East Dominates Classical In Freshman Football, 52-14

With a 52-14 trouncing of Classical Thursday night, the Cranston High School East freshman football team clinched the Division II-East title and kept its undefeated record intact.

The Thunderbolts improved to 4-0 in the league and 7-0 overall. With only one game remaining, next Thursday against Rogers (0-3), East secured a top seed in the playoffs.

“Our players have been working very hard,” said coach Rafael Medina. “They’ve shown tremendous dedication. They don’t miss practices.”

Practice certainly paid off at the Al Morro Athletic Complex in Providence against The Purple, as the visitors dominated every aspect of the game.

East raced out to a 24-6 lead in the first quarter thanks to two touchdowns by Marquem Monroe and one by Ashford Peal.

Munroe’s first score resulted from a 25-yard run on the Thunderbolts first offensive play. Peal received a pitch on the right side to score the second touchdown. Monroe then returned a kickoff to the house for the third score. Two-point conversions followed all three plays.

Cristian Pichardo provided a ray of hope for Classical in the opening quarter with a 53-yard touchdown run.

Munroe continued to put on a show in the second quarter, scoring two more touchdowns on the ground. That give East a 38-6 advantage at halftime.

“Marquem brings it every game,” stated Medina. “He’s been our leading scorer all season.”

In the third quarter, East scored its first touchdown through the air. Quarterback Darrio Carter completed a 30-yard play action pass to wide receiver Armand Lucchetti. Once the handoff was faked to Jessy Taveras, Lucchetti found himself open with room to run.

With 7:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, East’s final touchdown was scored by Osa Suos on a 45-yard run. Logan Mcconaghy punched in the two-point conversion, making the score 52-6.

Classical’s most impressive play of the contest came with 1:56 left. Sajeeb Rahman completed a 55-yard pass to Manny Peguero. Pichardo scored the two-point conversion.

Most of the yards East accumulated in the game came on the ground.  

“We play old fashion football,” explained Medina. “We like to pound teams on the ground and keep the sticks moving. Our offensive line is phenomenal. When our running backs get to the second level, we tell them to turn on the speed.”

With close to 40 players on the roster, the Thunderbolts attack teams in waves.

“We’re a very deep team,” said Medina. “Our goal each game is to get every kid in.”

East’s goal is to also win the freshman state championship. Having outscored its league opponents 116-28 so far, that goal could become a reality in a few weeks.