South Kingstown’s Josh Ponte leaps over a fallen Toll Gate defender as another approaches during the third quarter of yesterday’s Division II Super Bowl game at Cranston Stadium. Click here to see a gallery of game photos.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

CRANSTON — The Super Bowl turned out to be much like the regular season for South Kingstown.

In both, the Rebels struggled early and put themselves in a big hole. But when their backs were to the wall and the stakes were the highest, the Rebels came through with their best clutch performances.

When they did it yesterday, it made them Super Bowl champions, the school’s first since 1997. After being outplayed for a half, the Rebels dominated the second half and beat Toll Gate, 25-13, at Cranston Stadium in the Citizens Bank Division II bowl, a well-played contest despite freezing temperatures and a howling wind.

Sean Hamill and Mike Rayta turned out to be the two biggest of a host of South Kingstown heroes.

Hamill, part of the three-headed monster the Rebels have at running back, scored two touchdowns and was named the game’s MVP. Rayta, a senior lineman, made the play that clinched it, intercepting a screen pass in the final quarter, after Toll Gate had closed within 19-13 and gotten the ball back.

Rayta’s play was typical of the smart, clutch performances the Rebels turned in all season.

“I read the screen,” he said. “I saw him (quarterback Mike Zincone) dropping back. I knew he was going to throw the screen because the running back let me in too easy.”

The play was set up nicely. Zincone tried to flip the pass to Doug Johnson, the Titans’ top running back. Johnson appeared to have room to run. Except the ball never got to him. Rayta got in the way.

“I tipped it and it just fell into my hands,” Rayta said. “I didn’t know what to do. I just started running. It was just instinct.”

The touchdown came with 5:18 remaining and sparked a pig pile on Rayta in the end zone, a celebration for South Kingstown of a job well done.

Coach Bruce Tardif, who has been involved in the sport for 30 years, had told his team from the start of practice that he felt it had the ability to win the Super Bowl this year. But the Rebels lost two early games, including one to Toll Gate, 21-15, on the last play of the contest.

“If you are in it for the long haul, you have to deal with some adversity,” Tardif said. “We had it early on. I don’t think it changed us. I think it just made us stronger. I told them after the Shea game, which was our second loss, if you commit yourself we’re not losing another game this year. They made it happen.”

South won out and got into the playoffs as the fourth seed from its division. It beat II-A top seed Warwick, then avenged the loss to Shea in the semifinals. Yesterday, it had the chance to avenge the loss to Toll Gate, but it did not look likely at halftime.

Toll Gate led, 6-0, thanks to an 80-yard, 13-play march that began in the first quarter and ended in the second with Doug Johnson going over from the one. South could get nothing going offensively in the first half. Toll Gate was the better team through two quarters. For South, it turned into one last hurdle to overcome.

“We played a really poor first half. Whether it was Super Bowl jitters or whatever it was, I don’t know,” Tardif said. “I told them (at halftime) that when all is said and done we’re only down, 6-0. We’ve got 24 minutes to show what we’re really made of, what we really are. What are we going to do? I think they made a statement in the third quarter.”

“Coach got us fired up,” said Hamill, the MVP. “We knew we were underachieving in the first half. That’s not the kind of football team we are. We just came out, got it together and it paid off in the end.”

It took only 66 seconds to get the lead. Josh Ponte returned the second-half kickoff 41 yards, giving the Rebels the ball on the Titans’ 37. Hamill bolted 29 yards, to the eight, on the first play. Two plays later he took a pitch from his brother, quarterback Ben Hamill, and went over from the five. When Ponte booted the point South was on top, 7-6.

Then next time they got the ball, the Rebels marched 67 yards in 15 plays, with Ben Hamill passing seven yards to Ponte for the touchdown. Tim Hazard, Sean Hamill and Ponte all ran well to get the ball close.

On their next possession, the Rebels had an apparent 55-yard touchdown run by Ponte called back because of a penalty. They had to punt. But two plays after doing so, Sean Hamill recovered a fumble on the Toll Gate seven.

On fourth and goal, still at the seven, Hamill powered off the left side.

“I had to jump over a guy. I knew it was going to be close,” he said. He got just far enough to get in the end zone to make it 19-6 with 5:18 left in the game.

Toll Gate refused to quit, though. It quickly went 57 yards, with Zincone passing to Nick Politelli from seven yards out, to make it 19-13 with 2:44 left. The Titans tried an onside kick, but Joe Moreino recovered for South. Toll Gate used its timeouts, stopped the Rebels, forced a punt and took over on its 34 with 1:34 remaining.

On the first play, Rayta made his interception of the screen pass, turned it into the clinching touchdown, and the Rebels were Super Bowl champions.

South Kingstown

0  0 13  12 — 25

Toll Gate

0  6  0   7 — 13

 South Kingstown scoring: touchdowns — Sean Hamill 2 (5, 7 runs), Josh Ponte (7 pass from Ben Hamill), Mike Rayta (25 interception return); conversion — Ponte (kick).

 Toll Gate scoring: touchdowns — Doug Johnson (1 run), Nick Politelli (7 pass from Mike Zincone); conversion: Joel Hoduch (kick).

pkenyon@projo.com