UPDATE: Vikings Beat Islanders in Division III Championship 27-7

Dominating both sides of the ball, the Rogers High School football team captured the Division III Superbowl Saturday afternoon at Cranston Stadium, with a 27-7 win over Middletown.

“Our guys wanted it so bad from day one this season,” said Rogers head coach Frank Newsome. “It’s an awesome feeling to win the title.”

Perhaps even more gratifying was that it came against Middletown, the team that upset the Vikings in the semifinals last year.

“Last year, Middletown prevented us from playing in the Superbowl,” recalled senior Reeyon Watts. “That gave us a lot of motivation this season.”

Watts was presented with the Frank Morey Most Valuable Player award for his sensational play in the Superbowl. Rushing for 170 yards on 30 carries, the running back couldn’t be stopped by the Islanders.

“Watts is tough to bring down,” said Middletown head coach Arthur Bell. “He’s very shifty. We tried to force him to fumble, but he did a great job of holding onto the ball.”

While Watts was the biggest contributor on offense, he had plenty of help from his teammates. Marc Washington rushed for 52 yards, quarterback Cody Platt threw for 148 yards and wide receiver Trevor Morgera caught two long passes for 97 yards. In total, the Vikings gained a staggering 392 yards.

“I thought we had the better athletes and a good offensive scheme,” Newsome said. “When you have an offensive line that allows you to run your offense and guys who are willing to run through tackles, then you can really keep the other team guessing.”

Conversely, Middletown had difficulty moving the ball all afternoon. The Islanders were held to only 56 yards, all but eight of which came on the ground. The team’s leading rusher, Randolph Butler, was limited to 20 yards on 12 carries.

“You have to give Rogers credit,” Bell conceded. “They dominated the league this season. They deserved to win it.”

Rogers set the tone for the game on the opening drive. Following an 11-yard catch by Washington and a short run by Watts, Platt connected on a 40-yard bomb to Divon Bailey. The senior was tackled just shy of the goal line, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Watts.

Middletown’s first possession looked promising when Butler ran for 12 yards on the first play from scrimmage, but three consecutive runs resulting in minimal gains forced the Islanders to punt.

On the Vikings’ second possession, they once again moved the ball freely down the field. However, Middletown’s defense stepped up by preventing Watts from converting a first down on a third-and-one situation. An offsides penalty on Rogers turned a fourth-and-inches into fourth-and-five at Middletown’s 49-yard-line.

But a great defensive stand quickly turned into a crushing blow for Middletown. Scrambling out of the pocket, Platt found Morgera open deep for a 49-yard touchdown.

“We had a couple of breakdowns on long passes and we didn’t stop Rogers enough on third and fourth downs,” Bell said. “A lot of that is a result of inexperience. We have 22 sophomores.”

The Islanders caught a break toward the end of the first quarter. When the Vikings fumbled a punt return, Middletown pounced on the ball at the Islanders’ 18-yard-line.

Keeping the ball on the ground for seven consecutive plays, Middletown’s Dylan Atibagos ran the ball into the end zone from the 5-yard-line.

Unfortunately for the Islanders, the 14-7 halftime score would be as close as they would get to winning.

A 20-yard touchdown run by Washington in the third quarter gave Rogers a comfortable 20-7 lead.

Relying entirely on their running game, the Islanders struggled to advance the ball in the second half. In fact, Middletown had more punts than first downs in the final two quarters.

Rogers tacked on one more touchdown with just under a minute remaining. Bailey recovered a fumble in the end zone to make the final score 27-7.

The victory was Rogers’ thirteenth state championship in football, but first in Division III.

ROGERS

MIDDLETOWN