Ready for another fall sports season

Fall sports practices are underway as we get prepared for another fun season of high school athletics.

It’s a little too early to have firm predictions, but here are some of my initial thoughts and storylines as we get geared up for action. Injury Fund exhibitions are slated for later this week and regular season games are less than two weeks away. Let’s have some fun.

For football, the two teams that I will be watching very closely to start the year are Cranston East and Johnston.

For the Bolts, they were moved down to Division III as they continue to rebuild their program. There have been glimpses of hope the past two years, including a late-season win over Shea last fall. Now, East has a new voice in head coach Jim Cook, who specializes in revitalizing programs.

With some young players, including Armand Northup-Reed, set to return, and in a lower division, East could be a team that takes a large step forward.

I am excited to watch Johnston in Division III as well. The Panthers lost in devastating fashion in the fourth quarter of the semis to eventual champion Middletown last season and graduated a fair number of leaders from that group.

One returner is quarterback Matt Clements, and there is perhaps no player in our coverage area that I am more excited to see this upcoming season. Clements had a breakout season last year in coach Tom Centore’s offense and has all the tools to be among the best quarterbacks in all of Rhode Island. He may not have as much to work with as NeAri Vasquez and Mike Carlino graduated, but he has the type of potential to carry a team.

Cranston West’s boys soccer team could be a lot of fun this season. After reaching the Division II semifinals last year, the Falcons were moved up to Division I for the first time in decades.

West graduated some important pieces including leading scorer Sam Naeifeh, but Division I Second Teamer Marcello Perretta will be returning home after spending last season with Bishop Hendricken. This Falcons team is going to either sink or float in Division I, and we’ll know pretty quick which it will be.

On the girls side, I will be watching Toll Gate and Johnston for similar reasons. Each team reached their respective state championships and each will be competing with new rosters.

For the Panthers, they graduated their top scorers in Kaylee Poole and Alexia DiLorenzo, as well as starting keeper Ava Waterman. The Panthers were the odds-on favorite to win the DIV title last season but were upset by Rogers in the finals.

Toll Gate fell to Westerly in the DII finals last season and will be saying bye to seniors Grace Holdridge, Adeline Areson, Katie Pale and Isabelle LaFontaine. However, the Titans will be returning a little bit more than the Panthers, as last year’s breakout weapon Shinyu Vega is back in the mix along with incoming senior goalie Alanna Pereira, who was one of the division’s top keepers.

Will Johnston be able to recover from the heartbreak with a new batch of players? Can Toll Gate maintain its spot among the DII contenders?

Field hockey turned out to be one of the most competitive sports throughout the entire calendar last year.

In Division II, the Lincoln Lions went unbeaten and cruised to the championship, but Pilgrim, Toll Gate, Cranston, Chariho and even Classical all had reasonable shots at reaching the title game.

All three of our teams – Toll Gate, Pilgrim and Cranston – have been rebuilding and saw their potential last season. All three teams will be returning a handful of starters, so we may see another dogfight in that division. Watch out for Toll Gate’s Ayla Paley, she was one of the top scorers last season and could be in the mix for all-state this time around.

For cross country, will anyone be able to beat Hendricken as it searches for its fourth-straight state title? The Hawks have been beating teams with depth, having gone multiple seasons without a first-place finisher. Last year’s top runner Jack Moretta is back with a relatively young core behind him. Hendricken is the favorite, but what is the ultimate ceiling beyond the state meet?

On the girls side, watch out for Keaney Bayha from Pilgrim. Bayha has been a top-10 runner since her freshman year and is always a threat to take first place individually.