The Fall High School sports season is wrapping up, BAM! Just like that! – John Cardullo

by John Cardullo, sportswriter

As August turned to September, the Fall high school sports season was just beginning. It only seemed like it was yesterday, when the teams were venturing out on the season refreshed and full of hope for success. Who can believe that the past twelve weeks would be in the rear view mirror in a blink of an eye? Phase one aka Fall sports are about to be put into the books. In some cases, State Champions have been crowned, and in most cases the playoffs are underway. In a few short weeks the Fall season will be over, and we will be onto the Winter sports, phase two.

The Rhode Island Interscholastic League which oversees all sports in both high school and now at the middle school level, has been very busy making sure that the fall season goes along without any hitches. One could only imagine how hectic it has been in the RIIL offices, with all the moving parts that come into making a season successful. It’s safe to say that the RIIL Executive Director, Mike Lunney and his experienced staff have been to this rodeo before.

Here is where we currently stand as the days get shorter and the greens of the start of the season turns to the multicolored end.

Game Day Cheerleading wrapped up their state championship on Saturday, October 26^th. Awarding three divisions of state championships, in Division I The LaSalle Academy Rams won the competition over the Coventry Oakers. While in DII The Lady Wizards finished ahead of the Barrington Eagles. DIII witnessed Achievement 1^st top the St. Raphael Saints. The Boy’s and Girls Cross Country State championship will wrap up on November 2^nd.

Many of the remaining sports have just started their State Championship tournaments and will be completed in the middle of November. Field Hockey will crown 3 division champions on Sunday, November 3^rd. In DI, The Moses Brown Quakers will take on the East Greenwich Avengers, while the Lions of Lincoln will play the Clippers of Cumberland for the DII title. While in DIII Classical will play Smithfield. All games will be played at Roger Williams University.

Both Boy’s and Girls soccer have begun their tournaments. The boys will have three divisions playing for State titles. The preliminary rounds started on October 29^th and will go until championships are awarded on November 10^th at Rhode Island College. Their girls also have begun their preliminary “play in” games. They will end the season at Rhode Island College as well when they will crown their state champions.

The Girls Team Tennis championship has begun for Divisions I through III on October 21^st and will conclude on November 2^nd at Pawtucket’s Slater Park. The match-ups are set with LaSalle taking on Barrington for the DI championship. The DII will have the Westerly Bulldogs going up against the Prout Crusaders and in the Division III game, Exeter/West Greenwich will play Tiverton.

The State’s Unified Volleyball tournament will be held at LaSalle on November 16^th.

Football will have 4 division winners. The season will wrap up November 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd. and their play offs will conclude at Cranston Stadium on November 23^rd and 24^th when their Super Bowls will be played. However, because the super bowls will be held before the Thanksgiving holiday, most teams that didn’t make the play-off’s or were eliminated will finish their seasons with the annual Thanksgiving Day rivalries.

Even though the Fall season just blew by, and we are now facing straight into the Winter sports season, Fall is not finished with us quite yet, it still has a little more left to do. However, for those who are not big fans of the cold weather of winter, they can only hope that the spring sports season, phase three, will be upon us in another blink of an eye!

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John Cardullo, sportswriter. John is a lifelong Rhode Islander. His sports experience is extensive, as a player, coach and sponsor of youth and high school sports. He has been the Public Address Announcer for the CCRI Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams. Both the Cranston East and Cranston West football, Cranston East Boys and Girls basketball for 12 years before moving onto the Central, Juanita Sanchez and Mt. Pleasant football teams. Also, Central HS Boys and Girls Basketball, Scituate High School Boys and Girls Basketball, Johnston High School Girls Basketball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Softball, Boys and Girls Soccer teams, and CLCF football.

John has been involved in Men’s softball for 61 years, starting as a batboy for his father’s team in 1964. He moved to the teams scorekeeper then became a player in 1975, and created the men’s team, Players Corner Pub, that went on to win 20 State Championships in their 35 year history. In the 1990’s he published the statewide softball magazine “The Fielders Choice” which was dedicated to all topics related to adult softball. As a feature writer, John and the publication won several media awards. In 2019 he was elected and inducted into the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame which he also helped create. John is a softball umpire in Warwick, Rhode Island.

In his spare time John golfs with his life long friends on a weekly basis in season. After retiring from the printing Industry after a 45-year career, he now writes specialty sports columns for RINewsToday.com.