Unbeaten, untied, unbelievable
Sunday, December 3, 2000 By Rich Garven Telegram & Gazette Staff Fitchburg 35 Springfield Central 21
WORCESTER-- It wasn't as tidy as some people predicted, but in the end Fitchburg submitted its claim to be crowned mythical state champion. The Red Raiders were outgained by nearly 100 yards and allowed a season-high point total, but never wavered while defeating Springfield Central, 35-21, yesterday in the Central-Western Mass. Division 1 Super Bowl at Worcester State. "We've done the impossible to some people," two-way senior lineman Marcus DiNatale said. "It was all about heart. We stuck with it and we earned it." A crowd of 3,500, most of them clad in red and white, turned out in arctic-like conditions to see the Red Raiders make history at John F. Coughlin Field. The win caps a 12-0 season and marks just the third time in 107 years of football that Fitchburg finished unbeaten and untied. The other perfect seasons came in 1895 and 1933. Included in the school-record dozen wins were decisions over Eastern Mass. powers Brockton and Xaverian. Central is considered the class of Western Mass. Undefeated Norwood, the top-ranked team in EMass, also staked its claim as best in the state with a 42-18 win over Whitman-Hanson yesterday. "We might be the best team in the state, but in our hearts we know we are," senior tailback Frank McDonald said. The Golden Eagles (10-2) entered the game with a 4-0 bowl record and looked like they might keep that mark intact when they went ahead, 7-0, on Don Jones' 5-yard dash late in the first quarter. But the Red Raiders countered with three second-quarter touchdowns and led, 20-13, at halftime. Although Central twice pulled within a TD in the second half, Fitchburg used a methodical rushing attack to retain control. "We knew that we were breaking them down little by little," McDonald said. "We just wanted to take it to them. Nothing fancy, just hard football." Never was that philosophy more evident than on the opening possession of the third quarter. Starting at its own 34, Fitchburg ran the ball 15 consecutive times, finally capping a nine-minute, nine-second drive with McDonald's 5-yard touchdown run. McDonald went in standing up on a two-point rush and the Red Raiders led, 28-13, with 1:51 left in the quarter. "We said at halftime we were going to run the ball," FHS coach Ray Cosenza said. "That was a great drive and I definitely think that set the tone for the second half." McDonald finished with 103 yards rushing and one touchdown on 20 carries. He also scored on a pass from quarterback Jason Twomley, who had a hand in three TDs while compiling 121 total yards. Meanwhile, junior fullback Norman Cole played the role of lead blocker to perfection, but also produced 58 yards and 4 first downs on 10 carries. "He goes unnoticed," Cosenza said of Cole. "On short-yardage plays, we gave him the ball and he picked up big yards for us." The Golden Eagles went for big yards, as well. They finished with a 373-282 edge in that department, but hurt themselves with three turnovers. After waiting all third quarter to get the ball, Central wasted no time scoring. The Golden Eagles went 62 yards in 2:56, quarterback Mike McCarthy covering the final 10 yards with a pass to a wide-open Brandon Watson on the left side. McCarthy, who was 10 for 20 for 170 yards and 2 TDs, found Watson again, this time on the right side for a two-point conversion to make it 28-21 with 9:36 to play. Central lost momentum, though, when its onside kick failed to go the required 10 yards and Fitchburg gained possession at midfield. Six plays later, Twomley dove into the end zone after a 12-yard bootleg. As a woozy Twomley was being helped off the field, Ryan Logan booted the extra point (3 for 4) despite a high snap and the Red Raiders led, 35-21, with 6:19 left. The Golden Eagles had two more possessions, once driving to the Fitchburg 5, but failed to score either time as time expired. "We knew their speed was going to be a problem, but we shut them down when we needed to," senior defensive tackle Tim Roy said. Jones, Central's swift scatback, did finish with a game-high 133 yards, but was bottled up through the middle part of the game when Fitchburg went ahead for good. Following a McCarthy fumble, the Red Raiders tied it up at 7-7 when Twomley hit Ryan Davenport on a slant pattern for a 27-yard scoring strike with 10:31 until halftime. Two minutes later, McDonald, a three-year starter at linebacker, popped Jones at midfield. The ball hit the turf once and bounced right into Jim Alexander's hands. The defensive back never broke stride, going 52 yards down the right sideline for a score. "It happened so quick I can't even explain it," Alexander said. You're just thinking get to the end zone as quick as you can." Central completed the turnover trifecta went Twomley intercepted a pass on the ensuing possession. McDonald carried five straight times before Twomley (3 for 5, 54 yards) connected with Cole for 12 yards and McDonald for 15 yards and a TD, making it 20-7 with 3:23 until halftime. The offensive onslaught continued as the Golden Eagles scored 15 seconds later. McCarthy and fullback Kyle Suttles hooked up on a 71-yard catch-and-run to account for the 20-13 halftime score. The second half belonged to the Red Raiders, who made their case as best in the state.
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