Cougars look to end on positive note with Thanksgiving rivalry

NORTH PROVIDENCE - It's been a season of frustration for the North Providence High School football team.

What started out as yet another promising playoff season for the Cougars quickly vanished as the team played well in spots, but always managed to give up one big play or make a mistake at a crucial time that resulted in a loss.

The team finished its season at 2-6 in Division IV, in next to last place.

But all of those frustrations will disappear if the team can regroup and beat rival Smithfield Thursday at the Sentinels' home field.

Smithfield has also struggled this season and did not make the playoffs, and the game doesn't count in the standings.

"But it's Thanksgiving," said Cougar head coach Glenn Williams. "If you don't think this game is important, just go ask all of the seniors who will be suiting up for their schools for the last time. It's the last memory they will have of high school football. In a lot of ways, this game is more important to the kids than a playoff game."

And it's still the time when former players, town folk and team supporters get together to say hello and share memories. Thanksgiving, football, rivalries and camaraderie are synonymous, said Williams.

The Smithfield-North Providence Thanksgiving Day rivalry is one of the longest-running holiday classics in the state, rivaling the East Providence-La Salle Academy, West Warwick-Coventry, Cumberland-Woonsocket and Westerly-Stonington duels.

Thursday morning the Sentinels and the Cougars will meet for the 39th straight year, this time at the Boyle complex in Smithfield. Smithfield extended its overall lead in the series to 22-15 when they beat NPH at Serio Field last year, 20-7. There has been one tie, a 20-20 contest in 1973.

The Cougars had run off two straight wins in '06 and '07 and were headed to the 2008 Division IV playoffs when the visitors surprised them. But North Providence was headed for the playoffs and did not employ all of its playbook for fear of being scouted.

The Cougars will be banking on the running of captain Mike Rossi, Marc Manfredi and Dan Dawson to pick up the tough rushing yards behind quarterback Anthony Pontrelli. When he needs to throw, Pontrelli will likely be looking for his running backs or receiver Tom Doyle.

"We've had some time since our last game and have been working on a few new wrinkles for Thanksgiving," said Williams. "We'll come up with something to try to surprise them."

Rossi has led the team in scoring this year with six rushing touchdowns, while Manfredi has a pair of six-pointers.

Defensively, the Cougars have played well in recent weeks and their 176 points allowed is in line with that allowed by several playoff teams. But it has been their inability to score that has plagued them. They've scored 92 points in eight games, the lowest total in Division IV.

"We've missed by inches on a few occasions and made mistakes or had costly penalties that killed us through the season," said Williams. "If we play to our potential and limit our mistakes, maybe the turkey dinner will taste a little better Thursday afternoon."

Chris Branch's Sentinels finished in a tie in the Division III basement with a 1-7 record, 2-8 overall, and averaged less than 13 points per game.

Smithfield players who will be suiting up for the last time in their schoolboy careers including quarterback Tim Jamieson, running backs Dan Kando, Mike Colucci, Christian Laboissonniere and Nick Podmaska, two-way linemen Max Kerwin, Chris Robenhymer, Chris Tacelli and Steve Golotto along with Corey Capece and Ryan Kennedy.

Playing their last game for the Cougars will be seniors Dan Dawson, Mike Rossi, Tom Doyle, Matt Santos, Marc Manfredi, Richard Diaz, Franz Weidinger, David St. Angelo, Joseph Castro, Mitch Vieira and Rob Bello.