The Cranston East football team surged at Homecoming and returned to the win column as it beat visiting Middletown 34-0 in its best performance of the fall.

The Bolts wasted little time taking control of the game and were led by sophomore quarterback Gavin Boylan, who rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown and passed for 176 yards and a score to lead the offense. Boylan went 10-for-12 passing.

John Dacruz hauled in Boylan’s passing touchdown while Nathan Huorth had a breakout game by rushing for two scores as well. Kalsin Yan rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Angel Figueroa led the team in receiving with 95 yards on five receptions.

Yan was also sharp on defense, racking up 10 tackles while Jamil Montiel led the team with 11.

“It was huge for their confidence, we needed that,” said East head coach Jim Cook. “Some of the losses have been self-inflicted, we could be a one-loss team right now. They played a full game, eliminated the mistakes and we could finally see what we could do.”

East’s last win came against Pilgrim in September, as the Bolts then dropped games to Ponaganset and Moses Brown to fall to 1-3.

The Bolts dealt with some early season injuries including to their starting QB Jovany Gonzalez. Boylan and company have been stepping up the past few weeks on offense while finding their roles, and the defense has been steady and keeping things close on the scoreboard.

“We’re getting more and more confident each week (on offense) and hopefully it continues. Defensively, they’ve played well and will need to keep it up,” said Cook.

With three games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Bolts have time to shake up the Division III landscape after beating the Division II Islanders. East can not only secure a playoff spot by winning two of the final three games, but that may also be enough to earn a home playoff game.

Cook believes his team has done its best work with its back against the wall and has already seen a playoff mindset as the regular season is set to wind down.

“When they have something to play for, they play a heck of a lot better. It was our Homecoming game, Middletown was a 2-2 Division II team, and our guys played lights out. Pilgrim beat us last year and this year we came out and played great. When you give this team a goal, they concentrate and fight harder for it,” said Cook.

The Bolts will next be taking on Central Falls on the road this Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff.