By Charlie Adams
NEFJ Staff
WARWICK – Poorly timed penalties sunk Cumberland’s playoff hopes on Friday as Bishop Hendricken advanced to its 16th straight state championship game.
No. 1 Hendricken relied on its versatile run game to bring down No. 4 Cumberland in the state semifinals, 35-22. The Clippers conclude its season with a 4-5 record, while the Hawks (6-2) will advance to take on La Salle in the state championship next week.
“We’re going to get back to work tomorrow, there’s a lot of things to clean up,” Bishop Hendricken head coach Keith Croft said. “The effort was there, the heart was there. Really proud of the kids and coaches.”
Lynch’s legs led Hendricken to scoring drives all night. A big gain on a keeper jolted the offense before Jeremy Seidi got free for a 35-yard rushing touchdown. The Clippers led a strong drive into the second quarter, finishing with Spencer scrambling for the 15-yard touchdown. A penalty on the PAT resulted in Cumberland successfully going for two as Spencer pushed the pile.
Spencer helped extend the Cumberland lead with a deep pass to Aidan Ray to bring the Clippers into the red zone. Sean Taylor took a handoff for a 14-yard touchdown, Zack DeRoy got the PAT to make it 15-7.
Hendricken narrowed the deficit with Lynch on the ground on a 40-yard keeper. Seidi ended the drive with a two-yard touchdown. The Hawks took the PAT to trail by one. That one-point deficit didn’t last long, Lynch scrambled for a 23-yard touchdown to put Hendricken back in front before halftime.
Cumberland opened the second half with a long drive, but came out scoreless. Jabari Jackson snuffed out a third-down reverse before the fourth-down try fell incomplete.
“Cumberland played a great game, their coaches did a great job getting them prepared,” Croft said. “Our guys made a key stop when we needed to.”
Once again Lynch got through on the ground, scoring a 13-yard keeper for his second rushing touchdown.
“It’s been there all year so we had a lot of trust in it,” Lynch said. “We rode behind our offensive line and we just kept going.”
Cumberland scored in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter as Spencer found Taylor for an eight-yard touchdown. The extra point put the Clippers within six.
Will Mascena came on to punt after a short offensive series. The Clippers had all the momentum before making contact with Mascena and effectively ending their season. Now with a chance to burn more clock, Seidi broke off a 32-yard rushing touchdown. The score marked his third and the team’s fifth rushing touchdown.
“We know this time of year that you have to be able to run the football,” Croft said.
Cumberland’s final efforts fell incomplete before Lynch knelt out the semifinal victory for Hendricken to clinch another trip to the State Championship.
“Jobs not finished yet, we need to go down there and we need to win,” Lynch said.
No. 2 La Salle awaits Hendricken in Friday’s game following a 43-22 victory over No. 3 St. Raphael. The teams have faced off 10 times in the State Championship, first in 2011. The Hawks lead the series with eight wins, most recently in 2022.
“You never feel good about the matchup,” Croft said. “I think both teams will look at it as a rematch of a regular season game that was really tight.”
On Oct. 4, Hendricken defeated La Salle in a chippy game that finished 24-7. “Ram Week” returns once again for the Hawks on the biggest of stages.
“They’re a heck of a football team,” Croft said. “They’re battle-tested, play great defense, they got a great running game, and we’re going to have our hands full.”
