Football: Skippers Seize Season's First Win

After Friday night’s rainout, the Avengers annual Breast Cancer awareness “Pink Out” game was resumed on Saturday at home. Unfortunately for the Division 3 Avengers, the extra day of rest did not increase their chance for success against the Division 1 North Kingstown Skippers. The Skippers scored a big 48-13 win.

Going into Saturday’s game, the NK Skippers were winless in Division 1 for the last two years. The recent short comings did not affect the Skippers offensive intensity Saturday, however.

“NK created opportunities for themselves tonight,” said EGHS senior captain and inside linebacker Kevin Mason. “They had a dynamic offensive attack and countered their physical running game with well-timed downfield passing. They were difficult to defend.“

The truth of Mason’s words was all too evident in Saturday’s game. Starting with a 30-yard run by North Kingstown’s Alex Sabbatoni in their first offensive drive, North Kingstown exploited all holes in the Avenger’s defense throughout the night. Early on, though, it looked like EG could present a similarly strong offensive push.

Facing a 13-0 deficit in the first quarter, EG quarterback Andrew Miner threw a 50-yard touchdown to the streaking Kyle Palmer, cutting NK’s lead in half. Unfortunately, the Avengers could not capitalize on the momentum and were outscored 35-7 to conclude the game.

Author Scott Cullinane is a senior at East Greenwich High School.