PORTSMOUTH — It was closer than expected early on, but the Portsmouth Patriots eventually pulled away from Mt. Hope High School and celebrated Homecoming with a decisive 35-7 non-league victory Saturday afternoon.

It was a much-needed win for the Division I Patriots, which had dropped its previous two games against Cumberland and South Kingstown.

“There’s no secret about it: We haven’t played great over the past couple of weeks and we definitely played better, which was a result of practicing better,” said Patriots’ head coach Ryan Moniz. “That’s what it was — better. It wasn’t great; we still have a lot of room for improvement and we’ll get there. We have to start plugging.”

Portsmouth running backs Ryan MacDonald, a senior, and Alex Khalfayan, a junior, each had a big game and kept the chains moving throughout. Both gave Portsmouth first downs during its first offensive drive and from 13 yards out, Sean Coyne dove into the end zone on a quarterback keeper. However, the touchdown was waved off due to an illegal block in the back and the Patriots had to settle for a field goal to make it 3-0 with 3:35 left in the quarter.

It wasn’t a pretty game penalty-wise for the Patriots, who were flagged several times for pass interference, illegal blocks, holding and false starts throughout the game.

“It seemed uncharacteristic to me,” Mr. Moniz said of the penalties. “They are what they are. There’s nothing you can do about them now. You have to weather the storm with that.”

The Huskies’ bench came to life when they forced Portsmouth to punt early in the second quarter. On the ensuing return, Mt. Hope’s Tezhan Calhoun-Massey ran the ball 62 yards in for a touchdown, making it 7-3 Huskies with 11:13 left in the first half.

Portsmouth then turned the ball over, when a short pass by Coyne was intercepted by the Huskies’ junior linebacker, Joseph Rioux. Mt. Hope couldn’t take advantage, however, and were forced to punt.

Turning in Patriots’ favor

Portsmouth’s next drive featured a 44-yard run along the right side by Khalfayan, who later ran nine yards into the end zone. The point-after by Coyne was good, and the Patriots led 10-7 with 3:52 left in the half.

Less than two minutes later, Portsmouth senior wide receiver Matthew Ramos took a short pass from Coyne and ran 58 yards virtually untouched down the right sideline and in for another touchdown. The extra point was good, giving Portsmouth a 17-7 advantage at the 2:19 mark.

Coyne converted on all his kicks Saturday, including a 30-yard field goal as time expired at the half, making it 20-7 Patriots.

After a scoreless third quarter, MacDonald ran for three first downs before Khalfayan broke a tackle and ran up the middle for 20 yards and into the end zone. On the point-after attempt, Andrew Ake didn’t let a low snap phase him; he scrambled to the left and ran it in for two points, making it 28-7 Portsmouth with 9:30 left in the game.

“That’s what they’re coached to do. It was a tough snap,” said Mr. Moniz.

After one of several three-and-outs by the Huskies, a bad punt gave Portsmouth a short field, and a few plays later MacDonald ran five yards up the middle for the Patriots’ final touchdown with 5:51 left.

Sophomore linebacker Zach Coleman ended the game with a defensive exclamation point when he sacked the Huskies’ quarterback as time expired.

Up next

Portsmouth is now 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Division I. The team will have a much bigger challenge on Friday, Oct. 30, when it takes on La Salle Academy on the road.

“It’s a big game. Obviously they’re undefeated,” said Mr. Moniz. “This is why we compete in Division I — to beat teams like these private schools.”

Mt. Hope is now 2-3 in Division II-A and 2-4 overall. Its next game is at Rogers High School at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30.

To view a photo gallery click the link below.

Portsmouth vs Mt. Hope by Rich Dionne