequency the Eagles do. Cumberland should do the same, but I think the Clippers would prefer to see Westerly over Burrillville, a team that battled them tough in the mud earlier this season. Cumberland’s ability to control the clock is why I like them over the Bulldogs.
This should be the best Super Bowl of the year. Both offenses have received plenty of praise, but I could see this being a defensive battle. Cumberland runs the ball better, but in a close game, I’m usually going to lean on the quarterback who I think is most likely to make a big play in the toughest moment.
RUEB’S DIVISION II SUPER BOWL PICK: Barrington
Division III Playoff Prediction
We can keep this real short. Whoever wins Friday’s quarterfinal game between Moses Brown and Middletown is going to win the Division III Super Bowl.
Getting to see Myles Craddock lead the Quakers to a second straight title would be fun to watch, but the Islanders do a lot of things well that MB has trouble with. Middletown likes running the ball, but R.J. Wiggins is going to be the difference-maker in this game on offense with Caleb Florendo leading a defense that needs to keep Craddock under 200 yards. Give me the Islanders.
Tolman’s second-half surge has been a great story, but I don’t know if the Tigers can win in a shootout against Johnston. The Panthers have too many weapons and get it done in every facet of the game.
Losing to Middletown is the best thing that could have happened to Lincoln. They have some advantageous matchups. Ponaganset will present problems Friday, but the Lions are better up front and in the run game and should win. As much as I’d love to take Coventry over West Warwick in Friday’s Civil War, the Oakers’ turnover issues last week are troubling. The Wizards will have the best player on the field in James Branch and that gives them an edge.
I’d love some drama the rest of the way, but I think we’re headed toward a boring finish. Middletown will continue to do what it does well in a win over Johnston, Lincoln’s run game will overpower a West Warwick defense that’s struggled against the run.
That gives us a Super Bowl between the Islanders and Lions, and the last time these two teams met, the game was over before halftime.
RUEB’S DIVISION III SUPER BOWL PICK: Middletown
Division IV Playoff Prediction
We won’t know who Davies’ opponent is until Friday night, but I don’t know that it matters. Daniel Rose is a freak and someone Tiverton and Smithfield will have trouble accounting for.
The North Providence-Exeter-West Greenwich game should be a good one. I think the Cougars have a shot, but I’m throwing all my chips in on the Scarlet Knights. Tyler Stanton is a difference maker and he’ll get EWG the win.
The story of Rose carrying Davies to a Super Bowl in the program’s fifth year of existence would be incredible. I would love to write that story, but I don’t know if I’m going to get the chance.
EWG was two plays away from beating the Patriots in September and I feel the Knights’ brand of football works in the postseason. This game will be billed (by me) as Rose vs. Stanton, but I like what EWG’s 10 other players can do and I think that’s how this game gets decided. The stars will go off, but ultimately the supporting cast will win the title.
RUEB’S DIVISION IV SUPER BOWL PICK: Exeter-West Greenwich
So there they are. My pre-playoff predictions. Can’t wait to change them next week.
Onto the picks
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3
Division II quarterfinals
No. 3-B South Kingstown vs. No. 2-A St. Raphael at Pariseau Field, 6 p.m.
This game is going to make Iowa-Northwestern look like a shootout. First team that scores wins.
THE PICK: Saints
No. 4-A Mount Pleasant at No. 1-B Barrington, 6:15 p.m.
Ready for an outlandish statement that I can’t prove but I’m going to say anyway? If these two teams co-opted with each other, they would beat Hendricken.
THE PICK: Eagles
No. 4-B Portsmouth at No. 1-A Cumberland, 7 p.m.
The biggest thing the Clippers have to overcome is their playoff legacy. Cumberland hasn’t won a playoff game of note since 2018 — we’re not counting a prelim win in 2021 — but this would certainly qualify.
THE PICK: Clippers
No. 3-A Burrillville at No. 2-B Westerly, 7 p.m.
I wish the rest of Rhode Island loved high school football the way these two communities do. Culture matters and nobody does it better than these two programs.
THE PICK: Bulldogs
Division III quarterfinals
No. 4-B Moses Brown vs. No. 1-A Middletown at Gaudet Middle School, 6 p.m.
I was trying to avoid making a trip to Aquidneck Island, but I’ll be there Friday. Why? Well, a friend from high school whose son goes to Middletown sent me a DM of the concession stand’s menu for Friday and they’ll be selling a sandwich named “The Rueb.” If you’re trying to get coverage, that’s basically cheating.
THE PICK: Islanders
No. 3-B Ponaganset at No. 2-A Lincoln, 6 p.m.
Note to all my friends in TV: You’re going to want to start your night here because, with the way these teams run the ball, this game might end before the other early games get to halftime.
THE PICK: Lions
No. 4-A Coventry vs. No. 1-B West Warwick, 6:30 p.m.
Fellow Journal sports writer Bill Koch and I have been talking about this game since last Friday with the excitement of my kids talking about Christmas. With all due apologies to Hendricken-La Salle and Westerly-Stonington, there won’t be a game played in Rhode Island that the communities want to win as much as the players do. Rivalry games are awesome.
THE PICK: Wizards
No. 3-A Tolman at No. 2-B Johnston, 7 p.m.
I’ve doubted the Panthers all season and they’ve rightfully told me how wrong I’ve been. I’m scared to be on their side in this one, because coach Jason DeLawrence’s favorite thing to do is spring an upset in the postseason everyone should have seen coming.
THE PICK: Panthers
Division IV
Tiverton vs. Central Falls at Macomber Stadium, 6 p.m.
The Tigers can make their life really simple by winning and securing their playoff spot. The last thing they want is to take an L, then have to find out their postseason hopes on the bus ride back home.
THE PICK: Tigers
Davies vs. Smithfield at Bryant University, 7 p.m.
The Sentinels know what’s on the line here, but their postseason fate rests on two things they can’t control — the Tiverton-CF game and whether or not Daniel Rose plays. If I were coaching the Patriots, I’d hand Daniel Rose a clipboard and tell him to rest up for the playoffs and enjoy the show.
THE PICK: Sentinels (unless Rose plays the whole game)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Hope at North Providence, 1:30 p.m.
The Blue Wave won’t win this game, but I’m all in on this program making the playoffs next fall.
THE PICK: Cougars
Exeter-West Greenwich vs. Scituate at Johnston High School, 6 p.m.
The last regular-season game of the 2023 high school football season and I’ll be in Cranston covering the field hockey state championships. Are we sure we can’t play this one Sunday?
THE PICK: Scarlet Knights
RUEB’S RECORD
Last week: 15-5
This season: 116-46
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Eric Rueb predicts who will win RIIL Super Bowls in D-I, II, III and IV
