EAST BAY — The high school football game of the weekend involving local sides takes place Saturday afternoon, Oct. 24, weather permitting, as 3-1 Mt. Hope meets up with unbeaten West Warwick in a Rhode Island Division Two-A matchup.

The Huskies enter the contest off a 20-7 non-league win over Cumberland last week. West Warwick, which improved to 6-0 overall with a 20-16 non-league win as well over Shea. Mt. Hope visit the Wizards Saturday afternoon at 1:30.

“They’re quality. West Warwick is a very, very good team, a very well-coached team on both sides of the ball,” MHHS head coach Ron Silva said of the Wizards. “They run a beautiful offense with a lot of different looks. They have a lot of skill people. They run a version of the ‘Wildcat’ with the tailback (Reuben Paygai), who is a real game-breaker. I know our kids respect them, but we’re looking forward to playing them. It’s why you sign up to play football to play in games like these.”

As the top half of the Two-A ranks, including the Huskies and Wizards, has separated itself from the bottom half, the contest is more about possible playoff positioning rather than about qualification. Barring a complete collapse, both Mt. Hope and West Warwick will play in the postseason. That aside, the game still holds significant meaning.

“We realize we’re a playoff team. What we’re telling the kids is that they hold their destiny in their hands in terms of where we finish. If we continue to win, we pretty much determine our own fate,” said Silva. “We don’t want to settle for just making the playoffs. We want to continue to win and improve each week. I thought we improved this week, but we still have a long way to go.”

It’s important to note the Huskies will go the rest of the season without starting center Will Sturgis. The sophomore, to Silva’s surprise and after playing against Cumberland Friday, announced over the weekend he would be transferring to LaSalle Academy where his mother is a teacher and his older brother, Nick, is a senior on the Rams’ squad . Sophomore Theo Moskala, who has seen ample time on the line throughout the season, takes over as the Mt. Hope starting center.

Sturgis’ departure adds to the list of woes for the Huskies, who have lost senior defensive standout Zeke Felag for the season to injury.

“These things happen. We move on,” said Silva. “That’s why you have a team. It’s time for other people to step up.”

NORTH KINGSTOWN AT EAST PROVIDENCE

After having its non-league game last week against Tolman cancelled outright due to the threat of poor weather that didn’t materialize, the East Providence High School football team returns to Division One action Friday night, Oct. 23, at Pierce Stadium against North Kingstown at 7 to conclude “Townie Pride” Day in the city.

East Providence enters the contest with a 3-1 record in D-One, having not played competitively since suffering a gut-wrenching 14-0 loss to Barrington, Oct. 7. The winless Skippers, meanwhile, are in complete rebuilding mode under first-year head coach John Horsman. North comes to Pierce with a 0-4 record.

“They’ve got some good athletes, but they’re not a very physical team and that’s evident in their offensive and defensive lines. They don’t control the line of scrimmage like they have in the past,” EPHS head coach Sandy Gorham said of the Skippers. “They throw the ball a lot, so we’ve been working hard on our pass defense, making sure we’re in the right spots in coverage.”

The long layoff, though unwanted and unintentional, could prove to be a boon to the Townies, who had a couple of lengthy, hard-hitting practices this week in preparation for North Kingstown.

“We’re anxious to play. We were disappointed not playing last week, especially after not playing well offensively against Barrington,” Gorham added. “A big part of that game was that Barrington out-toughed us on the line. The kids came to me and said we weren’t physical enough, so we really went at in practice this week getting ready. We’re not taking this game lightly at all.”

A victory this week against the winless Skippers and one the following week in Newport against 1-3 Rogers would earn East Providence a return to the Division One playoffs after a two-year absence. Rogers’ lone win came in a 22-18 decision over North.

“We have four games left, all league games, which are very, very important,” said Gorham. “The next two are set up that if we beat both North Kingstown and Rogers we clinch a playoff berth. We then have Hendricken and LaSalle to end the year in two very difficult games that would determine where we finish in the standings.”

BARRINGTON AT HENDRICKEN

In Warwick Saturday night at 5:30, Barrington visits Hendricken on what is both the host’s Hall of Fame evening and Homecoming event. The Eagles enter with a 4-0 record and in a share of first place with LaSalle atop the league standings. The Hawks are 2-2, coming off a 33-0 rout of Rogers last week, and currently in a share of fourth place with Cranston West.

“I’ve got a pretty good feeling we’re going to go up against a Hendricken team that is going to be all fired up with it being their Hall of Fame night and Homecoming,” said BHS head coach Bill McCagney. “Their coaches do a good job of getting the team prepared. They run a lot of different, give you a lot of a different looks. It’s not the strongest Hendricken team we’ve faced, but it’s still Hendricken. They have a lot of numbers, a lot of people.”

The Hawks feature a local product, Barrington’s Zach Conte, in their offensive package, which also includes quarterback Tom Verdi and Ethan Ferreira. Flanker Robert Manning is Verdi’s favorite target in the passing game.

“The quarterback throws the ball well. (Manning) is very good. (Ferreira) runs tough. We’re going to have to come up and tackle him,” said McCagney. “Their lines go one-way. They’ve got a lot of one-way players. It’s a typical Hendricken team.”

The early-evening start could put the contest in the midst of a predicted weather front, meaning rain may play a role in the game. Hendricken’s artificial turf surface means playing in wet weather is more likely than if it were grass.

“There’s no way to prepare for rain,” said McCagney. “I assume we’ll play as long as the kids aren’t in danger of injury or there’s not an electrical storm.”

“Electric” is a term that could be used to describe the talent on the Barrington offense, but the Eagles haven’t really clicked on that side of the ball in recent weeks despite winning their last two outings, including a 27-0 victory over Portsmouth last week. It’s been a focus of the locals’ lead-in to the Hendricken game.

“We just want to keep getting better. We’ve had a pretty good week of practice so far,” said McCagney. “We’re working on our offense, trying get more total yards, but we just don’t work on our offense in practice. We do a lot of other things. But I think the extra day of practice will help.”

MARTHA’S VINEYARD AT SEEKONK

In a non-league game just across the border in Massachusetts, Seekonk High welcomes Martha’s Vineyard to town for a date with Eastern Athletic Conference Vineyarders. Game time Friday night, Oct. 23, is a special 5:30 kickoff to accommodate the long journey taken by the visitors.

The Warriors (4-1 in the South Coast Conference) routed neighbor Case last week, 34-0. The Vineyarders are 1-2 in the league and 3-3 overall. The Warriors and Vineyard have one common opponent, Old Rochester. Seekonk defeated the Bulldogs, 12-6, three weeks ago while the Vineyarders fell, 22-15, the opening week of the season.

“It’s going to be a much different game this week. I saw Martha’s Vineyard on film and scouted them live. We didn’t do a good job tackling the Fairhaven quarterback, and they the same kind of scheme, which is the Navy Mid-Line Option,” SHS head coach Jack Whalen said of the Vineyarders.

“They have a good quarterback (Randall Jette). He’s not as quick as the Fairhaven QB (Taylor Motta), but he and the fullback (Tyler Araujo) handle the ball most of the time,” Whalen continued. “If we don’t have success stopping him, then it’s going to be a long night for us.”

Traditionally a strong program, the Vineyarders went 11-2 overall a year ago, Whalen said his side is looking forward to the contest.

“The kids are pumped up. It’s a team they’ve never played before, so they’re looking forward to the challenge,” Whalen added. “Vineyard, historically, is always a good football team, so it should be a fun night.”

MORE GAMES

At 1-3, Portsmouth High hosts St. Raphael Saturday afternoon, Oct. 24, at Kennedy Field at 1:30 in its Homecoming outing in what is an elimination game in terms of each side’s playoff hopes.

The Patriots dropped a 27-0 decision to Barrington last week and basically need to win out while receiving some help if they have any chance to reaching the postseason. The Saints picked up their first win in three league games last weekend with a 36-6 pounding of North Kingstown.

“We have to get back to the drawing board,” PHS head coach Chuck Phillips said after the Barrington loss. “We have four games left. Our goal of making the playoffs is still within our sights. We’re going to need a little with that, but our kids came out and played hard.”

Tiverton climbed back into the race for a Division Three playoff berth with its 19-17 victory on the road against Narragansett last week. The Tigers (2-2) hosts Smithfield (1-3) Saturday night at 7. The Sentinels earned their first win of the season a week ago with a 27-8 victory over East Greenwich.