Kan-Jam helped North Providence football end its skid. Now, it's off to the D-IV Super Bowl
WEST GREENWICH — It wasn’t a four-hour practice or a long film session or a locker room heart-to-heart that pulled the North Providence High School football team out of its tailspin.
When the Cougars showed up to practice after their third straight defeat, they did something a little different.
“First day back, we didn’t practice. We just played Kan-Jam all day,” senior Louis Baez said, referencing the popular flying disc lawn game.
The fun and games took some pressure off. Three weeks later, it sure looks like the right button was pushed. The Cougars broke out of their slide to close the season with two straight wins, and now they’ll play for a championship. With a 14-12 victory over second-seeded Exeter-West Greenwich/Prout in Saturday’s semifinal round, the third-seeded Cougars booked a trip to the Division IV Super Bowl opposite Davies.
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“I’m so proud of our kids and our entire program, everything we’ve been working so hard for since last January when we got in the weight room,” North Providence head coach Michael Tuorto said.
The Super Bowl appearance will be North Providence’s first since 2013, when it won the D-IV title. The Cougars knew they were capable of getting back to the promised land, but they would have been forgiven if doubts began to creep in. After opening the season with three straight victories, they lost to Davies, EWG/Prout and Juanita Sanchez in quick succession.
Kan-Jam came next.
“Kan-Jam and throwing the football around, doing one-on-ones with the coaches,” Baez said. “Ever since then, we’ve been on a roll. Just positive in practice, positive in games. Every day, we just try our hardest, bring as much energy as we can. It showed us that the lows can be low, but we can always bounce back.”
The Cougars blew past Tiverton and Hope to end the regular season on a high note and lock up a playoff spot. The postseason draw sent them back to the scene of the crime - their 27-7 loss at EWG/Prout on Oct. 14 was the most lopsided in the losing skid.
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From the start, North Providence signaled that the rematch would be different. Standout running back Michael Allard started the game behind center, taking direct snaps. After runs on his first two snaps, the Cougars busted out a trick play, where usual quarterback Ben Borkman lined up out wide, then took a pitch in the backfield on a reverse. He set up to throw and fired a strike to a wide-open Baez for a 45-yard touchdown.
“We prepared for that trick play,” Baez said. “We ran it all week. Warming up before the game, we didn’t run it, didn’t want anyone to see it. We knew, third play on offense, we were going to do it.”
EWG/Prout answered with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Max LaFond to Mark Benedict. Ethan Koczwanski gave the Scarlet Knights the lead with an 18-yard touchdown run later in the first quarter.
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Missed opportunities loomed large in scoreless second and third quarters. The Scarlet Knights lost a fumble at North Providence’s 11-yard line before halftime. North Providence’s Colin Roderick caught a pass deep in EWG/Prout territory for a 20-yard gain but fumbled at the 1-yard line in the third quarter.
A defensive stop and a bad snap on a punt gave the Cougars another golden opportunity and they seized this one. Allard capped a short scoring drive with a seven-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 12-12.
The Cougars, who had missed the PAT after their first touchdown, opted to try the two-point conversion. Borkman rolled to his right and found Roderick in the corner of the end zone. After his earlier fumble, he hauled this pass in to give his team the lead.
“We talked about pride drives all season long,” Tuorto said. “When we scored the touchdown, we said right away, ‘We’re going for two.’ We have trust and faith in our kids. We have tons of trust in Colin. He’s one of our best players and there’s a reason for it.”
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With 11 minutes on the clock, EWG/Prout had three more possessions, but the North Providence defense stood tall, forcing a turnover on downs and a punt. The Scarlet Knights’ final chance began with just 1:31 left on the clock. They drove into North Providence territory but didn’t get close enough to try a field goal and were stifled on their last two snaps. Allard nearly intercepted a pass with three second left. On the final snap of the game, Baez screamed in off the edge and stripped LaFond. Adriene Franco recovered the fumble, and the celebration was on.
“Off the ball, they kept snapping it on red,” Baez said. “So I ran off the line, swiped the tackle’s arm down. I saw the quarterback’s arm up, and I just tried to hit him.”
Unbeaten Davies awaits in the Super Bowl. North Providence gave the Patriots one of their toughest challenges, falling 22-16 on Sept. 29.
“They’re a great team, undefeated team,” Tuorto said. “They beat us in overtime at our place on Homecoming. Daniel Rose is a great athlete. Coach Cabral does a great job with that program. It’s a great matchup that we’re really excited for.”
EWG/Prout was looking for its second Super Bowl trip in the past three years. The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season in second place, with their only loss coming to Davies.
“We didn’t quit. We came back. We fought hard and played down to the last minute,” EWG/Prout head coach Jim Stringfellow said. “It’s just a tough pill to swallow right now.”
The ending was emotional for the Scarlet Knights even beyond the final score. Koczwanski was injured on a hit with 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter and was eventually transported from the school by ambulance. Both teams gathered on the field as he was carted off. There was no update available immediately after the game.
NORTH PROVIDENCE 14, EWG-PROUT 12
First Quarter
N - Ben Borkman 45 pass to Louis Baez (kick failed), 8:58
E - Max LaFond 70 pass to Mark Benedict (run failed), 6:07
E - Ethan Koczwanski 18 run (pass failed), 1:07
Fourth Quarter
N - Michael Allard 7 run (Borkman pass to Colin Roderick), 10:58
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING - North Providence 119, EWG/Prout 81. PASSING - North Providence 3-6-68, EWG/Prout 9-18-97. TOTAL OFFENSE - North Providence 187, EWG/Prout 178. FIRST DOWNS - North Providence 9, EWG/Prout 11. FUMBLES-LOST - North Providence 4-1, EWG/Prout 2-2. TOTAL TURNOVERS - North Providence 1, EWG/Prout 2.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING - North Providence - Allard 25-100, TD; Juan Baez 5-21; Borkman 4-4; Roderick 1-2; Jayden Allard 1-2; Jaidon Johnson 1-(-10). EWG/Prout - Tyler Stanton 20-100; Koczwanski 6-24, TD; James Leclair 2-(-4); Jacob Roberts 1-(-8); LaFond 8-(-31).
PASSING - North Providence - Borkman 3-6-68, TD. EWG/Prout - LaFond 9-17-97, TD; Koczwanski 0-1.
RECEIVING - North Providence - Louis Baez 1-45, TD; Roderick 2-23. EWG/Prout - Benedict 2-80, TD; Roberts 3-21; Stanton 4-(-4).
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: North Providence football beats EWG-Prout, heads to Div. IV Super Bowl
