'Bolts rout Vikings, improve to 5-1

Led by junior quarterback Justin Neary, Cranston East rolled to its second straight lopsided victory, cruising past Rogers in Newport on Friday night, 37-0.

It was all East out of the gate.

Early in the first quarter, the ’Bolts marched down the field, resulting in a 4-yard touchdown run from Neary to make it 8-0.

A couple of minutes later, Malik Gavek doubled the advantage when he returned a punt 76 yards to the end zone.

And East was just getting started.

Early in the second quarter, the lead was upped to 23-0 when Neary threw a strike to Jake Palazzo, who eluded defenders and took it 66 yards to pay dirt.

Neary registered his third touchdown of the half on a 41-yard keeper to give East a 30-0 lead at the break.

The ’Bolts would tack on one additional touchdown in the second half, and their defense would hold strong to preserve the shutout.

East is now 5-1 and will conclude its season schedule with its lone crossover game against Division I-A’s East Providence at Cranston Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.

’Bolts fall in semis

The Cranston East girls’ tennis team came up one win shy of a trip to the Division III finals last week, dropping its semifinal match with top-seeded East Providence (15-1), 4-2.

East got victories in No. 1 singles and No. 2 singles, as Serena Bobola and Lily Russell eased their way to straight-set victories in their respective matches.

The Townies thrived in doubles, however, notching wins in all three of those matches to secure their spot in the final.

East found its way into the semifinals after an upset victory, 4-3, over North Providence in the quarterfinals.

The ’Bolts dominated the singles matches against the Cougars, getting victories from Bobola, Russell, Lily Frappier and Hannah Joyce to complete the upset.

Falcons eliminated in quarters

Cranston West couldn’t get by upset-minded Mount Hope, as the No. 6 Huskies ousted the No. 3 Falcons, 4-3, in the Division II girls’ tennis quarterfinals.

West’s Isabella Corso and Lily Janigian won the first two singles matches, respectively, coming back to earn a point each after both players dropped their opening set. Alice Lim also won her match in a hard-fought, three-set match in No. 4 singles.

However, West couldn’t produce the point it needed in doubles, falling in all three matches as the Huskies pulled off the 4-3 victory to move on in the bracket.