Week Seven Unveils True Scariest House in RI…Portsmouth’s Home Gym!
10/23/22
Halloween season is here and nowhere is it more represented then at Portsmouth high school…especially if you fear dropping a match. Portsmouth invited all of the top teams in the state to their fort these last two weeks and what transpired is straight out of a frightening tale by Poe, or perhaps a page turning effort by King, certainly a heart racing flick by Carpenter if you’re an opponent looking for a positive result. The Patriots are undefeated at home, so thus far no opponent has gone there and come out alive…meaning with a win.
It started on the 13th (Friday? nah, actually Thursday) when South Kingstown arrived at the seemingly ordinary gymnasium of Portsmouth. The Rebels were on a four-game winning streak and looking to push forward toward another meeting with La Salle and North Kingstown…suddenly, everything changed, chains rattled, and the room went ice cold (probably not, but it’s my story!) and they fled the premises with a three-set loss and a strong desire to never return.
Next, it was La Salle’s turn to face the team, and building, that was quickly gaining a spooky reputation of defeating division one teams. The Rams confidently strode into the gym ready to take on whatever they saw. In a blink of an eye, the lights flickered, howls were heard in the hallways, and the floor became ice (again, literary license being used here…no actual proof of what I’m describing). No sooner had the match begun then it was over and the Rams breached the door leaving with a loss and the nightmares…
Surely, the Skippers could overcome the gymnasium, and team, that was gobbling up the top squads of the state. The Skippers had seen some things in their time and Portsmouth wasn’t going to cause them to shiver…until they did. Portsmouth lay waste to the ResV top team in the state with a three-set result that left NK questioning what they had just seen…wondering what that shadow was in the corner that kept growing and growing until it almost swallowed them whole. The Skippers quickly took to the water and vowed to not go there again, if they could help it.
The last chance to survive the gymnasium on haunted hill (with a good team that plays in it) fell to the Mounties of Mount Saint Charles. Perhaps, they could survive the night and extinguish Portsmouth’s supernatural hold. MSC came to play, ignored the sudden drop in temperature, the clocks that froze, the distant growls or the continuous beating of what could only be described as the thudding of a heart, perhaps in the floorboards as Poe once told. The Mounties fought, winning a set, then later a second…the fifth set brought hope until the light dramatically was doused. Mount Saint Charles had taken Portsmouth to the brink in the toughest of gyms only to be turned away in the end. It wasn’t till the Mounties got to the bus that they heard the laughter, heard the maniacal cachinnation, followed by the final whisper “Many may enter…nobody leaves………..with a win.”
North Kingstown (13 - 2) - The Skippers came into week seven with lots of confidence and finished the week confused and preferring to look ahead and pretend the week didn’t happen. Visiting Portsmouth will do that, apparently. Is the Portsmouth match a scary aberration or is it a sign that the Patriots have the Skippers number? Leaning toward the aberration makes sense as all the top teams in the state visited Portsmouth and came away with a three-set loss. The Playoffs will tell the tale and NK will be seeing Prout and then SK in the final week, which will ultimately decide if they host throughout or not.
La Salle (11 - 3) - The Rams practically mirrored the Skippers in week seven with a win over Prout after falling to Portsmouth on the road. Same question could be asked…is this a sign that La Salle is in trouble or just a tough opponent in a tough environment? With two matches to go the Rams will look to answer that question and also solidify their playoff position when they see South Kingstown and West Warwick in the final week.
South Kingstown (11 - 3) - The Rebels have a tough week in store. Should they ace the test, they can potentially move all the way to the top spot, as beating NK and La Salle will perhaps give them enough juice to do so. Points and sets may come into play should they tie NK in the loss column. They can certainly put La Salle in third with a win. Regardless it’s a big week and a lot can happen should SK find the path and knock off the top two teams in the state back-to-back. It can be done…ask Portsmouth.
(↑ 1) Portsmouth (10 - 6) - The Patriots are the talk of the league right now, and why not? They had the toughest week of the season with NK and LaSalle back-to-back, right after securing the win against SK. Add the interesting puzzle in Mount Saint Charles following all of that and we’re talking a seriously challenging stretch. Portsmouth bested them all, and only Mount Saint Charles was able to push them. Morgan Casey may be the top middle in the league as she carved up SK, La Salle, NK, and MSC. The only reason they haven’t jumped higher on the list is due to the fact that all of their wins came at home while all of their losses were on the road. Granted, you could argue that their schedule was super weird with all road matches to start the season and all home matches to end, with the exception of their final two matches on the road at West Warwick and Prout, but still there are some tough losses on the road, that gives pause. Can they play to the level that swept the top teams outside of their own barn? We’re going to find out soon…
(↓ 1) Chariho (14 - 0) - The Chargers drop a spot due to the impressive run Portsmouth is on. It comes down to strength of opponent in week seven and Chariho’s foes pale in comparison. The Chargers took care of business against Exter West Greenwich and North Smithfield setting the table for the final week of regular season play to run the table. Westerly and Middletown are the final tests. Westerly was billed to be a big match, but they’ve fallen off the pace considerably. Middletown is a tougher puzzle and may be what stands in the way. The Chargers do have the Town in the Middle at the cave which may be enough for the flawless regular season victory.
East Providence (12 - 2) - The Townies would love to see Chariho drop two here in the final week, but realistically know that it would take the stars to align just right for that. Stranger things have happened; however, EP has its own business to take care of. Mt. Hope can play, and Lincoln is not slouch either in the final week. Defeating both teams will hold their second position at worst and should Chariho faulter, perhaps more? Mt. Hope could be a playoff preview as well. Regardless, the Townies have positioned themselves well and are now just looking to finish the job.
(↑ 1) East Greenwich (10 - 6) - The Avengers are on a four-match winning streak with the three-set sweep over Mount Saint Charles being huge! It keeps the Mounties at bay and sets up the giant match in the final week of the regular season against Coventry. EG better be running on all cylinders though, as Classical is first, on the road, followed by Coventry also away from the castle. A defeat from the Purple could seal their fate in the playoffs and ensure Coventry holds the top spot of D-1 / B. Should the Avengers get the road win at Classical and be in position to topple Coventry’s slim hold on the division, it’ll take their best mental effort as nothing comes easy in the Oaker’s field.
(↓ 1) Coventry (8 - 6) - The Oakers had two matches in week seven and decided to play ten sets. There was the five-set loss to Mount Saint Charles on the road followed by a slim five set victory over Cranston East also on the road, showcasing a pattern…Coventry doesn’t like to be on the road. To be fair, most programs do not. It’s always preferable to have some home cooking instead of traveling, however one thing is always apparent…championship matches are on the road for everyone. Luckily for Coventry, their last two matches they host, which will be key when the Avengers come to town to potentially take the top spot in the division. Playoff seeding will also be essential, so holding off the Avenger is the prime mission.
(↑ 2) Mount Saint Charles (7 - 8) - The Mounties can’t seem to hold onto momentum. They get a huge upset win over Coventry and are looking to bring the good vibes into the next week. Instead, East Greenwich gets them with a sweep, and they then go to Portsmouth and almost pull off a shocker in the place no one wins at. As the old saying goes, getting close is only good in horseshoes and hand grenades. Still, the Coventry upset moves them up the board over Classical and they’re aided by Cumberland’s plummet. In the final week, they’ll duke it out with Classical to see who is ranked over whom as both prep for the playoffs.
Classical (6 - 7) - The Purple have battled all season obtaining some solid wins and learning some tough lessons along the way. With East Greenwich, Mount Saint Charles, and Cranston West left in their regular season, now is the time to show. Getting a positive result against all three would change some of the playoff seeding landscape, but more importantly springboard Classical into the playoffs as a team no one wants to see. They have a lot of the pieces to the puzzle and can cause discomfort in many aspects of the game to their opponents. The final week will be big for them and may be the breakout opportunity they’ve be waiting for since week three.
(↑ 2) Middletown (10 - 3) - The Wave saw their opportunity once Cumberland began to falter. Actually, they saw it earlier then that when they saw Westerly start to falter. In any case, as teams that were once in control started to fracture, Middletown just kept on winning matches. Now, the Wave find themselves in the mix and looking to cost Chariho a perfect regular season. With Lincoln and the Chargers left, Middletown will at least look to split, if not more. Certainly, it’d be fun to give Chariho a distasteful burger at the end of the regular season, however the real trick is to learn from the match and prep for when you hopefully see them at RIC...or before.
(↓ 3) Cumberland (10 - 4) - Oh boy, what a week for Cumberland. Not much went right and a lot went wrong. Losing four out of their last five, the Clippers have to figure out a way to get back on track. Beating North Smithfield helps the cause, but that’s not a signature win that says we’ve righted the ship. With a week to go, and now fighting for a solid playoff position, Cumberland will need to play clean ball against St. Rapheal’s and Johnston to go into the playoffs with a top seed and a boosted morale. Lord knows the Saints and Panthers aren’t going to be walks in the park especially with the Clippers in freefall. It’s mental toughness time for Cumberland.
(↑ 1) Mt. Hope (11 - 5) - The Huskies have won four out of their last five and now are bracing for East Providence. Upending the Townies would be a huge win and would set plenty of playoff seeding questions in motion. With their only loss in the previous five matches being to the Wave, Mt. Hope has to feel like they’re right there and stunning EP will prove it. The playoffs are a moment away and the Huskies have the feel of another team no one wants to see when it’s win or go home.
(↑ 1) Central Falls (12 - 1) - Central Falls is ready for the playoffs. With only one defeat to their name, and a quick date with Block Island coming up, the Warriors are ready to get the crown that was supposed to be theirs last season. With the top seed in D-3 and the top arm in the division in Joana Rodrigues, Central Falls will be hosting throughout and will potentially make a run to the house. Anything can happen, certainly, but wouldn’t it be interesting if they saw Scituate again in the final?
Scituate (9 - 4) - Coach Carvalho’s crew are back on the board after stunning Tolman in five this past week. Sure, Bay View has a better record, however Scituate is coached by the legend, and something feels like they’re going to make another run. Scituate will see Bay View this week and Woonsocket on the final date of their regular season. The Bay View match will be most interesting as both teams will have playoff thoughts on the mind. Even if playoff seeding cannot be changed by that point, it’s certainly a potential playoff preview and you know Coach Carvalho is taking notes.
Receiving Votes: Bay View, Tolman, and PCD
To send season updates, stories, and players to consider…or inquire about coffee beans that Coach roasts himself, to Coach Reslow - Scott.Reslow@protonmail.com