The Cranston West football team was one of the many clubs in Rhode Island to be elevated to the new Division I field after the RIIL’s latest alignment.

The Falcons had a young team last season and began to see progress as the season wore on, finishing 2-4 while grabbing wins over East Providence and East Greenwich.

Now, with a large core of returners on each side of the ball, the Falcons feel they have what it takes to thrive in their new division, which expanded beyond last year’s four-team DI.

“We want to prove that we belong here,” said quarterback Kelan Cornell, who is a team captain and four-year starter. This will be his third year under center for the Falcons.

“We know what we’re working for. With this group of guys, the talent that we have, we have what it takes to get there so we just need to show it now,” added fellow senior captain Adrian Samayoa. “Going into last year we had a lot of young kids, but with the rising freshman, the summer workouts, the weight room, we’ve really got the chemistry up. Now we’re really starting to develop as a team and getting ready to reach our goal which is to compete. We’re more organized this year.”

Cornell has been receiving loads of preseason hype as he heads into his final season. He has made it a point to stay focused on the team and put the individual shine on the back burner.

“My mom loves it, she sends me screenshots all the time. The personal accolades will come after the season, though, I haven’t done anything yet. I don’t want to be egotistical and I’m really focused on team wins and building our program, because I think we have something special,” said Cornell.

Head coach Tom Milewski added of Cornell: “He’s pretty grounded right now. He understands that everyone is going to be looking at him, but he’s used that as motivation to get better. He’s done a nice job of keeping it reigned in, I keep hearing him tell the kids, ‘we have to get better.’ He’s saying the right things and he’s being a field general.”

One Falcon that is poised for a breakout season is receiver Charlie Cornell, who became a staple in the West offense last year.

“I see him every day, we really sacrificed our summer, working together because we weren’t happy with where we were at last year. He’s the unsung hero of this team. We have a lot of those guys on this team, we have a lot of leaders,” said Kelan Cornell.

“Charlie has really come into his own. He’s done everything he could have done this offseason to emerge as a go-to receiver. I see big things for him,” added Milewski.

Milewski is confident in his roster’s experience and has been pleased with his captains’ leadership.

“We had a great offseason. They’ve worked hard and are excited to be here. Kelan and Adrian did a great job of getting guys together. They want to win a championship. They’ve set that goal. We have good experience up front and some talent in our skill positions. It’s been a good competition because we have multiple weapons that we can use and guys want those starting spots. It also can let us rest kids if we need to,” said Milewski. “I like the alignment we have (in DI), there are a lot of contending teams. Come postseason, it’s going to come down to some important games. I think it’s good.”