Portsmouth sets offensive record for Thanksgiving Day rivalry

MIDDLETOWN — If you like offense, this was your game.

The Portsmouth Patriots and the Middletown Islanders on Thursday combined to score the most points in any of their Thanksgiving Day games since the tradition first started 52 years ago. 

Portsmouth ran all over Middletown, 57-35, and the combined points total of 92 crushed the previous record of 70, set in 1970 when the Islanders beat the Patriots, 40-30.

Portsmouth also broke its own record for most points scored by one team in the turkey day series. The previous high mark was 49 points, set during a 35-point drubbing of Middletown in 2007.

Head coach Ryan Moniz said there were no surprises going up against the Patriots’ island rival, and the 35 points Middletown put up against one of the best teams in the state was evidence of that.

“Honestly, we knew they were going to pose some problems for us, and they did. On the other end of it, we played a pretty physical game six days ago,” Mr. Moniz said, referring to the Patriots’ Division I semifinal loss against Bishop Hendricken on Nov. 18. (Hendricken advanced to the State Champion Super Bowl, while Portsmouth will face the other semifinal loser, Central, in the Division I Super Bowl on Sunday, Dec. 4.)

“That game takes out a lot of us physically and it did. It did two years ago as well,” he said. (The Islanders beat Portsmouth in the 2014 Thanksgiving game.) “We found a way, but I think we’re pretty worn down, especially at this point of the season.”

14 drives in first half

It was a wild, action-packed first half, in which Portsmouth racked up 274 total yards of offense — senior quarterback Sean Coyne was responsible for 141 of them — to go ahead 36-21. Middletown, meanwhile, collected 178 total yards in the first half, which featured 14 offensive drives.

It started with a 60-yard, three-minute drive by Portsmouth that ended with senior running back Alexander Khalfayan running for a four-yard touchdown to put the Patriots up 6-0. 

Middletown answered right back, however. Starting at their own 15, the Islanders’ senior running back Chris Smith took a swing pass and ran down the left sideline 61 yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was good, putting Middletown up 7-6 with 7:15 left in the quarter. The Islanders had driven 85 yards in under two minutes.

Only 18 seconds later, though, Portsmouth was back on top. After starting its second drive at midfield, Coyne kept the ball and ran 51 yards by everyone and into the end zone. The point-after was good and Portsmouth was ahead, 13-7 with just under seven minutes left in the quarter.

Middletown’s next drive went nowhere and once again, the Patriots found themselves with good field position following the punt. Starting at its own 49, Portsmouth advanced the ball with runs by Khalfayan, Coyne and junior running back Dan Correia, followed by a great catch by junior Peyton Robinson for an 18-yard gain. Coyne punched the ball in from the 2 and then added a two-point conversion to make it 21-7 Patriots with 3:42 still left in the first quarter.

Middletown went three and out on its next possession but would get the ball back after recovering a fumble by Khalfayan. But two big defensive plays by Robinson — including a sack of Middletown QB Tyrese O'Loughlin for a 14-yard loss on fourth down — once again gave the Patriots great field position for its next drive. It would be Coyne’s turn to fumble the ball, however, and Middletown later took advantage with Smith running 39 yards into the end zone to make it a game — 21-13 Portsmouth with 6:34 left in the half.

Zigzagging 62-yard run

But just when the Islanders re-energized their home crowd, the Patriots quieted them right down again. 

Just 23 seconds after Middletown had scored, Coyne received a bouncing kickoff at the 38-yard line and zigzagged left, right, then left again. Sixty-two yards and about four missed tackles later, he was in the end zone. Senior John Roche — later named the game’s MVP for Portsmouth — scored on a two-point conversion and it was 29-13 Portsmouth with 6:11 left in the half.

Portsmouth immediately gave up another big play, however, when Middletown sophomore running back Mason Gilman ran 65 yards before being caught at the Portsmouth 1-yard line. Harry Quinones punched the ball in and a successful 2-point conversion made it 29-21 Portsmouth.

Numerous mistakes by the Islanders came back to haunt them on Portsmouth’s next drive, which was extended several times by penalties including a helmet-to-helmet, 12 men on defense, unsportsmanlike conduct and a face mask. It ended with Khalfayan scoring from the 1-yard line and after the point-after, it was 36-21. 

Khalfayan would leave the game, however, after sustaining a low-grade ankle sprain.

“I think we dodged a bullet, really,” said Mr. Moniz, adding that Khalfayan should be OK for the Central game. “As the game wore on, he was hobbling a little bit more. Big picture, I think we need him a little bit more tomorrow. Alex has been the heart and soul of our program for a couple years.”

Second half

Portsmouth started the second half with a successful onside kick by Coyne that was recovered by senior A.J. Cottrell, giving the Patriots the ball at Middletown’s 36. 

Senior running back Noah Johnson, taking over for Khalfayan, carried the ball three times for 26 yards before Coyne scored a TD from the 5. The extra point was good, making it 43-21 with 9:10 left in the third quarter.

The Patriots’ defense stalled Middletown’s next possession quickly, and Portsmouth handed the ball again to Johnson for several carries before he ran it 6 yards into the end zone to make it 50-21 with 2:37 left in the quarter. 

The Patriots held the Islanders scoreless in the third quarter, but Smith would score from 2 yards out and a successful two-point conversion made it 50-27 with 7:41 left in the game.

In Portsmouth’s next drive, another face mask penalty against Middletown added to a 20-yard run by Coyne before Correia took the ball several times to advance the Patriots to the 5-yard line. Senior Tim Murphy then got a handoff and went left before cutting back to the middle and into the end zone for Portsmouth’s final TD.

“We made some plays when we needed to,” said Mr. Moniz. “Our offensive line was outstanding and sustained the blocks, our ball carriers did a great job running the ball. I just think we gave up a lot of big plays to them.”

On to the Super Bowl

A win is a win, though, and after a few days rest the Patriots will start getting ready for the Division I Super Bowl against Central on Dec. 4. 

“We’re not prepared yet. We knew we had a pretty difficult challenge with these guys, and it proved to be true. The kids will get some rest over the weekend and we’ll prepare as best we can,” said Mr. Ryan, who makes no apologies for his team appearing in one of the two D-I Super Bowls following the R.I. Interscholastic League’s re-alignment of the division this year.

“Goal No. 1 every year is to beat Middletown, goal No. 2 is to be the best public school team in the state. This gives us a chance to validate that. I think that our kids understand that, too. It’s an important game,” he said.