By ERIC BENEVIDES

Sports writer

oonsocket High is 6-1 and the Division II-A’s regular season champs. The Villa Novans are also 7-2 overall, possess a six-game win streak, explosive offensively, and boasting an air-tight defense that has allowed an average of fewer than six points a game.
Lincoln High is 3-4 and squeaked into the Division II playoffs because of its victory last Friday over Cumberland High and head-to-head tiebreakers with the Clippers and Toll Gate High for the Division II-B’s last postseason spot.
The Lions are also 4-5 overall, and before last week’s triumph, had dropped four straight games. And while they have a solid defense, they have also had some struggles offensively and scored more than 20 points in a game once.
Both teams will battle each other in the Division II quarterfinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Woonsocket’s Barry Field, and while some high school fans may see this game as a mismatch, they may want to think again.
“Lincoln plays us very well,” added Woonsocket coach Carnell Henderson. “They are very good up front, they control the line of scrimmage, and they have good ball management. They’re a tough team, and I think it’s going to be a very good football game.”
This will be the fifth time in the last two years that the Villa Novans and the Lions will clash on the gridiron. They have kicked off their last two seasons at the Injury Fund tripleheader at Pawtucket’s Max Read Field and renewed acquaintances in non-league games during the season.
And while their 24-minute Injury Fund games have been tightly contested, so have their last two meetings. In Week 6 of this season, the Novans bused out of Ferguson Field with a 13-7 victory, and last year, the Lions left Barry Field with a 7-6 win.
“We know each other pretty well,” Lincoln coach Dave Waycott said with a laugh. “Every time we face them, it’s always a good game, and (this week’s game) is going to come down to execution, (making) no mistakes, and being ready to play.”
Both teams can throw and run the ball and they have some of the division’s top players in both departments.
Lincoln quarterback Ryan O’Dell has seven touchdown passes and as many running TDs, and Woonsocket’s 1,000-yard tailback Travis Gagne and fullback Jordan Barr have teamed up to score 12 touchdowns.
That being said, this duel could come down to defense, and both teams have been solid in that department. While the Novans haven’t allowed a point in their last four division contests, the Lions have posted three shutouts during the season.     
“I’m very happy with the defense,” added Henderson. “I think our defensive speed is very good and we have guys that fly to the football. That’s the trick on defense -- knowing your assignment, being put in the right position, and getting to the football. We have those type of kids that do that very well.”
“We’ve played well defensively, but we’re going to have our work cut out,” added Waycott. “You have to pick your poison with them. Are they going to pound you with the run or are they going to throw all over you?”
With two teams that are almost equal in talent facing each other, this contest could come down to mistakes and who makes the most of them. The Novans were plagued by penalties in their regular-season meeting with Lincoln, yet were fortunate enough to escape with a six-point win.  
“We have to play fundamentally sound football,” acknowledged Henderson. “The thing that has been our Achilles heel in our last few games is penalties. I think if we can control what we do as far as penalties, we’ll be OK and put ourselves in a better situation to be able to do some things.”
It’s been a handful of years since both teams reached the playoffs, and when they last did, they did so in the Division III ranks. In 2005, the Novans were unbeaten in their last year in the division before losing in the Super Bowl to Burrillville, and in 2003, Lincoln was 8-2, but also lost to the Broncos in the title game. 
The winner of this game will meet Friday night’s quarterfinal-round winner at Coventry High between Westerly High and the Knotty Oakers in the Dec. 1 semifinals.
Friday night’s other quarterfinal-round contests feature West Warwick High vs. South Kingstown High at the Curtis Corner Middle School and Cranston East High at Mount Hope High.
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There’s two other games in the area with importance in terms of postseason implications, starting with North Smithfield High’s Division IV duel tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at North Providence High against the Cougars.
The Northmen (3-3), who kept their playoff hopes alive with their win over Central Falls High last week, must defeat the Cougars, who are 1-6 and tied for last place with Providence Country Day, and Scituate High (3-3) on the road on Thanksgiving morning.
They also need some outside help. Exeter/West Greenwich (4-2), which lost to the Northmen in the second week of the season, must lose to Classical (5-2) tomorrow and Central Falls (3-4) the following Saturday. A Scituate loss tomorrow to regular-season champ Middletown (6-1) would also help.
The Northmen can’t afford to overlook the Cougars like they did four weeks ago in their stunning 41-26 loss to PCD. Their offense, which has averaged 25.5 points over the past four weeks, needs to strike early and often tonight, and the defense can’t take the Cougars lightly.
East Providence High is already headed to next month’s Division I playoffs, but tonight at Pierce Field, the Townies will try to spoil Bishop Hendricken High’s playoff hopes in what has annually been an entertaining showdown.
“As always, we expect a tough and competitive game,” remarked E.P. coach Sandy Gorham. “(Hendricken) started off slow, but they have recently found their stride and they have come together.”
The Townies and La Salle Academy are 5-1 and tied for second place behind Barrington High (6-1), which beat both teams during the regular season and will clinch the top seed in the postseason if it tops Cranston West High (3-4) tonight.
E.P. and La Salle will face each other on Thanskgiving morning, but before Gorham and his team can glance ahead to that showdown, they have to give their full attention to the Hawks. The Townies had a bye week last weekend, but they were hard at work preparing for the Green and Gold.
“It was a good week to have off,” admitted Gorham. “They have probably as balanced a backfield, with quarterback, fullback and running back, as we’ve seen in a while. They run a lot of formations and there’s a lot of movement.” The Hawks (5-2) are trying to fend off Portsmouth High (4-3) for the final playoff spot, but the Pats have the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Hawks. The Patriots close out their division schedule tonight by entertaining Rogers High (1-5).
Ponaganset High will also look to put the clamps on an undefeated Division III regular season on Saturday by entertaining last-place Smithfield High at 10:30 a.m. The Chieftains, who clinched the division crown two weeks ago, are seeking their first perfect regular season since 1996.
The rest of tonight’s schedule pits St. Raphael Academy against La Salle in a Division I game in Providence, and Tolman High at Cumberland High and Warwick Vets High at Shea High in Division II crossover action.
On Saturday at 10 a.m., Burrillville High ventures to Warwick to battle Toll Gate High in a Division II crossover meeting.

(Sports writer Brendan McGair contributed to this report)