The fans in the bleachers begged to see Barrington’s vaunted passing attack. 

“Throw the ball!” shouted the student section. 

But BHS Coach Sandy Gorham had a different plan, as the Eagles ran the ball 40 times for 237 yards in a 40-6 win over Portsmouth on Friday night, Oct. 20. Barrington improved to 5-0 in Division II-B.

Barrington’s ground game resulted in five touchdowns. Alex McClelland ran the ball 15 times for 94 yards and four touchdowns. He added a fifth TD on a 25-yard pass to Mitchell Ivatts, who elevated over a Portsmouth defender, grabbed the ball and then leaped into the end zone. 

“We just wanted to go out there and set the tone, pretty much… and obviously that worked out for us,” McClelland said after the game. 

Barrington’s senior quarterback praised Ivatts on the TD reception.

“Mitchell’s a great player. He sees the ball and he’s going to go get it. I saw a one-on-one opportunity and put it up for him to make a play.”

McClelland also benefited from a strong effort by his offensive line, which provided plenty of running lanes for Eagles’ ballcarriers. Ivatts ran the ball five times for 64 yards, while AJ DiOrio had 11 carries for 30 yards. Luca Marino had two runs for 18 yards and also scored a touchdown. Marino scooped up a pitch by McClelland and dove for the end zone. 

The Eagles opened the game with a 14-play scoring drive. Barrington ran the ball 14 times on the drive, although one play was designed as a pass, but McClelland saw a gap in the defense and scrambled for positive yardage. 

On third and five from the Portsmouth eight yard line, McClelland called his own number and sprinted through the defense for his first touchdown of the game.

Barrington’s defense held Portsmouth in check for most of the first half. In fact, the Patriots did not pick up a first down until there was only 20 seconds left to play in the second quarter. 

“I challenged them yesterday,” said Coach Gorham. “The oldest adage in the world is ‘defense wins championships.’ They played very, very well. And I said, ‘Just continue to play hard.’”

Barrington led 19-0 at halftime, which set the stage for a fun BHS Homecoming Parade and festivities. 

The Eagles widened the score at the start of the third quarter. The defense forced Portsmouth to punt, and the Eagles quickly moved into scoring position. One of the key plays was a 26-yard pass from McClelland to Evan Anderson. Marino capped the drive with his touchdown. 

Portsmouth eventually got on the scoreboard in the third quarter, but the Eagles responded with two more McClelland touchdowns. 

“The first half, even though we were up 19-0, it didn’t feel like we were playing with that emotion that we had last week,” Gorham said. “I challenged them. ‘We’re up 19-0 and I should be happy, but I think we need to play with a little emotion.’ That’s why we are who we are. We’re not a big team. Wait til you see Woonsocket next week. Are you kidding me? They look like a small college line. They’re so big. They’re going to be tough to move.”

The Eagles will play at Woonsocket on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m.