By BRENDAN McGAIR

Sports writer

PAWTUCKET – Say this for Tolman and Shea: it might be a down year for the city’s two public high schools, but the pair put on quite the entertaining show inside McCoy Stadium Wednesday evening.
There wasn’t a blowout. Instead there was a down-to-the-wire finish that wasn’t sealed until Tolman’s defensive unit came up with a fourth down stop on the game’s next-to-last snap. The eighth edition of the “Thanksgiving Classic” went to the Tigers, 20-14, a victory that enabled Tolman to knot the holiday get-together with Shea at four wins apiece.
Senior Jordan Johnson ended his varsity career in grand style, accounting for all three of Tolman’s touchdowns (one rushing, two passing) on his way to earning MVP honors. Receiving the honor from Shea was senior Max Perry, who head coach Dino Campopiano plans to count on heavily come baseball season.
“We needed a lot of heart and aggression in order to play [a rivalry game]. Shea came out pumped up,” said Tolman head coach Dave Caito, whose crew wraps up at 4-6 overall.
For the Raiders, it was another close call in a season littered with them. Last night marked Shea’s sixth defeat by six points or less.
“We were right there,” said Campopiano. “If you could write a book about our season, it would say ‘We were right there, but we would hurt ourselves.’ When you play teams that are equal or better than you, on a rivalry game like this, you can’t make [mistakes].”
A scoreless first quarter gave way to a fruitful second quarter for the Tigers. A 55-yard hookup between Johnson and senior wideout Jahmel Bowman made it first-and-goal at the Shea 10 yard-line. Johnson called his own number from two yards out and Kevin Poirier tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 advantage for Tolman.
The Tigers struck again right before the half, this time the Johnson-to-Bowman aerial express resulting in a 28-yard scoring connection. That gave Tolman a 14-0 cushion.
“Huge plays,” said Caito, “but I also knew Shea was capable of them as well.”
After forcing a three-and-out to begin the second half, Shea (2-9 overall) received a major boast on special teams. Junior Freddy Gobenole danced his way to a 50-yard score on a punt return, signifying this one was far from done at 14-8. Quarterback Josh Bergo found Jamal Tucker for the two-point conversion.
“I thought we could have played better in the first half, but we challenged the kids at halftime to make things happen,” said Campopiano. “I’m proud of the guys in terms of how they came out in the second half.”
Momentum proved fleeting as Tolman struck again late in the third, Johnson hitting Bowman in stride for a 40-yard gallop and a 20-8 lead heading into the final 12 minutes of both club’s seasons.
The Raiders moved to within an earshot after Fidel Wright blew the doors open on fourth down, rushing for a 37-yard touchdown. Tolman’s ensuing drive was halted after a fumble was recovered by Shea’s Henry Pires, but the Raiders were unable to take advantage thanks to a series of penalties that simply proved too much to overcome.
Shea seemed to have life after Bergo hit Tim Monteiro on a crossing pattern that covered 22 yards and brought the action down to the Tolman 20 with inside a minute remaining. That’s when Tolman’s defense rose to the occasion. A sack on third down by senior Vladimir Alcindor knocked Shea back 12 yards, which was followed by a strong tackle by freshman Sammy Shalan that sealed up Tolman’s victory bid.
“This is a great stepping stone heading into next season,” said Caito.
"Unfortunately there's a winner and a loser, and we came up short," said Campopiano.
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Shea    0-0-8-6 -- 14
Tolman    0-14-6-0 – 20
T – Jordan Johnson 2 run (Kevin Poirier kick)
T – Jahmel Bowman 28 pass from Johnson (Poirier kick)
S – Freddy Gobenole 50 punt return (Jamal Tucker pass from Josh Bergo)
T – Bowman 40 pass from Johnson (kick failed)
S – Fidel Wright 37 run (pass failed)