Sakonnet Times: August 28th
by Mike Rego

      The start of the new high school sports season is just a week away and things have remained steady over the last 12 months at both Portsmouth and Tiverton.
      The same coaches as last season will lead each team this fall and each of the squads will compete in the same division as in past years.
      For Tiverton that means Ken Dias returns for field hockey, Cris Messenger for girls’ soccer, Tom Murray for boys’ soccer, Jonas DelDeo for girls’ tennis and Bob Murray for football. The latter Murray remains as the school’s athletic director.
      In Portsmouth, Bob Campion and Mike Stinton are back to lead the girls’ and boys’ soccer teams, Mike Medeiros coaches girls’ tennis, Bob Monteiro guides the football team and Ellen Chilabato and Steve Trezvant coach the girls’ and boys’ cross country squads. Mike Lunney is also back as the Portsmouth AD.
      Other than those things it will be business as usual for the locals squads.
      And there are a couple of things to keep an eye on along the way.
      Tiverton, after years of dominating Division Two, will play field hockey at the state’s top level for a second season.
      The Tigers found their stride by late in the year last season and did make the playoffs. This time around, Tiverton and Dias expect to truly compete for a D-One title.
      It will also be interesting to follow the plights of the Portsmouth and Tiverton gridders.
      It’s been a while since either of the locals has been in the forefront of their division races.
      For the Patriots, the aforementioned dominance by the likes of E.P. and LaSalle has been tough to overcome.
      For the Tigers, their run of excellence in Division Four is now a couple of years removed. Recent Interscholastic League entry Moses Brown and Classical have ruled the roost in the last few seasons.
      Another football related tidbit has this year’s Injury Fund jamboree taking place Thursday, Sept. 4, at Mt. Hope High in Bristol.
      In soccer news, the annual Newport Country tournament will not take place this season. Lunney cited scheduling conflicts and lack of competition as two of the main reasons for its temporary dissolution.
      One more note from the pitch, Portsmouth will once again serve as the host for the boys’ soccer state championship tournament.