By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Eastern football team gave it one heck of an effort against Bristol Central on Thanksgiving but dropped a tough 13-6 decision in the end.
The Lancers finished the campaign at 3-7 overall but were a much better team than its final ledger indicated.
Proof came on Thanksgiving when Eastern – despite trailing most of the game – never let the deficit grow more than one possession.
“The kids played hard,” said Eastern coach Anthony Julius. “I’ve said that all year.”
Offensively against Central, Eastern made some gains as rusher Jaiden Fore scooped up 93 yards on 15 carries for a slick 6.2 yards-per-carry that day.
Due to that effort, Fore was named the Thomas R. Monahan Offensive Player of the Game for the Kingstreeters.
The stellar junior, ending the season with 191 carries, 895 yards (4.7 per-carry) and 13 touchdowns – all team-leading totals, proved that he was a tough out on the gridiron.
But it was his hustle and guile that helped Eastern ramp up eight rushing first downs against Central to keep the chains moving.
“I thought offensively, we did a lot of good things,” said Julius. “We just couldn’t sustain enough on every drive.”
On the flip side, Austin Shorette – the team leader in sacks this season – made a big one on Thanksgiving on Central senior Tre Blair along with several big tackles that limited the Rams to just 13 points.
That 13-point total was the fewest scored by the Rams on Thanksgiving since 2015.
Shorette earned the Thomas R. Monahan Defensive Player of the Game in his final contest in an Eastern uniform.
Also leaving his mark on the game was Jack Hartley, a super sophomore who is going to be a gamer for the Kingstreeters over the next couple seasons.
He was a handful to tackle on Thanksgiving, scooping up 55 yards on seven carries which included a team-high 21-yard rush.
Hartley also tallied a tackle for a loss, made a kickoff return for 13 yards and churned out 38 second-half yards to give his team a chance to steal away the showdown.
“He did a great job for us,” said Julius of Hartley. “He’s kind of stepped up for us for us all year.”
Alex Corvo (2-for-5 passing versus Central) did a credible job filling in at quarterback all season in place of the injured Kamden Laprise.
Josh Aubin added six tackles, as did Adam Zavecz, Zaveyn Tate added a tackle for a loss, and Cooper Harris aided Shorette on the sack on Blair.
Zavecz led Eastern in tackles this season while Tate easily held the lead in both tackles-for-losses (nine) and yardage lost (29.5) for the Lancers.
And with 34 second to play against Central, Eastern had the ball, trailing by just seven points with a chance to win it.
But credit to the Central defense, the squad made stops in the end as Eastern dropped a tough 13-6 decision.
“We knew what we were capable of doing but again, you’ve got to give credit to Central,” said Julius. “They played hard. They made the plays.”
The showdown against Central marked the final contest for Eastern seniors Josh Aubin, Kyle Babin, Dylan Bartucca, Ashton Brewer, Shane Brookman, Brady Brown, Kamren Budnick, Brandon Camacho, Trent Dubois, Connor Gimpl, Evan Gleifert, Fassa Kamano, Jackson Mitchell, Nick Prytko, and captains Austin Shorette, Jeremy Kolloverja, Joe Arborio and Cooper Harris.
“They’re really good kids,” said Julius of his senior class. “They were kids that were committed to the program and committed to their school. They really did a nice job. I’m really proud of them.”
“I wanted a better result for them today. I thought they deserved it.”
Eastern’s senior cheerleaders included Domenica Alvarez, Enisia Ferrer, Monica Heap, Yadira Hinojoza, Analyze Kim, Paige Murphy, Serenity and Trinity Nieves, Fatou Parker, Ari Pellot and captains Kits Colon and Jay Gibbs.
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