It’s been a bit of a tough season for the Cranston East football team, but it ended its regular season slate on a good note at Barrington on Friday night, snapping its five-game losing streak with a convincing, 27-0 win over the winless Eagles.

The win marked the ’Bolts’ first since Oct.4, when they defeated rival Cranston West, 14-12.

“It’s good to win,” East head coach Tom Centore said. “I’m glad they won, it has been a long time, so it feels good for them.”

Although East was visibly the stronger team from the start, neither team could get on the board over the first 12 minutes.

In the second quarter, East was on the bad end of a pair of penalties that wiped out punt returns for touchdowns by Malik Gavek just 21 seconds into the quarter, and then by C.J. Dummett with 8:47 left in the half. Gavek’s was called back on a block in the back, while a holding penalty nullified Dummett’s 60-yard dash to pay dirt.

With four minutes left in the second quarter, Dany Gomez sacked Barrington quarterback Pat Fogarty, forcing the Eagles to punt the ball away.

On the ensuing East possession, it would get into the end zone, this time with no flags in sight.

With 2:18 remaining before halftime, senior John Anderson powered his way for a 20-yard touchdown. The ’Bolts faked the extra point in search of adding a two-point conversion, but Alejandro Martinez’s pass to the end zone didn’t connect and fell to the turf, as East took a 6-0 lead into the break.

Just south of four minutes into the second half, Anderson found the end zone on a 30-yard scamper, but the score was again negated, this time due to a holding penalty.

“I thought one of them was a block in the back,” Centore said of the three calls that cost his team touchdowns. “I was disappointed in the one that John scored on because it was a pile in there. I think one call was legit, I’m not sure about another. Our kids need to know when they see the kid’s numbers, they can’t block him in the back.”

Anderson wasn’t done gashing Barrington’s defense, though.

With 3:24 left in the third quarter, Anderson followed blockers from East’s 40-yard line and found a hole, sprinting past Barrington defenders for a 60-yard score. Jaireal Rodriguez’s extra point put East up 13-0.

Early in the fourth quarter, Anderson would strike for a third time, breaking tackles for a 29-yard touchdown run to give East a 20-0 lead with 10:03 remaining in the game.

While East has struggled this season, Anderson certainly hasn’t. He continued to be the workhorse for the offense on Friday, rushing 19 times for 211 yards and three touchdowns.

“John’s been our most outstanding player, and we ask a lot of him,” Centore said of his standout running back. “We put a lot on him, but he comes through. Tonight he was very effective and played really well.”

Anderson’s third touchdown run would mark his final carry of the game, as other players were given the chance to carry the rock.

Dummett would make the most of his chances, carrying the ball three times in the final quarter for 23 yards, with his final carry taking him into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown. The score gave East its final points of the night, taking a 27-0 lead following another Rodriguez extra point with 7:06 remaining.

Centore commended his team for sticking with it despite getting three touchdowns called back.

“With three touchdowns called back, they could’ve folded because it was a tight game,” Centore said. “You could tell that they believed in themselves. I thought, defensively, we played well tonight and had a nice game in that regard.”

With the win, East closes out its season schedule with a 2-6 record. Although it won’t have a playoff game this season, it still has a big game left against West on Thanksgiving at 10 a.m. at Cranston Stadium.

As always, bragging rights are on the line.

“They’re a good football team, they’ve gotten better too,” Centore said of West. “They haven’t won this game in a few years and they have a big group of seniors who want to go out with a win. It’ll be a tough game, but we’re looking forward to it.”