Football Tops Barrington on Homecoming, 41-32

For the second consecutive Friday night at Hayden Stadium, it was a big matchup....potentially, a super one.

#1 vs. #3 - again.

The four-time defending state champions, once again on their own turf, this time on their Homecoming weekend.

Two of the most prestigious football programs in the state.

Last week, it was the Portsmouth Patriots, a tough, well-coached team that battled the Hawks in the trenches for four quarters before our guys ultimately prevailed, 14-0.

This week it was the Barrington Eagles, a team that looked every bit the powerhouse that we expected. At various points throughout the game the Eagles seemed to be either in control of the game or completely willing to trade mammoth punches with the Hawks. In the end, however, it was the Hawks once again demonstrating a facet of their team makeup that will hopefully serve them well as the season unfolds -

They can simply do what needs to be done. They can adjust their game to the situation at hand. They can play whatever way necessary in order to accomplish their goals.

Defensive struggle? See Portsmouth.

Offesnsive fireworks? See Barrington.

Naturally, The Network had a full crew on hand for Friday Night Lights, the booth filled out with Stone and Cam doing their usual first-rate work behind the mic, Remy Morris taking superb game notes, Johnathan Feeny working social media, Max Zweiner on camera duty, and Chris Mota pitching in wherever needed, after having done his superb camera work for the soccer game earlier in the afternoon, which the Hawks also won, by a score of 2-0.

Down on the sideline, "DT" Barron and Colton Capobianco worked the digital photography angle.

Truth be told, last night's game was one of the best Hawks' athletic events we've covered since the birth of The Network. The contest between the two football powerhouses was unbelievable, the homecoming crowd in the stands was huge, and The Network set a new viewership record. An outstanding evening, all the way around.

As for the game, it was pretty clear that once the game got going, it was going to be a shootout. Both teams ran the ball well throughout the night, and the Eagles passing game, led by quarterback Nick Jensen, was efficient and impressive. Of course, our own quarterback, John Toppa, was just as up to the task himself, as he ran for three touchdowns and threw for another two. In fact, this back-to-back sequence of plays by the Hawks - sandwiched around the trademarked Lee Moses "point" - was impressive as it gets -

Following an Eagle touchdown with about 50 seconds remaining before halftime, it looked as though our guys would go into the locker room trailing, 20-17. Toppa and Caleb Wurster had other ideas, however, as they responded immediately when Toppa hit his receiver for a 55-yard touchdown of their own, sending the Hawks into the intermission with a four-point lead, 24-20.

The first part of the third quarter saw more of the same, as both squads took turns moving the ball and taking the lead. The Hawks took the lead and control of the game for good, though, when Toppa once again punched the ball across the goal line on this 21-yard rush, giving our guys a 32-26 lead:

That was followed shortly by Lee Moses's doing his thing one more time, showing one move after another on a 60-yard punt return to the Eagles' 4-yard line. From there, Toppa took it in again, and while Barrington refused to go down quietly and continued to make plays - eventually scoring another touchdown - it was clear that, at least for this game, the Hawks had asserted themselves in this battle of wills. A fumble recovery in the Eagles' end zone by senior John Arruda (ruled a safety) finally put a cap on the night's scoring.

It should be noted, however, that while the Hawks have demonstrated their ability to play whatever kind of game that they need to, they did make their share of mistakes as well. For the second straight week they hampered themselves by committing too many penalties for far too many yards. It's a pretty safe bet that Coach Croft and the rest of his staff will have something to say about that in practices this week.

Next week, the 4-0 Hawks will take their act on the road for the first time, as we head over to Cranston Stadium for a Super Bowl re-match with the Cranston East Thunderbolts. Game time is 7pm. The Network will be there with the live coverage.

Let's "travel well", as the saying goes, and support our guys on the road to what will hopefully be another Super season.