JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?@)p(2F @ KT o'h.9@G:sIRȦCh)vҕ2RPh;\qQE-`48rym'd>I`cAzmY Rf;Ely™ӹ4¤F44"8ז^P JjУHG\SQs@lS< G&)+NvҘ 攩"Ě@746@sN qJ S>6;KojA+L\JZ6XTm#0"PhiuV<=^P- pIyIiۍ0h8!6Pgo"fgpiWDr O*Za5(?  e)_P[qKSБ5:0 5>k%~e&K61wh%N$0>%[ xfs h wMōsdZ[Tc]+~C5x'cP/,ҮʘROC ̉n*6 zξJ\F k-|XMRܖ?~F9ixkClEsO׵%gS6<B61QmȯL־it-pAޱCUBhsKr95tq<;5anau_Ri֌,t %v+L "-2r *'v4عXbڠgU'}uB 2j +PaVDɤS03EMmqj2 s;\{k|-]jle~_.CG *|IkoMHYak/jmMֈ͎{cfhHHА46 < 8ƛn4snU`Hm4M)eR[Fe#+97l])_"g%l+/\իIUeq`is[qv;W-dYvm@<Wb卆 5!b$tJ$I-1u5"UeXrV(0t(EH4y\dS>qx^!YH=)?1j# 抠crQK'촿?,\ҩPU;e [NBLb<̟ҷ xO6ucֆ3j'(cl JtO mH{ugRA.1ja( %| ك7ĢL=9 zODnǐB&,M*V?x>Y tcT%tr󳤮nsiSGuhX ?+B+FZgUcl9zQ EQ֦RIF:H[kW ))AL]B88^_ 9bAپu~1=V{nI {cZV1L.l-I9X/m?40L-dԉ-oO¹-~#k]Gg%f7gg3xz90/lQxl+xeF5kk0D-pU2S\H&?)#(x.t[` zdR܉R^ir¤Abѵ֤D 5̕ldWlVKR?3sI>R"r z|>Lg`'=uVYp*#;IrKryWik ,N{WI m2\ŴQX*huʄ[i8at%LkF3si#^śI=knL6Yq)=[H/"n-]$V}+uΛ2dʒ3үŧAsw|oZPBGP2k~g.kIE+%G<" cޱ/-qz度# sY׈aS\0ajڭhQ2"Nx͕npǥsf[ 18/bnWtV#r㚷MNeY'kȞk{!L1bAW#jW2.׵f^+!!cz8fOY=M-DRK3_yq8=kb 7vv?4=ц]2 ZXK:n1\L? ᦚW\8kf'ώ)gw`X`8QSM&RF#䢁X;8-%''5C!ccY~(Ņ1852ب?zW={b?.RpYqҒKx <Ey4 ު#HnX*ϽsHn;acc< 4B#5f1Nj0v)$֨WٰhX Eg۸2.ht4i%c=_BD6ÕaJmkOmT( /ϖ^ӟyhgMn Xb9V,-4#,!ՍeQ]!u,їЏZ$9K2 ˹]pjh''vH Z+]3Q^g]/!LhأΎu-"g3[ޣJyoJ,Rf.AxROͻv).")Mi_GwmВz2Ze{pB*\8dQl!4β?C0ی֍oI!Y 9=is6;2/Hdj~oX?ܪUQXI 8-ִ6 RP%$2T oJT*xLS%|(ưZ4(kx WmywVV?a 5]κs|2ҪE9eNH\E^k'N h.O+>Vtڥyo"&{d>dL&$|k]Fz} Pz+H7J$4 $7E*YKtnH{xdZ߳Λ`?8Ds`x|QJ $dzt'mv>d5'[!^)Ҷ\mY.8洴ëQ[<;֩RLA" @$HtVw1;vH_A⧐4pnj^+JpԀtnYzXyL(VRt5K?Iv2ZR*ʋ_XwQ6]vF*xT;-СE^T+UmțdtE-W1o=]m@J&dWU1'R;Vy#h]YGn@ ޔb۾m>p:U +ZF)qj$ޅ)3dkQ]GpW>/εr4.F : u1Vi `=+yn`13Xjx!HϵV#iUO=Moq=dmg ^kmmM{mZv X"*EXif1ߌSPjwBy8+ H[asWWW;AҹN1j {7X^EWӦv1[2[Ikh9⒈>#,?-pccw:Ê xVezծ](e$gqؒ遚E(q\vMҔmMޯhLgΗ ҺK 6V%qQ^ljEJ׍z-FM{¿ [GW;S+p-;t)dgb8f1J$_pEvяҊm~(9+, Y$&@5>JA-7V{ZRԻ1*#3wi3<.|98]2v2t$^ O/+Vo1ې^2ArЦ, z$7v, ״14Ҡ8*\):TdOʚ]wD $h.;^K. .鏖1 NjV:i`xu2[gWR3^yrg/Wws;F5Hu%{\a>"1Bʠ@(f'Cw#ئWqj`=ۡè|qt\T&Q%e`OR[o ޼\1Mq^Qwqo"@U*#4 Kj"2z-DlTx_Ե)%OJ=GJO{%@@یUi4ĒM5)CGKp&TVE֗b3~U dåDt8ճ1`kcҴWjȸbr gt8WVg|%̮ZO3*Vr:QM$Uٗcp6sR2ݴTX,dwޟ7)$4WLiIuvu;T^g J u 3Ru[df!`\x8j6"Kfn '8Z5Frxծ?*Y}~I81GCM%yP+AlHqI'ʊ2ĎŰ]nYdFhd9EW^+Lɲ wI!cZCsGw5x+C-_J0uNr3vR-ߪãbS)0Ը .]XOqǥ)?vQT?6>eؽ(ݻh:y?vxTvg֤žk>^iNAS5_Ȕ R84,w>һ؍\/|J!(r@>W;ۺ=jqLϸ}%afmwXmhTz^x{G*`Ѡ1!yڸ&pf>wY({vi2ߨgkyr8-Wxrt-'}? Ѽ--\X1jF䊺) OYE yur*x0l𬌹|ă?=nHDv's(1YvP0hԿnTf+^ӿ}P L/ڍKßi#3ٸ#h+Edevuzqe" Xiڃ%,BVxϥ.R@ra-pk3VD\ed.; ֗ A0lY\M;UsJpRX'gY^P^FXҳj⯕ 1^0 'J-7N`nuĎ^-՚}(iZ֌R|ϡp33h!iJķ3 k{Hd3Q?ƺ,yA?JwKk(7`zU k32o;j8bCq.)A;0~vGRNӰ\g6?AH.՘zӥ !tx8fK寥; %vhr:LE7hi"u*r Iaҁhu?=\٧j`$8vZ\v$Z2AB{G4օM3}AZKqÛT{Hab W[۽Zg[m#SS۲w6;W{4᷂ ZDrZ^Nqi^;@8**2lya|+sTś̢goals. In fact, during one major snowstorm that forced the weight room to close for the day, several players came up to Coach Gorham to express their disappointment they would not be able to lift.<br>Another factor that helps motivate the Townies is the desire to please their fans.  We have terrific fan support. I think people would say without question that Friday night at Pierce Field, which is where we play, is an outstanding evening. We have 150 kids in the band, we have between the cheerleaders and flag choir another 50 kids it s a big following. In addition to packing the home stands, on away games they usually outdraw the team they re playing.<br><br>The Payoff<br><br>Despite the shortage of experienced players this year, East Providence finished the regular season with an 8-2 record, which earned them a place in the playoffs. Gorham describes the semifinal game as a  good ol fashioned mud fest against St. Raphael Academy. The game was highlighted by senior fullback Jamie Silva s 173 yards and three touchdowns on the slippery turf and a 26-21 victory. Finally, they found themselves in the championship game against the number-one seed, La Salle. <br>La Salle was riding a 24-game winning streak that included two state championships. When the game began, the more than 8,000 fans in attendance saw La Salle pick apart East Providence s five-man line until the Townies found themselves facing a 21-point deficit. But the Townies conditioning came through and the defense stopped La Salle from scoring again. Likewise, the offense did its part as their spread-option attack shocked La Salle with 35 unanswered points, winning East Providence the state title, 35-21. <br>On the bus ride home, the atmosphere was electric.  On any bus ride anywhere after that kind of achievement, kids sing and chant a lot of different things, says Coach Gorham.  This year a chant came from the back of the bus that we ve never heard before. It was shouted with so much enthusiasm that you just felt the gratitude and belief the kids had in what they were proclaiming. It was the longest and loudest chant on that memorable day. It was  BFS! BFS! BFS! <br>In the post-season awards, four Townies earned first-team all-state honors, with Silva earning a full scholarship to Boston College. With all his players achievements and his own coaching success, it wouldn t surprise anyone if Coach Gorham pursued a job at the college level. But he says,  I m very happy where I am right now. I think I can have a greater impact on kids lives at the high school level than at the collegiate level. Coach Gorham enthusiastically acknowledges his players commitment to the BFS program as a major force behind their team s greatness.  Two players who were starters on the offensive line hadn t even played football the previous year, and three of the other members on the offensive line weren t even able to start on the Junior Varsity team. They got started with BFS. BFS made these young men effective players and allowed them to make a major contribution to our team.<br> I remember reading a quote attributed to the legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry. He said,  Coaching is getting players to do what they don t want to do so that they can become what they ve only dreamed of becoming. With the BFS program it doesn t take much to get them to want to do it. There are immediate rewards: they are breaking records right away, automatically establishing new goals. It s so exciting and reassuring to know that there is a resource like BFS available to coaches to help them guide <br>their kids to become the players  they have only dreamed <br>of becoming. <br><br>What the Players at East Provide