They were trying to get the game in before the rain arrived. Before kickoff, I joked that there wasn’t much anyone could do about that.
We bring the storm.
On Sunday, the varsity Jr Clippers brought it across all three phases, beating North Providence 42–7 with a performance built on preparation, composure, and teammates doing the work that allowed someone else to shine.
This response had been building for weeks.
The loss to Johnston left Cumberland with a lesson the boys took personally. Coming off the win over North Kingstown, they had carried the confidence forward without maintaining the fundamentals and urgency that earned it. Johnston brought the physicality early. Even with Cumberland ahead late, the Clippers were reacting, letting frustration linger, and getting away from their football.
They knew what they were capable of. That made the loss sting.
These young men learned something that reaches beyond the field: nothing they earned yesterday excused them from doing the work today. They remembered the preparation, fundamentals, and discipline behind North Kingstown. They also remembered how it felt when those standards slipped against Johnston.
Their biggest obstacle could be themselves. Taking an opponent for granted or carrying frustration from one play into the next could undo the work that put them in position to win.
They owned it—and took the lesson seriously enough to change their response.
After a Burrillville forfeit, Cumberland answered with a 42–6 win over a respected Lincoln program. The Clippers were finding their rhythm again and remembering the work required to keep it.
North Providence brought a different test, an opponent Cumberland regarded as one of its toughest challenges. The Clippers arrived determined to stay composed, trust each other, and make the Jets earn their opportunities.
Cumberland answered, 42–7.
The margin stood out. So did the way they earned it.
That response was shaping the Clippers’ identity. These young men owned what went wrong, put in the work to correct it, and held themselves accountable to each other. Through every practice and every next play, they were writing the next chapter themselves.
Everything starts up front
That identity showed up first at the line of scrimmage.
The guys up front were the heart and soul of this performance. Cumberland’s offensive line opened lanes, got out ahead of the runners, and protected Rome Cruz long enough for him to deliver passes with accuracy and touch.
Captain Shawn Veloso anchored that effort alongside Charlie Bessette, center Teo Tabares, Liam Lemire, and Jordan Mowry.
Donovan Martell and Jacob Burns added to that foundation at tight end, with Joey Scorpio supplying blocks on the edge from his wingback position. A carousel of wide receivers kept working downfield, making it difficult for the Jets’ secondary to come up and meet Cumberland’s ball carriers. Those blocks helped turn openings up front into gains beyond the line of scrimmage.
Veloso’s leadership extended beyond the snap. The captain’s pregame talks in recent weeks have hit home, and Sunday’s effort reflected that connection. Bessette brought leadership of his own. Lemire brought strength and athleticism to the offensive line, getting out in front of runners and helping open lanes while also providing relief on defense.
On defense, Anthony Guerrera returned from injury and focused his work up front. Alongside Veloso, Bessette, and Martell, he helped control the line of scrimmage. Veloso carried his impact onto both sides of the ball, bringing strength and relentless effort to a front that kept disrupting the Jets’ backfield.
Logan Pistorio added versatility from his hybrid outside linebacker and defensive end role. He could rush the passer, handle his responsibility against the run, or drop into coverage. That flexibility helped Cumberland stay disciplined against both the Jets’ misdirection and their passing threat.
The Jets’ blocking was pushed backward. Sweep paths were disrupted. Outside defenders forced runners toward help, and teammates arrived to finish. Ethan Barglowski brought a high motor on the edge, helping Cumberland maintain that pressure.
Everything started up front. The highlights had their work all over them.
Big plays, shared work
Cumberland’s playmakers turned that foundation into big gains. Manny Withee and Cruz supplied the early chunks, setting up Pistorio’s 4-yard touchdown run to open the scoring.
After North Providence answered and took a 7–6 lead, the Clippers responded with two pivotal plays. On fourth-and-11, Cruz dropped a deep ball into Burns’ hands to keep the drive alive. He later finished the possession himself, attacking the middle before cutting sharply outside for a touchdown and a 12–7 Cumberland lead.
Burns made his opportunities count. After an early play he wanted back, he stayed ready for the next one. His fourth-down catch kept a possession alive. His touchdown reception came on a separate red-zone play.
Cruz rolled right and drew defenders toward his threat to run, leaving Burns open behind them in the end zone. Cruz delivered the ball with touch, and Burns finished the opportunity.
Cruz’s ability to stop, accelerate, and change direction kept the defense accounting for both the run and the pass. Withee supplied strong running throughout the afternoon, adding a rushing touchdown of his own. Pistorio continued finding room behind his blockers and finished with two rushing scores.
Kasen Chenevert contributed in all three phases, running with vision, strength, and speed while continuing to grow defensively. In his first season of tackle football after playing flag, he is turning his feel for the game into dependable work within Cumberland’s assignments.
The secondary maintained its discipline against North Providence’s passing and misdirection. Scorpio handled his coverage responsibilities, while Julian Sanchez showed patience and a natural feel for the developing play.
Sanchez stepped in front of a pass to the flat and held the interception through immediate contact. In his first year of organized football, his positioning and composure are already giving Cumberland meaningful contributions.
Withee supplied an interception of his own, returning it approximately 15 yards and giving the offense another scoring opportunity. After a few shorter gains, Cruz broke up the right side for roughly 15 yards. A North Providence penalty moved the ball to around the 10, and Pistorio finished the possession with a touchdown run as Cumberland extended its lead to 36–7.
Then the defense did its part again, forcing North Providence into a fourth-down punt.
Cumberland’s pressure broke through for the block. The ball bounced toward the Clippers’ sideline but stayed inbounds, and Withee was there to collect it. He broke free down the sideline for the final touchdown—another play built on teammates creating the opportunity and someone ready to finish it.
No extra point was needed.
Game final: Cumberland 42, North Providence 7.
A team growing together
The contribution went deeper than the scoring plays. Other contributors included Tai Lessa, Noah Durand, Andrew Soucar, Lucas “Dozer” Taylor, Jackson Stumpf, Mark Vendetti, Landon DiBello, Carter Trinh, Ryan Polak, and Sivel Bolano.
Those game repetitions are helping more players prepare to contribute as the playoffs approach. The growth gives Cumberland more options, more players ready to handle their assignments, and more depth behind the group’s biggest moments.
Jacob Evans and Owen O’Grady were missed on Sunday. The Clippers look forward to having both teammates back, adding further depth to a group that continues to grow together.
The coaching staff kept the group engaged, reinforced assignments, and helped the players recognize what was happening in front of them. Discipline like that showed up in their composure.
That commitment has to continue as the playoffs approach. Practice matters. Being there matters. Teammates matter. That’s how more players find themselves ready when the moment comes.
These young men took a difficult lesson personally and answered together. They’re growing as players, as teammates, as people. They are writing their identity through the work they do.
On Sunday, they brought the storm. Now they get back to the work that built it.