Hawks win with familiar faces, new heroes

The Bishop Hendricken football team edged La Salle to earn its 13th state championship in the past 15 years. It’s cliché to say this, but it really was a team win in every sense of the phrase.
We all know that Hendricken’s lineup is stacked across the board, it always is, but La Salle came ready to compete last Friday night at Cranston Stadium and gave the Hawks all they could handle. I felt pretty strongly that Hendricken would win by multiple scores, but it took a late rally for the Hawks to get it done.
The usual suspects made some big plays for Hendricken. Game MVP Jeremy Seidi wrapped up his breakout season by running over the La Salle defense. Quarterback Dylan Lynch stepped up both in the running game and passing game, and the Hendricken line was pretty consistent from start to finish.
Will Mascena was a secondary weapon on both sides of the ball for the Hawks throughout the fall but all of a sudden was a key piece to their success last Friday. He helped pick up several conversions on offense and was a steady presence up front on the defense as it needed to play four quarters to shut down the Ram offense.
Then, of course, the play of the game went to kicker Scot Belford, who hit the eventual game-winning field goal from 36 yards out with 1:00 left in the fourth quarter. Belford was one of the best kickers in the state this season, but the Rams blocked an earlier field goal attempt, the field was wet thanks to rain, a lot could have gone wrong in that moment. Credit to Belford for showing mental toughness and a big-game leg in getting the job done.
Some years, Hendricken’s running backs would simply go to work and steamroll the competition. Other years, they’d have the quarterback to sling the ball around the yard for four quarters. Other years, the defense was so dominant that the offense simply just had to show up and not give the game away. This year’s championship win required every player contributing. Of course, football is a team sport and every win requires the help of all players, but this game would not have been won without such balanced contributions across the board.
It will be interesting to see what these two teams look like in 2025. The Hawks will be graduating four of their five starting offensive linemen. I have been a broken record this fall about this unit, but Hendricken’s offensive line was perhaps the best I have ever covered. Five upperclassmen, four seniors, all of which could be receiving postseason awards in the coming weeks. Losing four of those five guys will be a massive blow to the offense.
Then, of course, the quarterback. Lynch will be graduating, along with playmaker Sebastian Lora. Hendricken will be bringing back both Seidi and Mascena, as well as Sebastian Lora and Jeremy Dennis, so it will not be hurting for talent. However, Keith Croft and his staff will really need to work their magic to replace the core that it will be saying goodbye to.
As for La Salle, news broke on Monday that longtime head coach Geoff Marcone will be stepping down from his position.
The Rams will be graduating a decent sized core as well, but to see their coach heading out will be tough. The school has not yet announced plans for a successor, but it feels that the best option would be to elevate someone in house in order to try to maintain continuity. I’m not entirely sure who the most logical fit would be, but it makes sense to take the perennial powerhouse that Marcone helped build and stick to the winning formula. This is not a program that needs any sort of fixing.

Before I sign off, let me hit on one last item that has been spoken about at length in recent years. Should Cranston Stadium still be hosting the state championships for football?
There are many pundits out there that have called for the site to be moved to a place like URI, Brown or Bryant. The typical gripes about Cranston Stadium are the age of the facility as well as the parking situation.
Although I do not hate the idea of changing venues, I still struggle to see why many believe that it is a necessity. The field conditions are fine, the arena has ample seating, bathrooms, concessions. It’s centrally located in the state. I still feel that Cranston Stadium is more than capable of hosting these annual championships.
Here are my issues, though.
First and foremost, the parking is absolutely a disaster. The provided lot is filled hours before kickoff and spectators are forced to park throughout the neighborhood. The traffic jams are ridiculous and unavoidable. Unfortunately, not much can be done, but the parking issue is a big one. Even if you arrive in time to claim a spot in the lot, you will be stuck there for sometimes up to an hour. I just accepted defeat this time around and parked a few streets down.
The other issue that I have is that it still lacks the big stadium atmosphere. It’s a historic stadium with a ton of history, it’s a cool place to play. That said, though, it would be cool for these kids to get that big time college feeling. Playing at URI would be my top choice as an alternative. The best solution would be to have rotating sites, similar to the NFL Super Bowl. It would not be easy, but would solve some of these issues.

Lastly, I just want to thank the readers for tuning in each week. I wish you all a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving.