Expect an emotional night in North Kingstown. Here are Eric Rueb's Week 6 HS football picks

Expect an emotional night in North Kingstown. Here are Eric Rueb’s Week 6 HS football picks

Posted by author October 17, 2024 Football

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Joe Gilmartin was one of the first people who believed in me.

I didn’t have him as a coach or a teacher. I’m not from North Kingstown. In fact, the first time we met – when I was a cocky kid working at a South County weekly – I very much did not enjoy what I perceived to be his personality. My read couldn’t have been more wrong.

That one-off preseason interview was long out of my head when I started at the Journal in 2018. My goal was to cover high school football in a way the state had never seen and to do that, I had to build relationships with the state’s coaches.

With North Kingstown being one of the state’s best teams, that meant getting to know Joe Gilmartin. It wasn’t easy getting him on the phone, but I left our conversations – usually in person – more educated about football and coaching than I was when they started.

Joe’s retirement wasn’t a secret and he let me sit down with him and talk about his journey as a coach. It lasted 45 minutes, but I could have listened to him talk for days.

His philosophy about coaching, teaching and communicating opened my eyes to how things should be done. He didn’t make excuses or complain about perceived advantages other programs had. It was refreshing.

Joe was also a coach I trusted. I’d ask for his opinions on players for All-State and he was candid – and not just about his players. I asked him about Hendricken’s Jason Onye and Joe said he was impressed with the size and strength, but told me to check out the film on the Hawks’ other defensive end. He didn’t know his name, just his number, and said that was the kid to watch for, so I did.

It was Brandyn Durand — who ended up being a three-time All-Stater instead of a two-time pick that I missed because I was watching ‘the guy’ instead of all the guys.

Toward the end of that first season, Joe told me he enjoyed how I was covering football and thanked me for the work I was doing for the kids. He didn’t want the attention and always smiled when I told him I’d pass on interviewing him in favor of his players.

Having his support meant a lot because it told me I was doing something right. I’m always appreciative when parents thank me for coverage, but that makes sense to me – I’m doing something nice for their kids and when someone does that for mine, I react the same way.

I’m a football outsider. Never played — minus one year in ninth grade and four dominant flag football seasons at URI — so there’s always this feeling that I don’t belong in the same room as these guys. Coaches can spot a fake and it terrified me that that’s how they saw me.

Having Joe compliment my work in that first season mattered. It helped me believe in my vision, that the work I was doing mattered and that people – especially “football guys” – thought enough of it to check it out.

Talking to the people who knew him best this week, it seems like this was one of Joe’s best traits. He found a way to make you the best person you could be so you could believe in yourself and do whatever the task at hand was to the best of your abilities.

Joe made everyone who came in contact with him better and I’m honored to be one of them.

Let’s get on with the picks.

THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Scituate at Narragansett, 6 p.m.

By my count this is the fifth time we’ve covered the Spartans, which is probably more than the Journal has ever covered Scituate in the last 30 years combined. Scheduling has been a big reason, but winning games also helps. Will this one be a Super Bowl preview? Maybe.

THE PICK: Mariners

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Toll Gate vs. Davies at Pierce Field, 5 p.m.

I wish the Journal paid me pro athlete money so I could put it into refurbishing Pierce Field and turn it into the site for the Super Bowls every year. If my bosses are reading this and want to oblige, I’d be OK with it.

THE PICK: Patriots

North Providence at Chariho, 6 p.m.

While I’m sure the Cougars want to be a higher seed, you could talk me into them reaching the D-III Super Bowl as the No. 6. How? Beat Mt. Hope. Beat Rogers. Boom, Super Bowl berth.

THE PICK: Cougars

Middletown at West Warwick, 6 p.m.

Rematch of the Division III Super Bowl and if you don’t think the Wizards are being reminded of what happened to them last year at Cranston Stadium, you don’t understand how football works.

THE PICK: Wizards

St. Raphael at La Salle, 6 p.m.

If the Saints that played last week show up to Providence, this won’t be a ballgame. The chaos potential is high, but there’s only one team that’s playing for their postseason lives in this game.

THE PICK: Rams

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South Kingstown at East Providence, 6 p.m.

One team can’t defend the pass. The other struggles against the run. Could this game end up being a track meet? Expect points, point and more points here.

THE PICK: Rebels

Tolman vs. Mount Pleasant at Conley Stadium, 6 p.m.

When the temperatures drop and the leaves start falling off trees, it means one thing – the Tigers are about to play their best football of the season. The rest of D-II better not let them get hot before the playoffs.

THE PICK: Tigers

Central Falls vs. Cranston East at Cranston Stadium, 6:30 p.m.

Really hoping the Warriors’ coaches will report the scores and who had their touchdowns so we don’t miss out on a story like Jadiel Santiago, who had over 200 yards rushing and five TDs last week.

THE PICK: Warriors

Cranston West at Barrington, 6:30 p.m.

If Dan McKee shut the Washington Bridge down on Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. and they moved this game to Saturday night, I would not be mad. Sneaky great matchup here that’s going to get lost with a lot of huge ones on the slate.

THE PICK: Falcons

Rogers at Ponaganset, 6:30 p.m.

People always ask how we schedule games. Here’s an example of how it works: I was supposed to cover and shoot this game. Then our freelancer photographer said he was going to make the trip. It doesn’t make sense to have a shooter (me) at a game with another photog, so Jake Rousseau – who’s closer to Glocester than Bill Koch – will be here while I head to Providence. I’ll let him deal with my pick.

THE PICK: Vikings

Hendricken vs. Central at Conley Stadium, 7 p.m.

Hawks by 30 or Knights by 6. No other outcome seems possible. Hendricken should run away with this one, but Central’s ability to play up in the biggest of games is something that can’t be discounted.

THE PICK: Hawks

Burrillville at North Kingstown, 7 p.m.

I think the Broncos are the better team and are playing better football right now, but as someone who loves storylines I’m not going against the one that would make me cry.

THE PICK: Skippers

Cumberland at Portsmouth, 7 p.m.

Two teams with two stars who aren’t defined by the position they play. Evan Spencer and Adam Conheeny both define what a football player is and as long as they’re on the field, their team has a chance to win.

THE PICK: Clippers

Moses Brown at Westerly, 7 p.m.

I don’t report on injury news but I also don’t want to get my pick wrong but I also know a good defense when I see one and after last week, I know which team is going to be really hungry to win this game.

THE PICK: Bulldogs

Johnston at East Greenwich, 7 p.m.

East Greenwich is right behind Tucker Field in Cumberland for “departing traffic that nearly matches Gillette Stadium after a football game.” People of Johnston, be warned.

THE PICK: Panthers

Classical at Pilgrim, 7 p.m.

The Purple can do so many things that should give the Patriots fits, but there’s something about playing in the pitch black at Morry Field that makes life difficult for visiting teams. I should be confident in my pick, but I’m also ready for the text thanking me for bulletin-board material.

THE PICK: Purple

Some Connecticut co-op at Mt. Hope, 7 p.m.

This game was a late add to the schedule and I’m not picking against Rhode Island kids against out-of-state ones just to win some silly pick ‘em contest like my co-worker Jake Rousseau does. Remember – Rueb supports Rhode Island’s athletes.

THE PICK: Huskies

SATURDAY AFTERNOON LIGHTS

Tiverton vs. Juanita Sanchez at Providence Country Day, 12 p.m.

Really wish my daughter didn’t have a soccer game at 12:30 because I would have hit this one up just for the opportunity to see a football game being played on a baseball field.

THE PICK: Cavaliers

North Smithfield at Hope, 12 p.m.

Anyone making the trip, there’s a pizza place right around the corner called Francesco’s and it’s on the short list of best pizza places in Rhode Island. The General Tso pizza is strangely delicious.

THE PICK: Northmen

Smithfield at Exeter-West Greenwich, 1 p.m.

Kudos to Digital Reel Productions, which runs the YouTube channel that broadcasts EWG football games. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why every school in the state hasn’t created YouTube channels of their own. Love West Warwick’s. Love Portsmouth’s. EWG’s is also on the list and I know what I’ll be doing Saturday night.

THE PICK: Sentinels

Lincoln at Coventry, 1 p.m.

I don’t know what’s happening in God’s Country but it has my confidence in the Oakers shook. The Lions’ Wing-T is tough to stop and could replicate what East Providence did a few weeks back.

THE PICK: Lions

Shea vs. Woonsocket at Barry Field, 1 p.m.

My daughter’s game is at 12:30 in Smithfield. Should be over at 1:30. Going to jump in the car and drive north, hoping for a million penalties, lots of passing, tons of scoring and the Woonsocket band to play extra long at halftime so I can see the final two quarters.

THE PICK: Villa Novans