Something is different about Cranston East football. Saturday showed it.
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CRANSTON – They were young and talented, but there were times when Cranston East didn’t have enough players show up to hold a practice.
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After an up-and-down regular season and an ugly playoff loss to Mt. Hope, the Thunderbolts decided something needed to change.
Cranston East’s talent remains, but its mentality for 2026 is decidedly different. The Thunderbolts have something to prove and are doing it together, as a group. On Saturday they sent a statement to the rest of Division III with a 40-14 drubbing of Mt. Hope, leaving little doubt about the direction the team is going this fall.
“We had a rocky start the last couple of years,” Cranston East offensive lineman Mike Lopez said. “… We were working and we had to prove them wrong. It’s a new East.”
“Everyone realized we can play,” quarterback Gavin Boylan said. “We’re not the same old East.”
Cranston East had the talent last year, but youth and inexperience made things difficult. The Thunderbolts thought they could just show up and get by, not realizing other teams were out there working. East went 3-5 in D-III play, then lost 32-6 to Mt. Hope in the quarterfinal round.
That didn’t sit well with the players. The grind started almost immediately and this summer, the Thunderbolts held each other accountable and make sure they knew they weren’t working for themselves – they were working for one another.
“Last year we had practices where we didn’t have a lot of people – we had 20-something people,” Boylan said. “Even then we had to cancel practices because nobody showed up. This year, we’re dedicated.”
Mt. Hope arrived at Cranston Stadium – site of its D-III Super Bowl loss to Classical – ready to prove it was still the top dog in the division. Cranston East had revenge on its mind and wanted to make a name for itself.
The Thunderbolts wasted little time in setting a tone. Freshman Marvin Tavares put on a show in the first quarter, coming up with an interception on the Huskies’ opening drive, then catching a 43-yard touchdown pass from Boylan for a 6-0 lead.
Cranston East added another score in the second quarter – this one a 28-yard pass by Boylan to sophomore D.J. Dale – but, despite four first-quarter turnovers, Mt. Hope showed little panic down 13-0 at halftime.
The Huskies grabbed momentum quick when quarterback Will Francis – the biggest player on the field – broke through some uninterested Thunderbolts and rumbled 85 yards for a touchdown.
Instead of collapsing on itself, Cranston East gathered and came up with the response that showed why it’s a viable contender. A good return set the Bolts up near midfield and Boylan opened the drive with a 31-yard pass to John Dacruz before capping the six-play drive with his own 7-yard run.
The defense came up with a stop and Armand Reed took the punt back, only to have a penalty – which Cranston East collected like baseball cards – bring the ball back. The Thunderbolts didn’t let the call shake their confidence and three plays later, Boylan hit Dacruz with a 43-yard touchdown pass for a 26-7 lead.
Dacruz led Cranston East with three catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, but all of the receivers – Dale, Tavares and Reed – showed big-play capability. Throw in Boylan’s running ability and the north-south grind from Kalsin Yan – who scored a touchdown and had 60 yards in the game – its clear offense won’t be an issue this fall.
“It’s hard to spread the ball around when we have so much talent on the field,” Boylan said. “I never pick favorites, just throw it to whoever is open.”
Last year Mt. Hope won by playing bully ball. Saturday, Cranston East stood up to the bullies. The Bolts won at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and the defense – minus the one Francis run – showed great pursuit in limiting the Mt. Hope run attack. The secondary is the best in D-III and their ball-hawking abilities came up with four interceptions.
And each time someone played, they didn’t celebrate alone.
“We’re all just one big family. This is East, you feel me?” Lopez said. “We’ve been separated, like we’re one man and nobody is bigger than the rules. Now we’re all the same, we’re one big family and we’re working together.”
The potential for Cranston East is endless, but how it responds after Saturday’s win will be key to its success. If the Thunderbolts are satisfied, they’ll remain stagnant and get to talk about a big Week 2 win in September.
But if the Bolts remain hungry, play as one and realize what they can be if they lock in on every rep, they might win a bigger game at their home stadium in November.
Week 3 brings another tough opponent to Cranston Stadium, as Cranston East welcomes undefeated Davies – a newcomer to Division III after playing in D-IV Super Bowls the last two seasons, winning in 2024 – in what could be a playoff preview game.
“It’s just back to work, back in the lab,” Lopez said. “That’s all we have to do – keep working.”
“There’s a lot of room [to work],” Boylan said. “We made some simple mistakes, but if we can get those mistakes fixed at practice, we’re dangerous.”
Cranston East 40, Mt. Hope 14
Mt. Hope 0 7 0 7 – 14
Cranston East 6 7 13 14 – 40
First quarter
CE – Marvin Tavares 43 pass from Gavin Boylan (run fails), 5:22
Second quarter
CE – D.J. Dale 28 pass from Boylan (Jean Dure kick), 6:45
Third quarter
MH – Will Francis 85 run (Jake Mancieri kick), 6:25
CE – Boylan 7 run (Dure kick), 3:26
CE – John Dacruz 43 pass from Boylan (pass fails), :35
Fourth quarter
CE – Boylan 35 run (Dure kick), 10:59
MH – Brody Cavalieri 22 run (Mancieri kick), 7:29
CE – Kalsin Yan 8 run (Dure kick), 5:50
TEAM STATISTICS
RUSHING – Mt. Hope 23-191, Cranston East 33-190. PASSING – Mt. Hope 5-11-36, Cranston East 7-11-167. TOTAL OFFENSE – Mt. Hope 227, Cranston East 357. FIRST DOWNS – Mt. Hope 7, Cranston East 17. FUMBLES-LOST – Mt. Hope 2-2, Cranston East 2-0. TOTAL TURNOVERS – Mt. Hope 6, Cranston East 0. PENALTIES-YARDS – Mt. Hope 9-84, Cranston East 11-110. PUNTS-YARDS – Mt. Hope 1-28, Cranston East 2-76. TIME OF POSSESSION – Mt. Hope 19:23, Cranston East 28:37
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Mt. Hope – Will Francis 9-125, TD, fumble; Brody Cavalieri 3-34, TD; Tyler Rhynard 4-21; Chase Savinon 6-8; Brennan Correia 1-3. Cranston East – Gavin Boylan 15-75, 2 TDs; Kalsin Yan 10-60, TD: D.J. Dale 3-22; Marvin Tavares 1-20; Armand Reed 2-11; Nathan Huorth 1-3; Team 1-(-1).
PASSING: Mt. Hope – Francis 3-6-21, 2 INTs; Correia 2-5-15, 2 INTs. Cranston East – Boylan 7-11-167, 3 TDs.
RECEIVING: Mt. Hope – Nick Rogers 2-18, fumble; Rhynard 2-14; Savinon 1-4. Cranston East – John Dacruz 3-86, 2 TDs; Dale 2-41; Marvin Tavares 1-43; Reed 1-1.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Something is different about Cranston East football. Saturday showed it.