Islander Drew MacIntyre made two runs and helped North Kingstown’s freshman football team capitalize on Cranston East turnovers to win the game. Photo by Caitlin Downing The North Kingstown High School freshman football team has come a long way since its first scrimmage of the season against Barrington High School.

“We got killed in that scrimmage against Barrington. They just came out and walked all over us. But since then, the team has worked very hard and we have worked them hard. The regular season game against Barrington was a lot closer,” Head coach Bruce Mastracchio said.

The Thunderbolts scored the first touchdown of the game against the Skippers and added a two-point conversion to take an early 8-0 lead.

After two runs by islander Drew MacIntyre, North capitalized on the first turnover of the game, a Cranston East fumble in the North end zone, and added two points on the conversion attempt to knot the score at 8-8 at the end of the first quarter.

North Kingstown never looked back after tying the game.

At the beginning of the second quarter, islander James Chamberlain recovered a Cranston East fumble and ran it in for a touchdown. Chamberlain then connected with fellow Jamestowner Hugh McCarthy for the two-point conversion to take the 15-8 lead.

“James is an excellent athlete. He picks up things very quickly and has been doing very well at the quarterback position for us,” Mastracchio said. “He can run, he is very quick and he can return kicks extremely well.”

He added that if Chamberlain has a weak spot, it is his passing.

“But even there he has made a lot of progress since the beginning of the season. He just needs a strong supporting cast,” he said.

McCarthy has made great strides this year, the coach said, and has been an important addition to the team.

“He wasn’t even on the radar really at the beginning of the season, but he is good size, has decent speed and he is doing well for us,” Mastracchio said.

Following the Chamberlain touchdown, the Thunderbolts turned the ball over on downs, and North’s Steven Pietrantozzi scored on a Skippers run. Chamberlain added the point after and the Skippers increased their lead to 22-8.

Chamberlain continued to dominate for North by recovering the onside kick and then scoring a touchdown on an end around run. The point after kick was no good and the Skippers took a 28-8 lead into halftime.

The Thunderbolts managed to get on the board once more in the third quarter, but islander Sean Dowling foiled the two-point conversion attempt and the Skippers held them scoreless for the remainder of the game. McCarthy kept Cranston East from capitalizing in the turnover game when he recovered a North fumble.

Chamberlain ended the game with an interception as time ran out, giving the Skippers the 28- 14 win.

Islanders Kevin McDermott, Eric Stroud, Matt Rafanelli and Eric Thomas also saw playing time for the Skippers and contributed to the win.

“It felt good to get the win,” Mastracchio said. “We started the season with 30 kids who had never played before. And, of the five on the team who had played before, one is off the team and two are on crutches.”

Mastracchio said the Skippers’ strengths are in the quarterback, defense and running back positions.

“We need to work on our pass receiving, but even that is coming around,” he said.

The coach said he will recommend seven to nine players to move up to varsity for the annual Thanksgiving Day game against South Kingstown, including Chamberlain and Dowling.

“Dowling can be counted on for varsity in the immediate future,” he said. “He has a lot of potential. He plays offensive and defensive tackle and can long and short snap as a freshman, which is pretty incredible.”

But for now, the coach and the team will focus on three tough games to finish out the season. The Skippers have to face La Salle and Hendricken back to back, and then host Portsmouth at home to close out the regular season.

“These kids just don’t quit, so we might see some surprises in the last few games, but they are going to be tough,” Mastracchio said.

The team will host La Salle Academy today, Thursday, Oct. 15, at 3:30 p.m. and will travel to Bishop Hendricken on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m.