Cranston East football routs East Greenwich to cap perfect regular season

EAST GREENWICH – Consider this a statement of intent from Cranston East. A perfect run through this football regular season is over. The Thunderbolts now turn their attention to the Division III playoffs, and they'll be a handful for any opponent lined up across from them over the next month. Armand Reed scored three total touchdowns and Gavin Boylan accounted for three on offense during what was expected to be a showdown Friday night at Carcieri Stadium. East Greenwich could only keep pace for a half while coming up one game shy of its own flawless trip through the opening two months. Offense and defense combined to help spark Cranston East out of sight in the second half, and this 34-7 triumph was aided by a pair of late interception returns for scores. Reed and Jadiel Melendez did the honors as the Thunderbolts blew open what was a 7-7 tie at halftime. "We knew it was going to be a dogfight," Reed said. "But honestly – clearly not. Just on to next week." Boylan's 3-yard keeper up the middle with 4:14 left in the third quarter capped a 12-play, 98-yard march from the shadow of the Cranston East goalposts. John DaCruz made a fantastic one-hand interception to turn the Avengers over out of the locker room, and the Thunderbolts picked up five first downs on their ensuing possession. Nathan Huorth hammered away for 67 yards on four carries, and Boylan called his own number up the gut to make it a 14-7 game. "We knew what we had to do," Boylan said. "We worked all week in practice just for this moment."View this post on InstagramEast Greenwich went three and out on its next possession, and Reed's punt return across midfield helped set up prime field position. Boylan led another sharp drive that spilled into the fourth quarter, and his 13-yard touchdown pass to Reed on a rollout to the left opened a 21-7 lead with 11:53 to play. "Second half the defense really played out," Reed said. "They went three and out on three drives – we were stopping them on all downs." Reed added another highlight midway through the fourth, making a leaping interception along the right hash and going the other way. He spun and weaved his way through Avengers tacklers before finding enough open space to complete a 60-yard jaunt to the end zone. It was a 27-7 cushion with 6:56 left, and the air came out of the big home crowd that filled the bleachers on its side of the field. "I just saw green – nobody in front of me," Reed said. "Took it to the sideline, stiff-armed one player – it's a touchdown from there." Melendez pulled in Cranston East's fourth interception of the half and raced 28 yards along the right sideline for the night's final score with 2:13 to play. East Greenwich (7-1) ran out the clock on its last possession, held to just a 10-yard touchdown pass by Mark Bradshaw to Christian Bussiere late in the first half. That gave the Avengers what turned out to be some short-lived momentum into the break. "Coming from the last two years, it's an honor to be part of this organization," Boylan said. "I couldn't be prouder of my guys." Reed finished with 105 total yards of offense and a pair of interceptions, but his first noteworthy play of the night was actually a negative one. The Thunderbolts (8-0) held the ball for nearly eight minutes on the opening possession and drove to the East Greenwich 7 before Reed dropped a touchdown pass over the middle on fourth down. He wasted little time finding redemption, deftly dragging his toes on a 27-yard strike from Boylan to the back of the end zone with 1:58 left in the half to make it 7-0. "My coaches were on me telling me I had to get it back," Reed said. "That drive, just move on to the next play. Get the next play." Cranston East slots in as the No. 2 seed in the upcoming playoffs while the Avengers drop to No. 3. Davies (7-1) will be No. 1 after a 40-0 win over Mount Pleasant – the Patriots, despite a 29-0 loss to the Thunderbolts in September, boast a stronger RPI rating, thanks to a pair of Division II wins over Classical and Ponaganset. That's unlikely to dampen Cranston East's pursuit of a first Super Bowl berth since 2017. "Tons," Boylan said when asked how much confidence this result would give his team. "But the job's not finished."Cranston East 0 7 7 20 – 34 East Greenwich 0 7 0 0 – 7 CE – Armand Reed 27 pass from Gavin Boylan (Jean Dure kick) EG – Christian Bussiere 10 pass from Mark Bradshaw (Harrison DeTomasis kick) CE – Boylan 3 run (Dure kick) CE – Reed 13 pass from Boylan (Dure kick) CE – Reed 60 interception return (kick blocked) CE – Jadiel Melendez 28 interception return (Dure kick) bkoch@providencejournal.com On X: @BillKoch25 This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cranston East football routs East Greenwich to cap perfect regular season