Barrington Eagles Triumph at East Providence Homecoming

Red hot on a cold night.

The Barrington High football team produced its most impressive all-around performance of the 2011 season Friday night, scoring early and often while shocking host East Providence High, 34-6, in a Division I game played at icy Pierce Memorial Stadium.

Tailback Will Brown rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Jack Ryan ran for 102 yards and two scores as the Eagles amassed 354 yards of total offense – including 328 on the ground – and tallied on their first three possessions to quiet a large EP crowd celebrating Homecoming weekend.

“Coming off a loss last week (19-14 at home to South Kingstown High), we showed a lot of character bouncing back tonight and I’m very proud of our players,” Barrington Coach Bill McCagney said. “Our offensive line has really come on this season and I thought we had a good defensive scheme to shut down East Providence’s offense.”

The victory improved the Eagles’ divisional record to 3-4 and kept alive their hopes for procuring a playoff berth. Barrington is now 5-4 overall this year.

In suffering their first home loss of the 2011 campaign and their second lopsided defeat in as many weeks (losing at Foxboro, Mass., High, 26-0 last week), the Townies slipped to 4-2 in league play and 6-3 overall. East Providence collected 281 yards of total offense, but generated just 114 yards in the first half when the game was essentially decided.

“We got our behinds kicked,” EP Coach Sandy Gorham. “They (Barrington) just  physically beat us in every aspect of the game. I can’t believe that team has lost four games this year.”

The Eagles set the tone for the night on their opening series, driving 90 yards to paydirt in five plays. After Brown and Jackson combined to run for a first down in three snaps, Brown sprinted 83 yards for a touchdown two plays later, shaking off two would-be tacklers and cleanly out-racing the Townies the rest of the way. Jack Meehan’s first conversion kick gave the visitors at 7-0 lead with 8:53 remaining in the first quarter.

Barrington drove 73 yards in five plays on its next possession, ending up in the endzone for the second time. After Jackson passed 26 yards to James Murphy for a first down, Jackson faked a handoff in the backfield and raced straight up the middle of the field, not stopping until he crossed the goal line 40 yards later. Meehan’s second extra point widened the guests’ advantage to 14-0 after one period.

Early in the second quarter, the Eagles marched 76 yards in six plays for their third score as Brown ripped off a 10-yard gain for a first down and followed with a 54-yard touchdown gallop, again eluding a couple of would-be tacklers. Meehan’s third conversion boot expanded the Barrington bulge to 21-0 with 7:44 left in the first half.

The Townies finally got untracked offensively and drove deep into Eagle territory on their next series, but came up empty. A 14-yard pass from quarterback Brandon Peters to Victor Adewusi produced one first down; Peters ran for 11 yards for another first down; and fullback Jalin Braxton bulled for 22 yards on four carries as EP reached the Barrington one-yard line on third down.

However, Sean Geiger was tackled for a three-yard loss and on fourth down, Peters gained just one yard on an option keeper as the Eagles’ defense came up with a huge stop and preserved the 21-0 edge at halftime.

Barrington put the game out of reach quickly in the third chapter. Murphy recovered a fumbled punt snap at the Townies’ nine-yard stripe and Brown plunged one yard into the endzone four plays later. Meehan’s fourth extra point stretched the cushion to 28-0 with 8:41 left in the period.

After Barrington’s defense stopped East Providence on a fourth-down play at the visitors’ 43-yard line, the Eagles moved 57 yards in just four plays for their final score. After Murphy rambled 18 yards for a first down, Brown burst right up the middle of the Townie defense and reached paydirt virtually untouched on a 36-yard scoring romp, expanding the lead to 34-0.

East Providence responded with a three-play, 76-yard touchdown drive on its next series, using a 38-yard pass completion from Peters to Eric Towne, a personal foul penalty against the Eagles, and a 19-yard aerial again from Peters to Towne (who made an acrobatic leaping grab) to reach the Barrington four-yard line. Braxton plowed over the goal line standing up to produce the game’s final score with 1:21 to go in the third quarter.

Braxon topped the Townies with 74 rushing yards on 18 carries and Peters netted 57 yards on the ground in 10 tries.

Both clubs resume their Division I schedules next Friday. Barrington will host Bishop Hendricken High of Warwick, while East Providence will travel to South Kingstown.

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