By ERIC BENEVIDES

Sports writer

The non-league openers are in the books. The Injury Fund contests and the preseason scrimmages are history.
This weekend, all but one of the Rhode Island schools in the Blackstone Valley will play "for real" and kick off their league schedules, and there's quite a few interesting games worth checking out.
A lot of local fans will turn their attention to tonight's Division II-B contest at Max Read Field pitting Lincoln High against Shea High, while other fans looking for a Division I battle will drive to Cranston Stadium to see East Providence High mix it up with Cranston West High.
There's also an interesting Division IV matchup on tap in Central Falls between defending champion Classical High and the Warriors, but unlike tonight's other 7 p.m. contests, this one starts at 6 p.m.
The other Rhode Island games on the schedule feature Cumberland High at Pilgrim High in Division II-A action, Burrillville High at Westerly High in a Division II-B matchup, and Ponaganset at Mount Pleasant and Narragansett at Smithfield in Division III play.    
On Saturday, a pair of Division II-A contests (both at 1:30 p.m.) highlight the schedule. Tolman High visits Warwick Vets High and Woonsocket High hosts Chariho High at Barry Field.
St. Raphael Academy doesn't begin its defense of its Division I crown until next weekend when the Saints host Cranston West High on Sept. 26, but on Saturday  they will face Central High at 6 p.m. at Mount Pleasant's City Stadium.   
North Smithfield High has a bye week.
A capsule look at the schedule:

Lincoln at Shea
This is arguably the marquee game of the weekend. Both teams have talented quarterbacks (Shea boasts Albert Amado and Lincoln counters with Ryan O'Dell) and would like to make a statement in the Division II-B ranks with a resounding victory over their neighboring rivals.
The Raiders, who have been to the postseason in seven of the last eight years, were thumped by La Salle Academy for the third straight season in their non-league opener. But in their past two losses, they came back strong the following week and socked it to their opponents in their division opener. Will history repeat itself tonight?
The Lions haven't been to the postseason in their four seasons in the division (winning a total of just six games), but most folks around Lincoln believe that this year's team can end that drought. The Lions were impressive in their 18-6 win over North Providence last Saturday, and so was the play of tailback Gary Tingley (78 yards rushing, three touchdowns) and Dave Dicicco).

East Providence at Cranston West
It's going to be youth vs. experience in this Division I affair when the young Townies take on a tough Falcons team that has been to the postseason in three of the last four years.
The Townies were superb in last weekend's 48-22 rout of Woonsocket High that saw them amass 379 yards of offense and receive solid efforts from running back Ryan Bellamy (three touchdowns) and quarterback Aaron Spivey. But they will surely be tested when they encounter West's veteran defense.
Cranston West defeated Tolman by a 16-14 score in its non-league opener, but the Falcons were greatly helped by several Tiger turnovers. 
    
Classical at Central Falls
The Warriors kick off their Division IV schedule by hosting the defending league champions in the Purple, which has been a combined 19-1 since dropping down to the division two season ago.
Gone from that squad are a pair of two-time All-State players, lineman Patrick Onye and tailback Emmanuel Tutu, but the Purple still have some of the weapons from their 2006 and '07 squads in their attack.
While Classical lost its season opener to Cumberland last weekend, 20-24, CF won a barnburner last Friday night by beating Central, 36-34. While the Warriors' offense promises to score plenty of points this year behind quarterback Cory Cassamas and wide receivers Robert Alers and Antonio Mena, the defense is going to need to step up, especially in tonight's encounter.

Chariho at Woonsocket
The Novans experienced more than their share of growing pains in last weekend's lopsided loss to the Townies, as seven turnovers and missed assignments plagued the young team's opener. The Novans hope they can turn the page on that game and rise to the occasion against the Chargers.  
The Villa Novans hope to have the services of running back Tyrell Nealy, who injured his ankle two weekends ago in an Injury Fund game against Lincoln High and was unable to play last weekend against the Townies. If not, Jordan Barr (130 rushing yards, two TDs) will most likely get the call in the backfield.
The Chargers, who boast one of the Division II-A's top quarterbacks in Jake Dobley, dropped a 26-6 verdict last weekend to Narragansett.

St. Raphael at Central
The young Saints laid an egg in last weekend's 23-15 setback to Cranston East High, and despite all their turnovers and miscues, they probably still could have squeaked out a victory.
The defending Division I champs are the team that won't be beginning their league slate under next week, but in the meantime, they will have Saturday's game against the Knights, who were blasted by the Saints, 41-0, in their meeting last season.
This should be a walk in the park for the Saints, who should improve on their play from a weekend ago and receive big performances from quarterback Tyler Malo, running back Nael Pierre-Louis, and wide receiver/punt returner Jean Roussel.

Tolman at West Warwick
Like the Saints, the Tigers endured a bundle of mistakes and turnovers and dropped a disappointing decision to a Cranston school, losing 16-14 to Cranston West.
The Tigers have been out of the playoff picture for the past two years, but they have an experienced squad that could get back to the postseason. A division-opening triumph this weekend against the Wizards (who also have playoff aspirations) will get the Tigers off on the right foot.
The Wizards lost just two regular-season games last season, but one of them was a 20-19 thriller to the Tigers. Revenge could be on their minds when they host tomorrow's contest.
 
Cumberland at Pilgrim
While the Clippers, a team loaded with junior and sophomores, may be a year away from becoming a force in the Division II-B ranks, they should still win their share of games this season, beginning with Saturday's contest against the Patriots.
Junior quarterback Dan Canavan played very well in the Clippers' win over the Knights and seems to be settling down nicely in his first year as a starter, and the defense has also been performing well and getting the job done as of late.
The Patriots, who were winless last season and has just three wins in their last three years, have seen better days. They were blanked by West Warwick High, 21-0, in their opener last weekend.  
      
Burrillville at Westerly
After getting blitzed by a 53-0 score by Tiverton in the Tigers' first-ever night game, things can only get better for the young Broncos, who come into the season with five winning seasons in their last seven years.
The Broncos will take their longest bus ride of the season to face the Bulldogs, who played well in an 18-6 loss to North Kingstown last weekend. The Bulldogs, like the Broncos, won just two games last season, have a young team, and would dearly like to kick off their league schedule with a win.

Narragansett at Smithfield
If the 16-6 Injury Fund win over Burrillville and last weekend's 21-6 win over North Smithfield taught Smithfield fans anything, it's that this year's team (featuring 18 seniors and 17 juniors) promises to make some noise in the Division III ranks and put last year's one-win season far behind them.
That being said, a victory over the Mariners would be just what the doctor ordered for the Sentinels. The Mariners, paced by one of the division's finest quarterbacks in Brendan Kenney and a talented tailback in Peter Smurro, are one of the teams expected to compete for the division title this year.

Ponaganset at Mount Pleasant
The defending Division III champion Chieftains are on fire, recording lopsided victories over North Smithfield (33-6) two weeks ago in their Injury Fund contest and Scituate (23-0) in last weekend's non-league opener. Expect the good times to continue tonight when they visit Mount Pleasant at City Stadium.
The Kilties, who received two touchdowns from Ralph Biah in a 14-6 win over Providence Country Day last week, have won just five games in the last five years and have just seven seniors and 30 players on its roster.   
Running back Nick Keeling should put up big numbers at the Kilties' expense, while the defense, led by linebacker and Super Bowl MVP Larry Colalucca, could be in line for another shutout.

Seekonk at Bourne
In Massachusetts. the defending South Coast Conference champion Warriors usher in the Jack Whalen era tonight by venturing to the Cape to take on always-tough Bourne High in their season opener.
The Warriors, who are coming off a bye week, will be relying on the play of fullback Bob Jeannotte, quarterback Matt Quinn, and wide receiver Alex Miller to lead the way for their young squad.
The Canalmen also have first-year head coach (Kyle Armstrong) and a very young team, but don't have the veteran offensive weapons that the Warriors possess. Bourne also kicked off its season with a 25-3 non-league loss to Dennis-Yarmouth.