Hurd helps Patriots clip Cumberland; Mariners keep scoring in bunches; Exeter/West Greenwich/Prout earns upset in D-IV
Division I quarterfinals
Portsmouth 24, Cumberland 7
The Patriots won the battle up front and All-Stater Ben Hurd took advantage, rushing for 178 yards on 19 carries and scoring two touchdowns in their 24-7 win over the Clippers.
Portsmouth scored first on a Marcus Evans’ 6-yard run in the first quarter, but Cumberland offered a quick response as Cam Pedro – who ran for 126 yards Friday – popped a 61-yarder to tie the game up.
Hurd went to work in the second quarter. The quarterback scored on a 30-yard run in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 14-7 halftime edge and after an Andrew Perry field goal made it 17-7 through three quarters, Hurd capped off the win with a 2-yard score in the fourth.
With the win Portsmouth moves on to next weekend’s Division I semifinals where it will meet North Kingstown Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Cranston Stadium. The two teams met on Oct. 15 with the Skippers beating the Patriots, 31-28, with a walk-off field goal.
Division III semifinals
Narragansett 48, Johnston 20
The Mariners found themselves in a shootout at halftime and kept firing in the second half as the defense stepped its game up in a 48-20 win over the Panthers, sending them to next week’s Division III Super Bowl.
In a rematch of a game from Oct. 22, Narragansett led 21-20 at halftime before taking over in the third quarter. Reider Fry extended the lead with a 7-yard touchdown run and Tyler Poirier later scored on a 24-yard touchdown. Fry capped the quarter with a 17-yard touchdown run that made it 41-20, giving the Mariners all the breathing room they needed to earn their second straight Super Bowl bid coming off last season’s Division IV title.
The Mariners will play the winner of Saturday night’s semifinal between Chariho and Pilgrim. Narragansett beat both teams in the regular season. The D-III Super Bowl is currently scheduled for Friday at Cranston Stadium at 6 p.m.
Division IV quarterfinals
Exeter/West Greenwich/Prout 19, Smithfield 3
The Scarlet Knights’ defense dominated an the offensive line helped them grind out long drives that ended with touchdowns in a 19-3 upset over the third-seeded Sentinels.
Exeter-West Greenwich/Prout went on two scoring drives – one in each half – that lasted over six minutes and both ended with five-yard Chris Cardolino touchdowns. EWGP’s other score came on a shorter drive, as Todd Schofield broke a 45-yard TD run.
Defensively, the Knights swarmed to the ball and didn’t let Smithfield get rolling with its run attack or air it out in the pass game. Tyler Coates, Jared Zalcberg, Anthony Defante, Christian Dimery, Tyler Stanton, Austin Hawes, Max Lafond, John Lafond and Daniel Brooks were among the defensive group that had huge games in the win.
Friday’s victory means EWGP moves on to the Division II semifinals against Juanita Sanchez/Providence Country Day/Wheeler. The game will be played next weekend but a date hasn’t been finalized.
The two teams met on Oct. 9 with the Cavaliers coming away with a 16-7 road win over the Knights.
SATURDAY’S FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Division I quarterfinals
Burrillville vs. Central at Conley Stadium, 1 p.m.
Division II semifinals
Tolman at Classical, 12 p.m.
Division III semifinals
Chariho at Pilgrim, 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14
Division IV quarterfinals
Davies vs. North Providence at Johnston High School, 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Scores and recaps of RIIL playoff games from Friday, Nov. 12 Portsmouth
