Westerly receiver Michael Portunato (11) leaps but can’t grab the ball while Warwick Vets’ Zack Motulski defends on the incomplete pass during first-half action in last night’s Division II football game at Warwick. Click here to see a gallery of photos from the game.

The Providence Journal / Kris Craig

I’m starting to think that Mother Nature isn’t a football fan — at least not a Rhode Island high school football fan.

How else can do you explain that on two of the first three Friday nights of this football season, heavy rain either caused the postponement of Rhode Island games or forced the games to be played under adverse conditions before small crowds.

Last Friday night, 10 of the 11 scheduled R.I. Interscholastic League football games were postponed.

For other sports, it’s not a big deal when games are rescheduled for another day or night, but at most Rhode Island high schools there is a huge difference between the crowd at a Friday night football game and the fans who show up for a rescheduled game on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, or even on a Saturday or Sunday night.

Thirty-two of the league’s 43 football teams now have the capacity to play night games, and all except a couple play their games on Friday nights.

Only game played

North Smithfield’s new lighted artificial turf field allowed the Northmen to play their football game with Exeter-West Greenwich last Friday night while all the other RIIL games were postponed because of rain.

Portsmouth-La Salle

Speaking of Friday Night Lights, Portsmouth’s victory over East Providence on Sunday, combined with La Salle’s triumph over Rogers, makes Friday’s night Portsmouth-La Salle game in Providence an interesting matchup.

The Patriots and Rams are 2-0 in Division I play and have looked impressive en route to their undefeated records. In its two league games, Portsmouth defeated Hendricken and East Providence, two teams that had combined for three Super Bowl appearances over the last two years. La Salle has outscored the opposition, 55-13, en route to victories over North Kingstown and Rogers.

The forecast for Friday calls for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid-60s during the day and the high 40s at night. That’s perfect football weather, but we’ll see.

Game time is 7 o’clock at La Salle’s Cronin Athletic Complex.

Shutout string on line

The undefeated La Salle girls volleyball team (8-0) took a 24-game shutout string into last night’s match against Ponaganset.

‘Pink Out’

The South Kingstown girls soccer team will host a “Pink Out” to raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation when the Rebels host Mt. Hope in a Division I game at 6 p.m. on Oct. 7. Each fan paying the $5 admission charge will receive a “Pink-Out” T-shirt, with all proceeds going to the foundation.

West Warwick Hall dinner

Five former West Warwick High sports stars –– Don Laboissonniere, Rick Boyle, Paul Secky, Charlie Graham and Christina Andreozzi –– will be induced into the West Warwick Athletic Hall of Fame at the annual induction dinner Thursday night at Nino’s in Coventry.

In addition to the four former Wizards standouts, well known Pawtuxet Valley businessman Ray Roch will receive the Amby Smith Memorial Distinguished Service Award at the dinner. Tickets can be purchased by calling Phil Kershaw, West Warwick High athletic director, at (401) 822-8444 or Roland Bettez at (401) 828-3237.

Soccer rankings

The undefeated La Salle girls team (6-0-1) was ranked seventh among the 13 teams earning Region I (New England) rankings in the latest National Soccer Coaches poll.

Among the boys, La Salle (7-0-2) and Barrington (7-1-1) tied for sixth in the eight-team New England ranking.

Skippers-Lions showdown

North Kingstown, the RIIL defending Division I state field hockey champion and the only unbeaten Division I team, could get one of its toughest tests of the season today when the Skippers play at Lincoln High.

Lincoln will go into the game trailing North Kingstown and East Greenwich, the Division I co-leaders, by two points.

jgillool@projo.com