Here's how Woonsocket QB Daunte Melton led a key road win over South Kingston
NORTH KINGSTOWN — Daunte Melton is getting comfortable playing in football games like these.
Woonsocket’s junior quarterback was the picture of composure in the second half Thursday. His steady hand, some gifted playmakers surrounding him and a defense that came up with one final stop proved a winning combination.
South Kingstown was up to the challenge at Perry Athletic Complex, but the Villa Novans had that little bit extra. Jonathan Peguero Jr. bulled 6 yards for the winning score with 5:45 to play as Woonsocket held off the Rebels, 19-14, in a tight Division II-B showdown.
Melton collected all but two of his 97 total yards after the first quarter and pushed the Villa Novans in front for good with his 8-yard touchdown pass to Jamaury Barr late in the third. That capped a 13-play opening drive out of the break for the visitors and erased a slim 8-7 deficit. South Kingstown never led again on its adopted home field – summer drought conditions have left the natural grass at Curtis Corner Middle School in need of some extra time to recover.
“Coming into the second half I was comfortable throwing the ball,” Melton said. “I was comfortable running it. We just kept pushing it down their throats.”
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The key play on this perfect late-summer night featured the sort of maturity you’d hope to see from a two-year starter. Melton rolled to his right and looked toward the sideline, drawing the Rebels secondary away from the middle of the field. Barr stopped his route and broke back inside, giving Melton enough open space to fire a dagger.
“We like the little curl route on that,” Woonsocket coach Charlie Bibeault said. “He did a great job staring down that out route and getting a guy to leave the zone so he had it.
“He understands the coverages now. He’s moving people with his eyes. With our running game we feel like it’s a great, balanced offense.”
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Woonsocket made it consecutive scoring drives into the fourth quarter, and South Kingstown was left with too far to climb for a comeback. Melton escaped a rush and found Barr on the right sideline for 17 yards to pick up a critical third down at the Rebels 18. Peguero smashed through the left side three plays later to hand the Villa Novans the breathing room they required.
“Running the ball a little bit, I saw their defense was changing,” Melton said. “I started to get more comfortable throwing the ball.”
South Kingstown had one explosive response left thanks to Amani Boamah. The junior receiver's electric 68-yard dash down the right sideline on a simple screen pass from Rian O’Rourke made it a one-score game with 4:32 to play. The Rebels ultimately fell short on a closing series of laterals, as O’Rourke finished an 11-for-23 night passing with a completion to Phoenix Sward and the ensuing scramble drill.
“I feel like we play our best ball when we’re down,” Bibeault said. “Moving forward I think that’s a huge momentum boost for us.”
Woonsocket jumped out first in the second quarter. Vincenzo Casieri cut left on a 38-yard touchdown run – a two-play drive covered 62 yards on the ground and took just 47 seconds. O’Rourke found a leaping Sward down the middle from 18 yards on the ensuing possession, and the senior running back did the honors himself on the 2-point conversion to dig out of a 7-0 hole.
“It pushes our confidence up,” Melton said. “We can start balling out on more teams.
“We still have to practice hard, but we’re going to have our confidence up against Shea (next Saturday). We came out here and beat a tough team.”
Woonsocket 0 7 6 6 – 19
South Kingstown 0 8 0 6 – 14
W – Vincenzo Casieri 38 run (Amadou Jawo kick)
SK – Phoenix Sward 18 pass from Rian O’Rourke (Sward rush)
W – Jamaury Barr 8 pass from Daunte Melton (rush failed)
W – Jonathan Peguero Jr. 6 run (kick failed)
SK – Amani Boamah 68 pass from O’Rourke (pass failed)
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Woonsocket QB Daunte Melton shines in win over South Kingstown
