By STEVE MAZZONE
Sports writer
Keith Kenyon wasn’t able to attend last year’s Governor’s Cup, but he remembers the results. In the annual high school football contest that pits graduating senior all-stars from Rhode Island against the best from Connecticut, the smallest state suffered a big beating, dropping its fifth consecutive loss with 59-27 setback.
The founder of the event, which this year will be celebrating its 10th anniversary, Kenyon will be on the sidelines for the third time when the two teams square off again on June 28 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. His mission will be simple.
“I am not talking about breaking the streak,” said Kenyon, who has been the head coach at North Kingstown for more than two decades. “I founded the game in Rhode Island. I have a lot invested in it. The reason I want to coach is I think Rhode Island can be competitive. I think the last four years, including 2004 when I coached, we haven’t been competitive and the scores have been lopsided. We have to have the best kids compete. We need to make that a priority.
“Everything we went to (concerning the Governor’s Cup), we talked about getting the best players. If we win, it’s a bonus. But we have to be competitive.”
There’s good reason to believe that this year’s team can be competitive. Among the 48-player roster, eight players are from St. Raphael Academy, which capped a 13-0 undefeated season this past fall with a Division I Super Bowl crown. The top players from that squad include wide receiver Jordan Monk and quarterback/running back Stanley Dunbar, the Gatorade Player of the Year.
Kenyon and his staff, which consists of assistant coaches Tom Centore of Cranston East and Dick Fossa of Narragansett, held a testing combine in late March at Bryant University that focused on speed, agility and various football drills. The coaching trio also watched countless game film of different schools throughout the state.
Choosing the Saints players, Kenyon felt, was not too difficult. Also suiting up from the championship squad are defensive ends Hans Hall and Dan Hayes, linebackers Will Lopes, Justin Rapp and Craig Argencourt and defensive lineman Brandon Sherratt. 
“I think first and foremost, the St. Raphael kids’ work ethic is outstanding,” he said. “The Saints’ kids have been on board with this game since the first time we talked with them. Obviously, having won the Division I championship gives them a lot of confidence.”
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Dunbar, who will be playing for Dean College this fall, will be on the field for the first time since he suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Rogers on Thanksgiving Eve and was unable to play in the D-I playoffs.
The injury is now behind him and Kenyon has nothing but positive things to say about the first-team all-stater. During the regular season, Dunbar passed for 19 touchdowns and rushed for close to 1,500 yards.
“I love him,” said the coach. “Number one, he’s a wonderful kid. Number two, he possesses great vision on the field and has speed and agility. I am amazed at how he has learned our new offense so fast.”
Monk, another all-stater and the MVP in the Saints’ 8-6 win over Bishop Hendricken in the Super Bowl, is another player that Kenyon expects to do some damage. Like Dunbar, he’s a gifted athlete with a keen sense to make things happen on the field.
“Jordan’s a great receiver and a great kick returner,” he said. “He’s also a kid I think can score any time he touches the ball.”
Other key offensive players with local ties for the R.I. team are running back Hershel Williams of Shea, wide receiver Ron Woodley of East Providence and offensive lineman Matt Greenhalgh of Ponaganset. Williams garnered more than 1,000 yards for the Raiders this past fall.
Facing an always-tough Connecticut team, Kenyon is confident his offense can put some points on the scoreboard. He’s just hoping everything clicks on game day.
“We have to control the clock,” he stated. “We can’t go three-and-out and expect to control the game. They always have great skill players. If we can’t eat the clock, we’re in for a long night.”
Rapp, Argencourt and Lopes, who were instrumental in limiting the Hawks to less than 100 total yards in offense in the Super Bowl, will anchor a strong defense in their linebacker positions. They’ll be joined by fellow teammates Hayes, Hall and Sherratt.
“I think defensively, we have to make them earn their points,” he said. “We can’t give up big plays.”
One advantage that the R.I. squad will have is their freedom with the roster. With more high schools to choose players from, Connecticut will be taking just two players from each school and will have no two-way players. That’s unlike Rhode Island’s limitations.
“We can pick as many kids as we want (from a respective high school) and can have two-way players,” Kenyon said. “We have that luxury.”
The kickoff for the June 28 contest will be at 7 p.m., and Kenyon expects a fan base between 7,000 and 8,000 at Rentschler Field, which is home to the University of Connecticut. The event will also feature a cheerleading and football clinic that is sponsored by the National Football League.

2008 Rhode Island All-Star team
Hershel Williams, RB, Shea; Jordan Monk, WR, St. Raphael; Josh Ponte, DB, South Kingstown; Stanley Dunbar, QB, St. Raphael; John Pedrotty, QB, Portsmouth; Hans Hall, DE, St. Raphael; Bryan Dewitt, RB, Rogers; Josh Perry, WR, South Kingstown; Rob Carbone, DB, Cranston West; Darren Williams, WR, Hendricken; Emmanuel Tutu, RB, Classical; Branford Sowah, RB, Bishop Hendricken; Alex Mendez, LB, Cranston West; Anthony Petrarca, WR, Warwick; Alex Loewenthal, DB Cranston West; Zak Gumkowski, LB, Cranston West; Roablas Lumpkins, DB, Mt. Pleasant; Ron Woodley, WR, East Providence; John Perrotti, DB, North Kingstown; Mark Laurito, LB, La Salle; Thomas Cole, LB, Classical; Joe Saunders, LB, Rogers; Howard Robinson, LB, Central; Dan Hayes, DE, St. Raphael; Geoff Gillson, DB, Cranston East; Tahj Eddington, RB, Juanita Sanchez; Brent Semple, DL, North Kingstown; Will Lopes, LB, St. Raphael; Matt Greenhalgh, OL, Ponaganset; Rob Maggiacomo, OL, LaSalle; Greg Dubee, OL South Kingstown; Bobby Booth, DT, Bishop Hendricken; Justin Rapp, LB, St. Raphael; Craig Argencourt, LB, St. Raphael; Brandon Sherratt, DL, St. Raphael; J.R. Whesu, DL, Classical; Tom Davis, LB, East Greenwich; Riley O'Brien, OL, North Kingstown; Jacob Burton, DL, East Providence; Patrick Onye, DL, Classical; Daniel Perkins, OL, Classical; Ray Bundy, OL, LaSalle; Ron Durfee, DL, Chariho; Ruben Gonzalez, RB, Central; Nick Rogrigues, TE, LaSalle; Josh Janes, DE, LaSalle; Jim Jaworski, DE, Bishop Hendricken; Neal Rooney, DE, LaSalle.