Football Ranked 17th in Latest Rhode Island Poll

While Narragansett High School football has one more Division III game left, according to the latest Rhode Island Sports Media poll, the Mariners deserve the No. 2 seed in the playoff.

The Mariners are ranked at No. 17 in the latest poll, behind only Rogers (13) among Division III teams. Classical is the only other Division III team ranked, at No. 19. Middletown is nine points behind No. 20 Johnston.

Leading the poll is Division I powerhouse La Salle, which is undefeated in games against Rhode Island schools. Among local schools, South Kingstown is No. 3 after clinching a Division I playoff spot, and Division II leader Chariho is No. 4.

Other local programs – Division I North Kingstown, Division II Coventry and Division III East Greenwich – did not receive a vote. All three are struggling this year.

MEDIA BALLOT

Dropped out: Mount Pleasant (No. 19)

Also receiving votes: Middletown 9, Mount Pleasant 7, North Smithfield 6, Exeter-West Greenwich 3.

The Rhode Island Sports Media football poll is voted on by 12 local media members who regularly cover Rhode Island high school football. The poll is administrated and compiled by Eric Rueb of Southern Rhode Island Newspapers.

PATCH BALLOT

For my own ballot, I had Narragansett at No. 16, flip-flopped a bit with Mt. Hope.

While the Huskies play in a higher division, their regular season is over because of a first round playoff loss at Chariho. Their lone remaining game is at Barrington, and their schedule looked more impressive earlier in the year, when East Providence and Portsmouth looked like playoff teams.

However, outside of that, my ballot doesn’t differ substantially from the media ballot.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

Even without a win on Thanksgiving, the Mariners have clinched the No. 2 seed in the Division III playoffs.

Narragansett is 5-2 in Division III, with one regular season game left. At 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving, the Mariners play at East Greenwich (3-4), which has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Burrillville and Lincoln are also out, thanks to 1-7 records, and Moses Brown has collapsed toward the end of the season after a promising start. The Quakers will finish at 4-4 and out of the playoffs after starting 4-1, including a win against Narragansett.

Classical and Middletown are both 5-3, however, Narragansett beat both teams earlier this year, meaning they hold the tiebreaker. The same goes for fifth place Tiverton.

The Tigers are 4-3, and need a win at Rogers to force a three-way tie for the third and fourth playoff spots. Tiverton lost to Middletown but beat Classical. Middletown beat Classical as well, meaning they would be on the outside looking in if Tiverton wins.

Currently, the Division III semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 29. Narragansett would host the game, although a location won’t be finalized until a coaches’ meeting on Nov. 25, following the Thanksgiving games.

The Division III Super Bowl is 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 at Cranston Stadium, after the Division I game at noon.