Three Pop Warner Teams Competed for Conference Titles

This past Saturday, the Islanders competed in the Rhode Island Southeastern Massachusetts(RISMA) Pop Warner Football Conference championship games at Kickemuit Middle School in Warren.

Our Jr. Peewees, Jr. Midgets and Midgets all had a chance to bring home a RISMA title and with a win also put them into the first round of the New England Pop Warner Regional Championships with an opportunity to play the winners from Ocean State (another Pop Warner conference in Rhode Island).

We were fortunate to come away with one RISMA title, as our Jr. Peewees defeated the Portsmouth Patriots 25-0. Our other two teams played with pride and discipline but unfortunately came up short. All three teams had seasons to remember, and our Jr. Peewees continue their run to a regional and national title that will conclude in December at the Walt Disney World Sports complex.

Jr. Peewees

The Jr. Peewees (8-0-1) played against the Portsmouth Patriots and won 25-0.

The Jr. Peewees had touchdowns by Konner Kluth, Mason Gilman and Devin Russ (2). Kluth had an extra point rushing to add to the scoring. The Islanders' stout defense, which has been dominant all season, kept the Patriots on their side of the field for the entire game. Leading the defense was the entire defense, led by DJ Robinson, John Paolo, Kluth, Gilman, Russ, Justin Paiva, JP Fifer, Ezra Monteiro, Andrew Hanlon, Deonte Wray, Anthony Boyd and Erron Esquerre. 

The Islanders Jr. Peewees play the East Providence Jr. Townies on Sunday at 10 a.m. at Cranston Stadium. The winner will play a second-round New England Regional game  at Gaudet Field on Sunday, Nov. 20, against either the Southern or Western Connecticut Pop Warner Football Conference.

Jr. Midgets

The Jr. Midgets lost to the Edgewood Eagles 12-0.

Tge Jr. Midgets came up short with a hard fought game. The Islanders only allowed 12 points in the first quarter with major defensive stands the rest of the way. However, all it took was those 12 points for the Eagles to take down the Islanders in a battle of the unbeatens. 

The Islander boys gave everything they had, but it just was not enough for the tough Edgewood team. Playing well for islanders' offense was Evan Luther, Ben Brower, Erik Horton, Joe Ducharme, Kyle Dominikoski, Alex Griffin, Lance Spears, John Malone, Rhett Anderson, Madison McCall, Jared Neves. Playing well defensively was Kyle Donovan, Jon Romero, Dan Ennis, Raul Matta, Dominick Savage, Jarrett Collins, Jake O'Brien, Kamron Ayala, Tezhan Calhoun, Yuri Stone, Robert McBride, Jimmy Cathey, Josh Botelho. 

It was a tough way to go out for the team, receiving their first loss of the season, but what a memorable year for the players and coaches. 

Midgets

The Midgets lost 18-12 to the Edgewood Eagles.

From the first play to the very last play, this was a battle to the end. The Islanders' defense was able to hold the explosive offense of the Eagles most of the day. It was a very evenly matched game until the final few minutes in the fourth, where a couple of mistakes late in the game gave the Eagles an opportunity to score. For the Islanders, Jayvon Davis scored and Luis Miranda received a pass from Davis for another score. The offense was loosening up the Eagle defense most of the game with Islander running backs Isaac McCray and Isaac Garcia. 

Cheer News

On the same weekend, three of our Cheer Squads competed at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA, for the NE Regional Cheer Qualifiers. Our Jr. Peewee, Jr. Midget and Midget cheer squads all competed after advancing from the RISMA cheer competition, which was held on Saturday, Oct. 29.  

In the RISMA competition, our Midgets came in first, our Jr. Midgets second and our Jr. Peewees third. By placing, they were all invited to the NE Regional qualifiers against Ocean State, Southern CT and Western CT Pop Warner Conferences.