Sports
Narragansett Wears Down Tiverton 16-8 in Div. III Football Game [VIDEO]
The Narragansett Mariners asserted physical dominance over the Tiverton High School football team following a shaky start and spoiled the Tigers' 2011 home opener, also forcing two key Tiger starters to the sidelines with injuries.
The football team regrouped after a rocky start Saturday night and simply overpowered host l en route to a bruising 16-8 victory in the Div. III opener for both teams.
After spotting the Tigers an eight-point lead in the first five minutes of the contest, the Mariners junked their spread offense in favor of a simple power game and it paid off as they blanked the hosts the rest of the way and physically wore them down in the trenches. Both teams are now 1-1 this year after playing non-league games a week ago.
Fullback Frank Castrovillari racked up 126 yards on 34 runs and scored two touchdowns, while quarterback Mark Griffith added 38 yards on 14 rushes and place-kicker Christian Humulock booted a field goal and an extra point as Narragansett relentlessly pounded Tiverton’s defense.
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“We started off slow, but I think our kids showed they have mental toughness and stuck in there,” said Mariner Coach Dick Fossa. “We knew it would be a tough and physical game against Tiverton and that’s what we got. We went back to playing old-time Narragansett football – control the clock, ball control and control the line of scrimmage.”
Fossa’s comments were not disputed by Tiger Coach Bob Murray.
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“We got beat up in the trenches,” Murray said. “We beat ourselves with penalties and mistakes and they just played smash-mouth football against us. We had our chances, but physically we got beat up.”
Tiverton’s prospects were severely jeopardized when running back Jacob Kapstein (who scored the Tigers’ only touchdown in the first quarter) suffered an ankle injury early in the second quarter and sat out the rest of the contest. Quarterback Trevor Pavao headed to the sidelines late in the third period after suffering a hard hit and never returned.
“That’s a big part of our offense right there,” Murray said, adding that Kapstein and Pavao will probably sit out Tiverton’s game next weekend.
The game was replete with penalties as Tiverton was whistled for 12 infractions adding up to 115 yards and the Mariners were assessed 13 fouls for 104 yards.
The night started well for the Tigers when Narragansett went nowhere on its opening series and an errant snap to punter Brian Pelletier sailed well over his head and through the endzone for a safety, putting the hosts on top, 2-0, with 10:23 to go in the opening chapter.
Tiverton marched 49 yards in seven plays to paydirt on its ensuing possession, fueled by four Kapstein runs totaling 24 yards, Pavao’s nine-yard jaunt and a personal foul against the Mariners. Kapstein plowed one-yard over left tackle into the endzone to widen the Tigers’ lead to 8-0 at the 7:10 mark.
Narragansett responded with a 14-play, 62-yard march extending into the second quarter for its first score. Benefitting from a Tiverton facemask penalty and Griffith’s seven-yard pass to Patrick Dougherty, the Mariners then ran Castrovillari on nine straight plays, the last a two-yard plunge over the goal line to dent the scoreboard. Humulock’s extra point narrowed the Tiger edge to 8-7 with 10:40 left in the second quarter.
The ensuring Tiverton drive ended with Connor Timpson’s interception of a Pavao screen pass at the visitors’ 28-yard stripe and 13-yard return. Earlier, Kapstein had galloped 17 yards to the Mariner 34-yard line, but was injured as he was being tackled and remained on the sidelines for the duration of the contest.
Late in the period, Narragansett reached the Tiger four-yard line and settled for Humulock’s 21-yard field goal to assume a 10-8 edge at halftime.
A high Tiverton snap on a punt early in the third session gave the Mariners possession at the hosts’ 12-yard line. Four punishing runs later, Castrovillari was in the endzone from one yard out to conclude the game’s scoring.
The Tigers advanced to the Narragansett two-yard stripe later in the third quarter before Pavao was injured and the Mariner defense stiffened, forcing a turnover on downs. Tiverton moved no deeper than the Narragansett 33-yard line in the final period and the Mariners killed most of the clock with Castrovillari and Griffith.
Both teams face important Division III battles next Saturday at 11 a.m. Narragansett will host Middletown High School, while Tiverton will visit Moses Brown School of Providence.
