PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Patriots football team held off a pesky Division II West Warwick squad in the annual Homecoming game on Saturday, 30-22.

The Wizards got on the board first, with a quarterback sneak by Nathan Corona inside the 1-yard line with just over three minutes to play in the first quarter. The extra point was good, making it 7-0 West Warwick.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Wizards tried a surprise squib kick, but it was recovered by Portsmouth’s Joe Anderson on the 34-yard line.

With just under 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, the Patriots answered with a quarterback sneak of its own, as Adam Conheeny ran it in from the 1-yard line. Conheeny kept it again as he ran in the end zone for a successful 2-point conversion, making it 8-6 Portsmouth.

On the next possession, the Wizards were unsuccessful on a fourth-down pass attempt from the Patriots’ 6-yard line, where the home team took over. 

On second down from their own 10-yard line, Conheeny took the snap and ran 90 yards untouched down the left sideline into the end zone. Joseph Sanderson ran to the right for another successful 2-point conversion, making it 16-7 Patriots with just over two minutes left in the half.

The Wizards came right back in the second half, however, scoring on a short run play and then a 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 16-15 Portsmouth with 2:34 left in the third quarter.

The Patriots didn’t blink, though. Following a 19-yard keeper by Conheeny for a first down to their own 48, Sanderson took the handoff from Conheeny and dodged a few tacklers on the left side before finding the end zone. His 52-yard touchdown run — a 2-point conversion was no good — made it 22-15 Portsmouth with a minute and a half left in the third quarter.

The Wizards scored again on the next drive, however, with a pass completed inside the 10-yard line and a successful point-after kick, tying the game at 22 with less than 10 minutes left in the final period.

The Patriots kept cool, even when they were faced with a fourth-and-8 on the Wizards’ 34. Conheeny took the snap and spun to the left before finding Sanderson on the right side. The short pass and 30-plus-yard run into the end zone, followed by a successful 2-point conversion, made it 30-22 Portsmouth with five minutes to play. The Patriots’ defense stopped the Wizards on their next possession and then the offense drove down to the visitors’ 10-yard line before running out the clock for the win.

The Patriots are now 3-2 in Division I after winning three games in a row. They next host Cumberland at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. They’ll travel to Charity High for a game at noon on Saturday, Oct. 26.