The Barrington High School football team held Westerly to 40 yards of total offense and powered to a 37-0 victory on Friday night, Sept. 22. 

The Eagles treated a large home crowd at Victory Field to an impressive display on both sides of the ball. Barrington showed a physical brand of football from the opening kick-off, which pleased BHS Head Coach Sandy Gorham.

“One of the things I talked to the kids about after the Burrillville game was that I don’t think we played physical. I didn’t think we were a physical team. We’re an athletic team. We have experience on the perimeter, but I don’t know how physical we are,” Gorham said. “We were stressing, we’ve got to start to be more physical. And (against Westerly) they were.”

Westerly entered the game with a 2-0 record after shutout wins over Chariho (41-0) and Portsmouth (20-0), but Barrington’s defense limited the Bulldogs from the opening kick-off. The Eagles allowed just one rushing yard and 39 passing yards. 

“We played these guys tough,” Gorham said, of his team’s effort against Westerly.

The Eagles (2-0 in the division, 3-0 overall) opened the game on offense and quickly moved the ball down the field. Barrington quarterback Alex McClelland completed passes to AJ DiOrio and Mitchell Ivatts on the drive, moving the ball deep into Westerly territory. Then Barrington turned to its running game: DiOrio followed a wall of blockers and sprinted into the end zone for the first score.

Ben Aree kicked the extra point and with 7:33 left to play in the first quarter, Barrington led 7-0. 

Westerly’s first drive failed to advance the ball, as McClelland and Ivatts and a powerful defensive line for the Eagles came up with key stops. The Bulldogs punted and Barrington took over at the Westerly 47.

McClelland completed a pass to Spencer Proulx and then found Ivatts for a first-down pickup. A moment later, McClelland dropped back to pass, then tucked the ball and sprinted upfield for a 20-yard touchdown. DiOrio threw a key block on the run. At 1:40 in the first, Barrington stretched its lead to 14-0. 

The Eagles defense again forced Westerly to punt, and the offense again drove the ball. But McClelland took a hard hit while scrambling for a first down and was knocked from the game. The Eagles settled for a 30-yard field goal and pushed the lead to 17-0. 

Barrington’s defense responded with some hard hits of its own, including a knock-down tackle by Blake Dolan. On offense, senior Troy Van Ness stepped in at quarterback and spearheaded a scoring drive before the end of the half. Ivatts capped the drive with a touchdown run around the left side of the line with 29 seconds to play in the second quarter. 

“We were in the huddle, when Troy was getting the plays, we were just supporting him,” Ivatts said. “It’s the same thing — just run the option, run the ball. We’re not going throw the ball as much, obviously, but our running game is just as strong. Troy can run the ball. AJ, me, Spencer. The O-line.”

Ivatts said he was happy to hear his number called right before the half.

“Twenty-seven kick. I told the line ‘Block, we’re scoring right here. I know you guys have got it.’”

Gorham said the touchdown drive to end the first half was a key momentum shift for Barrington. 

“That was key. We had just lost Alex and then the emotion changes, the momentum changes, and to be able to score right after losing Alex, that was a big confidence boost for the kids,” he said. 

The second half featured more of Barrington’s running attack. After recovering a Westerly fumble, Barrington turned to DiOrio. The senior caught two passes for big gains and then took a hand-off and ran through the Bulldogs’ defense for a 20-yard touchdown. 

Leading 31-0, Barrington’s defense again halted a Westerly drive. On fourth and one, a host of Eagles including Owen Willard and others blasted through the Westerly line and dropped the Bulldogs’ running back for a loss. 

Two plays later, DiOrio broke free for a 30-yard touchdown run — it was his third touchdown of the game. 

“Today, we really came together as a team,” DiOrio said. “We came into this knowing it was going to be a fight, but to really blow them out is a statement for us. We’re really excited about that.

“This week’s main focus was defense for us. We studied their offense. They have a very run-heavy offense. They have a great running back, a great line up front. Really, we were just keying on their plays and learning their playbook. It showed today, we were calling them out and stopping them at the line. The beginning was great, definitely. Plays were working. Holes were opening up. We were moving the ball. The quarterback went down but our backup came in and stepped up and got it done for us. Troy’s a great quarterback, coming in cold off the bench, put them away, a couple of touchdowns. Still played D. Amazing.”

Barrington will play against Cranston East on Friday. The game is at Cranston Stadium at 7 p.m.