PAWTUCKET --- The team's overall play was a 180-degree turn for the better than its performance in last weekend's lopsided loss to North Kingstown High, and the quarterback of the future gave an excellent showing in his first varsity start, but those two things alone weren't enough to put St. Raphael Academy over the top on Saturday in its Division I game with Portsmouth High.
The Pats' double-wing offense controlled the clock and won the battle up front for most of the afternoon and produced 278 yards of real estate on 54 carries in its 28-6 victory over the Saints before a sparse gathering at Pariseau Field. 
The defeat, the third straight in the division (by more than 20 points) for the Saints, drops them to 1-3. But unlike last week's 33-8 loss to the Skippers, which saw mistakes haunt the Saints and not much seem to go right for them, the Saints turned in a commendable performance against one of the league's top teams in the Patriots (4-1).
"We played 100 percent better than we did last week," said SRA coach Mike Sassi. "It doesn't reflect it in the score, but Portsmouth's a hell of a team and I think we gave them all they could handle. The bottom line is that we gave 100 percent for 48 minutes. I think it's the first time we played a full game, and I think we're going in the right direction."
If the Saints are going in the right direction, they're going to do so with quarterback Trevor Vasey at the helm. The 6-foot-3 sophomore, who showed flashes of brilliance in the final minutes of last weekend's game, was called upon to spin the laces early and often, and he responded by completing 23 of a whopping 43 passes for 153 yards and three interceptions. 
"I think the new offensive package we came out with today is going to open some eyes," remarked Sassi. "We feel that the thing we do the best is pass block, and right now, Trevor gives us the best opportunity to get the ball down the field."
Sassi agonized over replacing senior starter Tyler Malo, especially since Malo quarterbacked the Saints in their two playoff games last season and helped them win the Division I Super Bowl, but Malo took the news well and turned in strong efforts in his two new positions, wide receiver and defensive back.
"He is the ultimate team player," Sassi added of Malo. "I pulled him aside on Monday to talk to him first and he said, 'Whatever, coach, I just want to win,' What's nice is that we're able to use him (as a defensive back) and he makes our defense better. Having him on the field all the time and instead of just at QB is a big lift for us.
"There are some kids who wouldn't have handled it the right way, but he handled it perfectly. I was stressed because if he didn't like the whole thing, I probably wouldn't have even made the move, but it shows you what kind of class kid he is."
The Saints spent almost the entire afternoon passing the ball and only ran with it eight times for two yards. They had zero in the first half, and picked up two on its only carry of the second half -- a two-yard touchdown run up the middle by fullback Kyle Sequin with 5:08 to play in the game. It came on the heels of a magnificent 65-yard kickoff return by Michael Dolan, but also with the Patriots firmly owning a 28-0 command.
Prior to that score, the only other time the Saints visited the red zone was in the game's opening possession. In 12 plays, they marched the ball from their 48 to the Patriots' 12 and saw Vasey complete five of his first seven passes, but the Saints eventually turned the ball over on downs.
The Patriots also couldn't do much in their first two series, but they made good on their third possession with a 10-play, 76-yard drive that took 5:52 off the clock in the second quarter and resulted in a 22-yard touchdown run by Matt Chappell (and the first of four extra points by Chris Gavin) with 5:32 on the clock.
The Patriots doubled their lead shortly before the break on a one-yard dive over the top by Chappell with 29 seconds to play in the half, and after they made it a 21-0 game midway through the third quarter on another one-yard TD run by quarterback C.J. Martens, Jacob Bradeen capped the Patriots' scoring with a 23-yard touchdown run with 5:22 to play.
Five different players rushed for at least 35 yards for the Patriots, with Remington Alves getting the bulk of the work with 74 yards on 14 carries. The top receiver in the game was SRA's Marques Mosby, who reeled in a season-best nine catches for 63 yards.
This was surprisingly the final home game of the year for the Saints. They will close out the season with four division games on the road, including next Saturday's 2 p.m. duel against another 4-1 club in Barrington High at the Eagles' Victory Field.