Central closes regular season with another win. Will playoffs be next?

CUMBERLAND – The negativity was everywhere. Instead of sticking through it, some left unwilling to fight the fight. Those who remained had to hear it everywhere, from social media to their own school.

But they didn’t listen.

Two weeks ago the Central football team was winless. Today, it looks like the Knights are headed to the postseason. It happened thanks to an incredible comeback in Week 7 which was followed by a dominant defensive performance in a 20-3 win over Cumberland.

“We took this game as a playoff game too, even though it’s a regular season game,” Central’s Richard Bridges said. “This was playoff stakes for us and we had to get it done.”

“It just feels great that we proved them wrong. We shut them up,” Central’s Takari Lee said. “Even going to school, everybody’s saying ‘when are we going to win? When are we going to win?’

“It feels great that we’re in the playoffs.”

A few years ago, Central would have been incapable of taking an 0-5 start and turning it into a playoff berth. As coach Mike Washington has aged into his 30s, his program has matured as well. Players are still confident and loud – and unafraid to show as much – but they are understanding what it takes to play football.

And that means remaining strong even when things are at their worst.

In Week 7, Central was down 10-0 at halftime and two quarters from its season being over. The Knights didn’t fold. They fought, came back, and pulled off a last-minute victory that changed their season.

“It was just fighting through adversity,” Bridges said. “… We had a talk. We knew if we won that game we could have a chance to come here and beat Cumberland.”

The stakes in Week 8 were plain as day for both teams – winner would be in the playoffs, loser would be done. Win and in.

Central played with fire from the start. The defense, foaming at the mouth going up against a short-handed Cumberland offense, created a turnover on the opening play of the game. It didn’t lead directly to points, but it set a tone for the game.

Nothing was going to come easy for the Clippers because the Knights were going to go a million miles an hour. Central used its speed to take away the edges in the run game, erase receivers hopes of catching a pass and fill gaps between the tackles.

The biggest plays by the defense was set up by third-quarter special teams brilliance from Ka’sin Kelly, who pinned Cumberland at its own 1-yard line. With the game tied at 3 and a ferocious wind blowing in the Clippers’ faces, the Knights forced a punt the wind that went nowhere.

Blessed with terrific field position, Central didn’t get six, but got to six thanks to Anthony Morales’ second field of the game. The Knights then got another stop and looked ready to take a 6-3 lead to the fourth before Lee changed everything with a 45-yard touchdown run with two seconds left in the third.

Lee, a Second Team All-State pick as a sophomore, was one of the players who remained strong during the tough times. If you wanted to know how much Friday’s game meant to him, it was evident in his celebration with teammates in the end zone and family on the sidelines after the score.

“At the end of the day I’m a young, Black individual so it’s hard,” Lee said. “It messes with my mentals, but football is a mental game and you have to be strong and you have to be mentally strong to survive.

“Not everybody survives. We had people quit during the season, but we didn’t let that define us. We didn’t let 0-5 define us.”

Central’s defense didn’t let up in the fourth quarter and any chance Cumberland had at a comeback was over the second Waldemar Lopez scored on a short rushing touchdown midway through.

When the game was over, the Knights celebrated loudly but respectfully in a moment that, two weeks ago, was never a thought in anyone’s mind.

“We had low motivation and low energy. We weren’t up as much after those first three losses,” Bridges said. “We had the hardest schedule and that’s no excuse.

“After the Barrington win, we got Central back.”

The Knights celebrated a playoff berth, but it wasn’t officially in the books yet. Barrington’s upset of St. Raphael wreaked havoc with RPI points in Division I, but Central remained sixth after the games on Friday, October 30.

Saturday’s schedule would determine the Knights’ fate. If Cranston West beat South Kingstown, Central would be in the playoffs. If the Rebels pulled off an upset over the Falcons, Central would be out and Cumberland would suddenly be in.

Once – or if, rather – Central’s playoff position becomes official, it’ll mean a matchup at North Kingstown, which beat the Knights 13-6 back on September 12.

That was a long time ago. The Skippers are a much different team and are playing Super Bowl caliber football. They’ll be the favorite and you won’t find many people outside of Providence who think Central has a chance.

But the Knights are OK with people not believing in them. It’s been happening all season and now – with everyone’s record at 0-0 – it worked out just fine.

“We believe in ourselves. It’s hard coming from Central, it’s hard playing for Central,” Lee said. “… We’re just ready to shut them all up like we did two weeks ago.”

“I like being the underdog in every game,” Bridges said. “… I always like the underdog games and I feel like it gives us a little bit more fire.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Central closes regular season with another win. Will playoffs be next?