EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School football team checked all of the boxes it could down the stretch of the 2022 regular season in pursuit of a Division II playoff spot and the Townies also got the assists they needed from others to earn a berth in the league championship tournament.

The Townies qualified for a quarterfinal date opposite D-II-B first-place side Portsmouth on the road Friday evening, Nov. 4. Kickoff is set for 7 o’clock.

While East Providence, which completed its D-II slate with a 3-3 record, was playing a non-league game last week in Warwick against Bishop Hendricken, Mt. Pleasant, chasing a bid like the locals, was losing to Cumberland, 27-14, Friday night, Oct. 28.

The setback left the Kilties with a 2-4 record on the A half of the Division II standings and behind the Townies, even though the Providence-based outfit defeated the locals in their lone regular season meeting, 40-8, earlier in October.

For EPHS to reach the playoffs, Mt. Pleasant actually had to lose its last two two regular season league games, which the Kilties did. Mt. Pleasant dropped a 20-16 decision to Cranston West on October 21. That setback along with the loss to Cumberland allowed East Providence to pass the Kilties in the standings to earn the fourth-and-final berth from II-A.

“We hit a couple of bumps in the road around the middle of the season, but we were able to recover. We won the games we had to win coming down the stretch to make the playoffs and we got a little help as well. I think it says a lot about the kids and where they want the program to go moving forward,” said EPHS head coach Jon Stringfellow.

Portsmouth went 5-1 to sit atop their half of the ledger ahead of 4-2 Westerly. Woonsocket and Shea, respectively, are the third and fourth seeds, emerging from of a group four teams, along with Barrington and South Kingstown with 3-3, to earn the other playoffs spots from II-B.

St. Raphael, who’s only defeat came to East Providence and was the difference in putting the Townies in the postseason, is the top seed from II-A at 5-1. Cranston West is the two at 5-1, its only loss (23-0) coming to the Saints, and Cumberland is the three at 4-2, its losses coming to the top two teams.

“I’m happy for everyone that we got in. We have a shot at it,” said Stringfellow. “If everything falls into place, if we can get everyone there healthy and ready to play, then maybe we can give Portsmouth a run, pull an upset of the No. 1 seed.”

Portsmouth and EPHS share one common opponent, Hendricken, and each lost to the Hawks in non-league contests.

The Patriots fell to Hendricken in late September, 34-12.

The Townies dropped a 35-7 decision to the Hawks last weekend. Quarterback Max Whiting accounted for the lone EPHS scored with a 10-yard run in the second quarter to actually tie the score at the time. Hendricken, though, scored another touchdown before intermission then broke the game open with three scores in the third quarter.

“Portsmouth is a good team. We have to make sure we cover their receivers and shut down their option game,” Stringfellow said. “Just as important, we have to minimize our mistakes. When you’re the underdogs, when you’re playing against the higher seed, you have to keep your mistakes to a minimum and take advantage of situations that are presented to you.”

The winner advances to the D-II semifinals next weekend against the winner of the Cranston West-Woonsocket quarter. St. Ray’s meets Shea in an all-Pawtucket quarter and Cumberland is at Westerly on the other side of the bracket. Those winners also play next weekend in the other semi.