By Ryan D. Murray

Cranston West fell 27-13 to the Central Knights on Friday night during its Division I Football season opener at Conley Stadium.

Less than three minutes into the first quarter, Central senior running back Ranado McKay retrieved a direct snap, and then rushed 66 yards for a touchdown and put the Knights on top 6-0. Next, Murahamine Kuyateh, a junior kicker, added the extra point and upped the Central advantage to 7-0.

The Knights increased their lead to 14-0 with four minutes left in the second frame when junior quarterback Felix Rodriquez tossed a seam to wide receiver Dahmir Lassiter, who was in the end zone.

With 1:52 remaining in the half, West senior running back Myles Chung rushed up the gut and all the way to pay dirt and inched the Falcons within a score at 14-7, with the aid of an extra point from junior kicker Madison Alves.

Nonetheless, the Knights took a 21-7 advantage into halftime after Rodriquez connected on a bomb to Lassiter for a 46-yard gain, and then again for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 18 seconds remaining.

West pulled within 21-13 with 9:48 left in the contest after Stetson rushed three times for 35 yards and a score. Due to a high snap the extra point attempt was no good.

Twenty-four seconds later, Central senior running back Emmanuel Kayee answered with a 56-yard touchdown scamper, which gave the Knights a 27-13 cushion. Kuyateh would miss the extra point.

With the loss, the Falcons fall to 0-1 in Division I while the Knights move to 1-0.

Despite the loss, West is thrilled to be back on the field playing the game they love.

“The kids are excited,” Falcons head coach Tom Milewski said. “I would have liked for it to be a different outcome, but it’s good to be back. Good to be competing. Good for the kids to get together.”

Central was a big challenge for the Falcons out of the gate and Milewski believes the Knights will make a run for the DI title come season’s end.

And Milewski is confident that his own squad will learn from the defeat and be better as the season progresses.

“We’ll be okay,” Milewski said. “We’ve got some work to do. We’ve got to get back to the drawing board, clean up a few things, effortly and execution, but overall I’m happy with our team.”

“We’ve been working hard the last month, but we’ve had some ups and downs, some bumps, bruises and injuries,” Milewski explained. “So, this past week, we finally started to get healthy again.”

Stetson and Matt DeFusco split time at quarterback on Friday night and senior Kris Degaitas, who is battling a few injuries, figures to see time at the position soon.

“We’re trying different things to keep defenses on their toes; trying multiple things to keep it a little bit interesting,” Milewski said. “It’s fun for the kids, a little bit tougher to prepare for, for the other teams.”

West plays at home against East Greenwich next on Friday night at 6 p.m.