EAST PROVIDENCE — It wasn't the prettiest or easiest victory, but the East Providence High School football team nonetheless recorded its first win of the young Division I season Friday night, Sept. 25, at Pierce Stadium as the Townies held off visiting

Cumberland by a 15-13 count.

East Providence improved to 1-1 in the D-I ranks while the Clippers, who lost their home opener the week prior to Cranston West, dropped to 0-2 in the league.

"Our defense played really, really well," said EPHS head coach Jay Monteiro. "We stopped their quarterback (Cumberland's Jake Salisbury). They do a lot of zone read stuff, but we got them out of what they really want to do, which is run the ball."

Both of Cumberland's scores came through the air. Salisbury connected on a five-yard toss to Andrew Walters, ending a long drive in the third quarter. The point-after failed. The Clippers' QB later hit Jerome Evans on a 40-yard pitch-and-catch in the fourth quarter. The kick was good this time, making the score 15-13 Townies where it would remain to the final whistle.

"We're trying to change the mentality. We seem to be playing well in the first half then breaking down. We need to play hard the entire game. We can't lose focus. That's why I tell the kids conditioning is so important. When you get tired, you start making mistakes. And we can't afford that," Coach Monteiro said. "And we probably could have scored more points. We have to work on that, but I'm very proud of how my guys played on defense."

Jayden Chase scored both of East Providence's touchdowns. He took a forward pitch in the slot from quarterback Ryan Ellinwood on a read-option play 13 yards for a score in the second quarter. He then raced 82 yards on a kickoff return following Cumberland's TD in the third quarter. Tommy Lopes' PAT give the Townies a 15-6 lead at the time.

Before and after Chase's heroics it was the East Providence defense that stepped to the fore. The Townies' other points came via a safety in the second quarter. E.P. held the Clippers to a three-and-out deep in their own territory inside the five-yard line. Instead of risking a bad snap or an all-out block attempt by the Townies, the Cumberland coaches opted to give up the two points rather than punt on fourth down.

And in the third on the ensuing drive after Chase's touchdown return, the Clippers again went on a long march towards the E.P. endzone, however the Townies eventually turned Cumberland over on downs at their own three.

"This was a big, big win for us. Our goal is to beat all the public schools. I told the kids before the game if we beat Cumberland they not only have two losses, but they would both be to public schools. They haven't played either LaSalle or Hendricken yet, so this was a big win, no doubt," Coach Monteiro said.

The Townies face another relatively significant opponent this week when they travel to Portsmouth to meet the 1-1 Patriots. Portsmouth defeated Cranston East 14-6 in its first league game then lost at home to Hendricken, 37-6, last weekend. The Townies and Patriots kick off at Portsmouth's Kennedy Field Friday night, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.

"It is a big game. Again, our goal is to beat all the public schools, but Portsmouth is going to be tough to beat down there," Coach Monteiro added. "They're a very well coached team. (Head coach) Ryan Moniz is a good friend of mine. He always has his team prepared and he gets them to play hard. He does a great job. Offensively, if we don't score enough it could be a long night. We've just got to be ready to play."

For more photos click link below.

Townie Pride Parade photos by Rich Dionne