Week Five = Ram Tough
May 8th, 2022
Facing a challenging week, coming off their only loss, the La Salle Rams ran the gauntlet of week five and came out unscathed. They were even able to avenge their loss to Chariho in the process while escaping the puzzle breakers in Warwick. Jack Johnson and Brendan Pendergast were essential in week five’s success. The Skippers are lurking in week six, however the Rams host them and it’s been proven for all of the season that winning in Providence is a tall task.
La Salle: Wins over East Greenwich, Hendricken, and Chariho show the Rams have toughness. This was easily the hardest week, so going 3-0 shows something. The Hendricken match was spicy and could have gone either way, but champion pedigree teams figure out a way to win those. Pendergast coming alive on the offensive end spells trouble for the rest of the pack.
North Kingstown: The Skippers needed three and they got them, with the victory over Cranston East being the most impressive. Cody Tow entering the fray is a good sign for NK as they await Cam Alexander to heal. Tow has bounce and can put the ball away, something Skippers desperately need on the right.
Chariho: So, we’ve learned that home court can matter this season. Chariho has only lost once at home and that was to North Kingstown early on. Since then, the cave has been hard for opponents to navigate, including top seed La Salle. On the road, however, things can get a little hairy for the Chargers as they dropped a weird one to East Greenwich and now missing the opportunity to completely own the Rams. As with most teams, errors are the back breakers that snatch defeat from victory.
Hendricken: The Hawks are ticked, and rightfully so. They had the Rams right where they wanted them, but couldn’t close the deal. Too many errors cost them in that match, also reverse sweeping is incredibly hard to do…ask Pilgrim. Nonetheless, the quad of Garrepy, Dion, Osley, and Brock are problematic for everyone. Their week six match up with Chariho on the road will be another test to see how far they’ve come.
Cranston East: Tough week for the Thunderbolts. Knocking off Hendricken the week before, while getting Jordan Bou back on the left were all awesome things. Week five, however, was not so fantastic. Dropping a four-set loss to Chariho on the road hurt and was no fun. Dropping a home match to NK was even worse. CE is a different team when Bou is hitting on the left as Vincent Yin knows to get him the ball early and often. The rest of the crew still needs to produce like they did when Bou was the lib, however.
Coventry: The Oakers needed a week where things went relatively right and week five provided. After dropping a three set match to North Kingstown, Coventry went on to get a 3-1 victory over Cranston West and then a three set sweep of East Greenwich. A 2-1 week without star middle Grant Ramsey is welcomed and positions the Oakers to cause some problems for the upper echelon when he returns.
East Greenwich: Tough week for the Avengers. After holding off Classical for a 3-1 win, EG dropped a four setter to top seeded La Salle and then got swept by Coventry at home. Cranston East and North Kingstown are on the horizon in week six as well. Time may unfortunately be running out on the Avengers to be in the mix versus just a spoiler.
MSC / NS: Another week and another clean sheet for the Hybrid. Connor DeSousa continues to be the go to guy on the offensive end, while Ben Sousa has been the top defender and passer for this Mount Saint Charles / North Smithfield crew. There is a date with a competitive Barrington side in week six, but week seven is when Pilgrim and East Providence gets their second shot at them.
Pilgrim: Things were going along well for the Patriots until the last day of the fifth week. All of a sudden, Pilgrim is upended by the quizzical West Warwick Wizards on the road. It’s a costly third loss as Pilgrim still has to take on the Hybrid and East Providence one more time.
Cranston West: Tough week for the Falcons. Dropping two matches on the week, on the road, is a brutal way to drop in the rankings. The Coventry loss showed there were moments where CW could make some things happen. Dropping the next match to a Classical crew that has been playing teams tough and was on the cusp…well, that’s tough…
East Providence: With wins over competitive clubs Barrington and Woonsocket, the Townies keep themselves in position for a top playoff spot in Division Two. Week six has Westerly on the road and week seven has the Hybrid coming to down. With Pilgrim taking a tough loss to West Warwick, all EP has to do is hold serve and they’ll hold one of the top spots…
Westerly: No one was happier to see Pilgrim lose to West Warwick then Westerly. With three losses, Westerly is now tied with Pilgrim in the loss column and the Bulldogs have themselves in a position to climb. With another crack at East Providence in week six, Westerly has the opportunity to fully recover from that disastrous week three.
Lincoln: The Division Three juggernaut keeps rolling. Since the first match of the season versus St. Rays, which was a five-set victory for the Lions, Lincoln hasn’t dropped a set since. They even swept the rematch with St. Rays. Burrillville comes to town in week six and week seven features the seconded seeded Johnston Panthers giving it a go.
Johnston: The Panthers have been lights out in their last five matches. Clean sweeps all of them, with notable victories over St. Rays and Burrillville. Johnston will look to keep the status quo in week six, as they keep their eye toward week seven when Lincoln is on the menu.
Classical: The Purple are on the board! With the upset of Cranston West, Classical has made a decent case for 15th. The wins are not there, but they’ve played everyone hard and Tison Her is an all-state libero. If Classical can limit their errors just a touch more, they would be a team that can spoil a lot of parties.