A week ago, the Junior Peewee Clippers left Johnston knowing their defense could keep them in a game. The question was whether the offense could turn those opportunities into points. Sunday against Burrillville, Cumberland had an answer.
The Clippers’ 13–0 loss to Johnston was shaped by difficult field position, penalties and drives that stalled before they reached the end zone. The goals coming out of that game were clear: create blocks at the point of attack, make use of the possessions the defense earned and finish drives. In the rain Sunday, Cumberland did all three.
Luca Demers (#1) opened the scoring on a direct snap, bursting through for a 25-yard touchdown after a sharp cut past a defender. Jack Jodoin (#99) ran in the conversion for a 7–0 lead.
John Anderson (#0) forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Cumberland recovered. The Clippers made that extra possession count. Demers took another direct snap 15 yards for a touchdown, and quarterback Bryce Wilson (#14) ran in the conversion to make it 14–0.
Cole Nastari (#98) added a strip sack in the second quarter, with Cumberland recovering the fumble. Anderson kept disrupting Burrillville’s offense, too. On one Patriots possession, he reached the quarterback before a handoff could develop and caused a fumble. Burrillville recovered it, but the play lost 10 yards.
Before halftime, Bryce Wilson connected with Demers on a 40-yard touchdown pass. It was Demers’s third touchdown of the day and gave Cumberland a 20–0 lead.
Burrillville found its breakthrough with 25 seconds left in the half, breaking a 70-yard touchdown run and making the conversion. The Clippers went into halftime ahead 20–7. The Patriots would reach the end zone once more in the second half, but it didn’t matter.
Jodoin Answers, Then Does It Again
Jodoin struck early in the second half. Taking a sweep from left to right, he bounced outside toward the wide side of the field and powered through several defenders on his way to an approximately 45-yard touchdown. Demers ran in the conversion, extending Cumberland’s lead to 27–7.
Later, the Clippers appeared to break another 50-yard touchdown run, only to have an offensive penalty bring it back. The setback lasted one snap. On the very next play, Jodoin raced 60 yards for a touchdown. The conversion failed, giving Cumberland 33 points.
Bryce Wilson and Demers connected for another 50-yard touchdown pass, and Bryce ran in the conversion to bring Cumberland to 40. Burrillville also scored a second-half touchdown, its second of the day. The final score was Cumberland 40, Burrillville 13.
The Clippers’ defense stayed active throughout the second half. Patrick Wilson (#25) made big tackles all game, including the initial stop on a fourth-down play that ended a Burrillville possession. Anderson recorded a strip sack. Isaiah Lindsey (#07) and Jared Bourk (#06) combined on a sack, and cornerback Kason Parenteau (#4) made multiple tackles for loss.
Last week, Demers intercepted a pass in the red zone against Johnston while Cumberland’s defense repeatedly gave its offense another chance. This Sunday, he scored twice on direct snaps and caught two touchdown passes. Jodoin added two long scoring runs, while Burrillville scored once in each half.
The Junior Peewee Clippers took the lessons from a difficult loss and turned them into a complete response. With the offense finishing drives and the defense continuing to create opportunities, Cumberland looks primed to make noise down the stretch in the Rhode Island Preteen Football Junior Peewee division.