Think you know who'll play for the RI high school football championship? Think again
PROVIDENCE — Friday night wasn’t just a breakthrough for North Kingstown.
The Skippers offered the state a lesson in complementary football and shattered the established order in Division I. This alleged underdog spoiled what has become the annual Super Bowl matchup between private powers in emphatic fashion.
La Salle surrendered its title on its home field at Cimini Stadium, undone by a public bully that touched the stars. North Kingstown rolled to a 45-12 semifinal victory, punching its first ticket to a title game at the top level in 30 years.
Brayden Rogers and Victor Encarnacion each totaled three touchdowns – two passing, two receiving and two rushing. The Skippers took the lead midway through the first quarter and did nothing but add to it over the rest of the night. Not since a 1993 loss to Portsmouth in the old Class A championship game had North Kingstown earned a right to battle for the Interscholastic League’s premier crown.
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“We hadn’t played a perfect game yet,” North Kingstown coach Dave Giorgi said. “We’d had a couple good games. This week I was like, ‘Guys, something strange is going to happen.’"
This chilly evening turned late in the first half with North Kingstown holding a 14-6 lead. La Salle had possession out by midfield and went into its two-minute offense. Samuel Perry’s pass over the middle was tipped by Ryan Pattison and intercepted by Trent Sterner, who broke off a long return down the right sideline to the Rams 13.
The Skippers took over with 1:23 left and dialed up some trickery on third down. Encarnacion swept left with a handoff and pitched it to receiver Gian Iacuele on a reverse. Rogers leaked out the right side into open space, and Iacuele tossed a 6-yard touchdown pass to the quarterback. North Kingstown had a sudden 21-6 cushion into the break thanks to ‘Skipper Special.’
“We’ve had some issues getting in the end zone at the goal line,” Giorgi said. “Let’s try to change something up. If they play man, let’s go Philly Special.
“We worked on it – it looked awful the first three times. I said, ‘It’s going to work in the game.’ And they executed it.”
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This specific play came to prominence during Super Bowl LII, with Philadelphia Eagles tight end Trey Burton lofting a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles. That was part of an upset victory against the New England Patriots, and it’s been installed in playbooks throughout the sport’s landscape over the past five years. Rogers said there were two different outcomes in practice this week — an Iacuele rushing touchdown and a pass that Rogers dropped while wide open in the end zone.
“I played receiver last year, so we had it,” said Rogers, a former top target for graduated quarterback Eddie Buehler. “We knew we were going to pull it out. We practiced it all week – perfect occasion for it.”
Liam Kennett’s 38-yard field goal and Encarnacion’s interception extended the momentum in the third quarter. The Skippers took over at the La Salle 9 and Sterner raced left on a jet sweep, smashing into the end zone to open a 31-6 advantage. North Kingstown celebrated in front of its healthy section of traveling fans, and there was no way back for La Salle.
“Defense played great,” Sterner said. “Last time we played them they ran all over us, so that was a big emphasis. We had a great game plan coming in.”
The Rams (3-6) suffered a crippling blow to their offense on their second series. Terrence Campbell left with a right ankle injury after just his second carry and, with the exception of one defensive snap in the second quarter, was done for the night. The All-Stater and bright college prospect rushed for 219 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-21 win against the Skippers (6-3) during the regular season.
“He’s their guy,” Sterner said. “You saw what happened last time. It sucks that he got injured – I feel bad. He’s had a great career and he’s got another year next year.
“But yes, total confidence booster — I'll be honest. The guys started flying around after that.”
La Salle managed just 41 yards on the ground over 14 carries and committed that pair of killer turnovers. North Kingstown scored on three other occasions after forcing the Rams to give the ball back on downs.
“They were locked in,” Giorgi said. “We executed. And that’s what we talked about – tackling, execution, eliminate the big plays and run the ball.”
Bishop Hendricken will provide the opposition next Sunday thanks to a 21-20 overtime victory against Central. This is typical territory for the Hawks – they'll be making a 15th straight appearance in the championship round at Cranston Stadium. North Kingston has lifted four trophies since 2017 – one in Division II, three in the second tier of Division I – and will be looking to dispatch another longtime nemesis.
“My last two years on varsity we’ve come so close and we just fell short,” Sterner said. “It feels great to get there, but the job’s not finished yet.”
North Kingstown 7 14 10 14 – 45
La Salle 0 6 6 0 – 12
NK – Cooper Berthelot 25 pass from Brayden Rogers (Liam Kennett kick)
NK – Victor Encarnacion 6 pass from Rogers (Kennett kick)
LS – Antonio Bearden 28 pass from Grey Iannitti (kick failed)
NK – Rogers 6 pass from Gian Iacuele (Kennett kick)
NK – Kennett 38 field goal
NK – Trent Sterner 8 run (Kennett kick)
LS – Timoy Stitchell 31 pass from Jaden Moseley (pass failed)
NK – Encarnacion 2 run (Kennett kick)
NK – Encarnacion 8 run (Kennett kick)
Individual stats
Passing: NK, 12-19-0 101 (Brayden Rogers 11-18-0 95, Gian Iacuele 1-1-0 6); LS, 11-19-2 138 (Jaden Moseley 7-10-1 93, Grey Iannitti 4-8-0 45, Samuel Perry 0-1-1 0).
Rushing: NK, 31-138 (Victor Encarnacion 18-90, Rogers 7-30, Trent Sterner 3-20, Anthony Parry 1-0, Jack Diano 2-(-2)); LS, 14-41 (Charles Sayegh 7-23, Terrence Campbell 2-7, Moseley 2-6, Iannitti 3-5).
Receiving: NK, 12-101 (Sterner 6-44, Cooper Berthelot 3-39, Encarnacion 1-6, Iacuele 1-6, Rogers 1-6); LS, 11-138 (Antonio Bearden 4-62, Timoy Stitchell 4-59, Grover Moran 2-12, Sean Francisco 1-5).
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: North Kingstown stuns La Salle, heads to Super Bowls vs. Hendricken
