BARRINGTON — The annual so-called “Game of the Year” in Division One football, or at least the game of the regular season this week, takes place locally as Barrington High School hosts LaSalle Academy Friday night, Nov. 6, at Victory Field.

The 7 p.m. contest is a rematch of last season’s state championship outing, won by the Rams on a cold, snowy day at Cranston Stadium in a rout, 31-6.

LaSalle comes to town riding at least 14-game regular season win streak, dating back to its win over East Providence on Thanksgiving Day 2007. The Rams are currently the lone unbeaten in the league, sitting at 5-0. LaSalle had a bye last week, defeating Cranston West, 28-21, in its previous outing on Oct. 23.

The Eagles have a tiebreaker hold on second place by virtue of their victory earlier in the season over East Providence. Both Barrington and the Townies have 5-1 marks. East Providence is off this week, returning to action at home, Nov. 13, in an important contest against Bishop Hendricken. The 4-2 Hawks can move a step closer to securing the fourth-and-final D-One playoff spot with win over 1-4 St. Raphael Saturday afternoon, Nov. 7.

LaSalle, Barrington and East Providence have each clinched a postseason berth. Hendricken, by beating St. Ray’s and then the Townies, would earn the fourth. Portsmouth, because of its win over the Hawks, can still make the playoffs if it wins out and E.P. beats Hendricken.

The 3-3 Patriots, coming off a 20-6 victory over Cranston West, have a favorable schedule the rest of the way. Portsmouth plays struggling sides North Kingstown, away Friday, and Rogers, home on Nov. 13, to close out its league slate.

Back to Barrington, the Eagles handed the aforementioned Saints their fourth league loss last week as the locals blew out St. Ray’s, 33-6. Barrington compiled over 400 yards of total offense and some 340 yards on the ground in a game where all of the Eagles’ weaponry was on display. All-State running back Mike Read ran for over 200 yards. Quarterback Steve Crawford threw for three touchdowns. Back David Silvia caught and rushed for a score.

“We worked hard on our offense. We got the guys to block a little better,” said BHS head coach Bill McCagney. “We were upset with the way we blocked against Hendricken. We blocked a lot better this week, moved the ball well.”

In all, it was the best Barrington performance on offense in quite a while, and it couldn’t have come at a better time with the Rams on the horizon.

“They’re a good team. They haven’t lost in two years. They beat us last year in the finals,” McCagney said of LaSalle. “They’re very aggressive on defense. They play their linebackers up tight. They blitz a lot. They play man coverage. On offense, they block well. The quarterback (Corey Fossa) is a weapon. He can run and pass. They have a great receiver (Luke Francis).

“You don’t do much different at this point in the season. We’re going to go with what we’ve got and I expect them to do the same. I think it’s going to be a great ballgame.”

While there is a bit of a revenge factor for the Eagles, McCagney said the contest is more about his Barrington team playing up to its usual high standards.

“We’re just going to go out and play the way try to each game. Every time you step between the white lines you have something to prove. This game isn’t any different. We approach it the same way we do every game,” said McCagney.

DIVISION TWO PREVIEW

The Division Two-A playoff picture will be cleared up this week as the regular season comes to a close for the postseason-bound sides, including locals Mt. Hope, which heads to Pawtucket’s Pariseau Field/McCoy Annex Friday night to face Tolman at 7.

The Huskies have earned one of the four spots from the subgroup along with Westerly and Woonsocket. All three teams enter their league finales with 5-1 records. Mt. Hope takes on the 2-4 Tigers while the Bulldogs and Villa Novans square off Saturday, Nov. 7, in Woonsocket at 2 p.m.

The Huskies need a victory and a Westerly win to finish in first place and earn the top seed. Mt. Hope beat the Bulldogs, but lost to the Novans. A win for Woonsocket would give the Novans first place and the No. 1 seed from Two-A. With a win, the Huskies can be no worse than the second seed and are assured a home game in the playoffs, Nov. 13 or 14.

“We know we may have something special, but we don’t look at it like that. Our job is to stay humble,” Mt Hope head coach Ron Silva said of the Huskies positioning. “We aren’t taking anything for granted right now.”

West Warwick, at 4-2, has also secured a playoff berth from the Two-A ranks and can be the third seed with a win and if Westerly beats Woonsocket. The Wizards beat the Novans, 22-14, earlier in the year. West Warwick hosts winless Warwick Vets (0-6) Saturday afternoon at 2.

On the other side of the bracket, South Kingstown can lock up the top seed from Two-B with a win over Toll Gate Friday. The 5-1 Rebels hold the tiebreaker due to their win earlier in the year over likewise 5-1 Coventry. The Oakers are on the road Friday against 4-2 Cranston East.

South, Coventry and East have locked up three of the playoff spots from the subgroup. The fourth will be decided between 3-3 sides Toll Gate and Cumberland. The Titans, as mentioned, play S.K. at home Friday while the Clippers face neighboring rival Lincoln, 2-4, the same evening on the road. Toll Gate holds the head-to-head breaker over Cumberland if the teams are tied because of its 22-21 win in their regular season meeting.

MORE NOTES

Tiverton reached the precipice of playoff elimination last week after suffering 26-21 loss to Central last week. The 3-3 Tigers need to win their final two games, beginning this week against East Greenwich, and get some help if they’re to return to the Division Three postseason tournament.

Tiverton welcomes the 1-4 Avengers to town Saturday afternoon, Nov. 7, at 1:30. The Tigers need a win and another next Friday night, Nov. 13, in Providence against Mt. Pleasant at Conley Stadium to remain alive for the playoffs.

Currently, unbeaten and 6-0 Ponaganset is in the postseason field of four. Moses Brown, at 5-2, takes the week off, but can lock up its berth with a win at home next week against East Greenwich.

Johnston, at 4-2, can move closer to earning a bid with a win on the road Friday at 1-5 Smithfield. The Panthers close out their league slate next week at home against Central. The 3-3 Knights play Mt Pleasant Saturday at Conley Stadium in what is likely to be a playoff elimination game. At 3-3, the Kilties remain in the mix with Central and Tiverton for the fourth-and-final playoff spot.

As it stands right now, Central controls its destiny in the chase for the last berth with its win over the Tigers to go along with possible wins over Mt. Pleasant and then Johnston to close out the year.

WAREHAM AT SEEKONK

Over in Massachusetts, the playoffs for the Seekonk High School squad basically began last week as the Warriors withstood a challenge from winless Greater New Bedford Voc to keep pace with both Fairhaven and Dighton-Rehoboth in pursuit of the South Coast Conference title.

“It is what it is,” said SHS head coach Jack Whalen. “Any time you’re having a decent season in Massachusetts, the last three weeks or so of the season mean a whole lot more because only the winner of you conference makes the playoffs. Every game counts. Obviously the pressure is on you to keep winning.”

Seekonk improved to 5-1 in the league with the 23-18 victory over the Bears while the 5-1 Blue Devils and 5-0 Falcons were also winners. The locals host 3-2 Wareham, 51-7 winners over Case last week, in another must-win game Friday night at 7 at Connelly Field.

“Wareham is a good football team. They have so many weapons. They have four tailbacks and two fullbacks that play, so they stay fresh,” said Whalen. “They’re a little bigger than us, but not that much bigger, so that really doesn’t concern me. I just hope our kids are pumped up for what’s at stake, which is a shot at winning the conference championship and making the playoffs.

“We still have our destiny in our own hands to a certain extent, but a large part of it remains in the hands our opponents on Thanksgiving Day.”

Key to the Warriors’ playoff chances is this week’s meeting between Fairhaven and D-R. Simply put, Seekonk needs a favor from the rival Falcons. D-R must beat the Blue Devils Friday night at home to set up a winner-take-all meeting between the Warriors and Falcons on Thanksgiving Day for the SCC title and the accompanying Division Three playoff berth.

“I think it’s two pretty good football teams playing,” Whalen said of the D-R-Fairhaven outing. “I think D-R matches up well with Fairhaven because of their size up front. I think it’s going to come to if D-R can tackle (Fairhaven QB) Taylor Motta.”

A Fairhaven win and another in its SCC finale next week at home against Bourne would wrap up the league title for the Blue Devils regardless of what Seekonk does the rest of the way. Fairhaven owns the tiebreaker over the Warriors due to its 16-6 victory over Seekonk back on Oct. 9.