Twomley, Raiders receive 'High 5'
 By Rick Eggleston
Staff Writer


Fitchburg High football fans better set their VCR.

With the popularity Friday night football games have gained
throughout the state in recent years, you'd think Channel 5
(WCVB-TV, Boston) would know better than to run its
heralded "High 5 High School Player of Week'' segment on a
Friday night.

Thank god, then, for the VCR.

Players and fans alike who will be en route to Northboro to
take in tonight's Algonquin Regional-Fitchburg football game
rather than watching Channel 5's 6 p.m. newscast, will want
to tape it.

The reason? Though he's not a prime time player just yet,
FHS senior quarterback will be the focus of at least a
portion of Channel 5's newscast tonight, when sports anchor
Mike Lynch profiles Twomley and the rest of the Fitchburg
football team with this week's Massachusetts high school
sports "High 5.''

"I was in shock,'' said Twomley, who was informed by his
coach and FHS assistant principal, Ray Cosenza, on Tuesday
that he'd been chosen to receive this week's honor. "Mike
Lynch came with a camera crew at the beginning of
practice. ... It was pretty interesting.''

But then so has the Red Raiders' stellar season. At 8-0, and
ranked No. 1 and 2 in Central Mass. and state football
polls, respectively, there's no denying it -- the Raiders
are in the throes of one of their most impressive and
productive seasons in the program's over 100-year-old
storied history.

Naturally, Twomley and his band of determined Raiders have
everything to do with the team's recent success, which is
why Channel 5 and Lynch chose them in the first place, and
promptly descended upon Crocker Field on Tuesday to tape
tonight's anticipated segment.

"(Lynch) asked me things like how playing three sports has
affected me, and what advice I might have for younger
athletes,'' said Twomley, an accomplished three-sport
all-star in football, basketball and baseball. "It's a great
thing.  It's great exposure for the school and the team, and
I give a lot of the credit to my parents, the coaches and
the players for this to happen.''

But Twomley's singling out by Channel 5, however, wasn't
just limited to his leadership prowess and presence on the
gridiron, running and throwing the football. A member of the
National Honor Society, and his involvement in several
extra-curricular activities, clubs and organizations within
school, made Twomley an ideal candidate to receive the High
5.

Then again, when your team beats two of the best Eastern
Mass. football teams in the state in Brockton and Xaverian,
that helps, too.

"We knew what we had to do, and had two of the best weeks in
practice going into those games,'' said Twomley.  "Some
people weren't too sure when we picked up Xaverian on our
schedule this year, but coach Cosenza had confidence in
us. He was confident all along that we could win.''

And with three games remaining on their regular season
schedule, the Raiders plan on winning every one, not to
mention a little thing called a Super Bowl come December.

"Anybody on this team could've received this honor,'' said
Twomley, "but it's not an individual thing, it's a team
thing.''

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