Twomley, Keenan shine in Fitchburg win
By Steve Kendall CORRESPONDENT 
Fitchburg 34 Westboro 0

FITCHBURG-- After 10 weeks, people are finally starting to
run out of words to describe Fitchburg High quarterback
Jason Twomley.
         The senior continued his stellar season, scoring
two touchdowns, throwing for another, and intercepting a
pass in the end zone, leading Fitchburg to a 34-0 win over
Westboro last night at Crocker Field.
         The win was the 16th straight for the 10-0 Red
Raiders, who have already clinched the Division 1 Super Bowl
berth and own the longest current winning streak in the
state. The Rangers fell to 6-4.
         With star running back Frank McDonald slowed by a
leg injury, Twomley picked up the slack, rushing for 82
yards on 13 carries and completing 4 of 6 passes for 72
yards.
         "Individually, I had one of my best games
offensively or defensively all year," Twomley
said. "Overall, the team is getting a lot better every
game."
         Said Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza: “Jason has
been so good for us this year. He's had games like this all
year for us. He has been a special player.”
         Twomley led a balanced Fitchburg attack, which saw
not one player accumulate more than 100 yards on the ground
for the first time this season. But Twomley, McDonald,
Norman Cole and B.J. Fitz each rushed for over 50 yards as
the Raiders amassed 260 yards on the ground.
         Fitz and Cole each scored once, as did senior
flanker Tim Keenan, who made a nice 38-yard grab to open the
scoring. Keenan also intercepted a pass and had several
thundering hits from his defensive back position.
         "Timmy has done a lot of good things for us,"
Cosenza said. "With the things we did on offense with the
backs, it's easy to overlook what he brings to this team. He
does a little bit of everything. He plays both sides of the
ball, returns kicks, and plays on special teams. He has been
one of our unsung heroes this season."
         After a sloppy start that saw the Red Raiders
fumble on their second play, Fitchburg's potent offense went
to work. After a Jim Alexander interception gave the Raiders
the ball back, Fitchburg methodically drove 76 yards in 11
plays, capped by a 38-yard scoring pass from Twomley to
Keenan.
         Fitchburg's next possession was almost identical,
as the Raiders again went 76 yards, this time taking 12
plays. Twomley converted a key third-down pass to Alexander
to keep the drive going, then capped it with a 1-yard run.
         Westboro, which had negative yardage through its
first two possessions, finally managed to chew up some turf
on its third possession. Junior Jim Massery had three runs
of 5 yards or more to help the Rangers get to the Fitchburg
35. But an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on Joe Sanginario
after an 8-yard run pushed Westboro back to the Fitchburg
42, and the drive stalled there.
         Fitchburg all but put the game away on its next
possession. Twomley connected with Keenan for a 19-yard
pass, then scampered 34 yards for his second touchdown and a
21-0 lead.
         Westboro threatened one more time in the half, but
was thwarted by Twomley, who picked off a Phil Aurigemma
pass at the 1-yard line with 12 seconds left before
intermission.
         Fitz scored on a 21-yard run in the third quarter
and Cole capped the scoring with a 3-yard run with 2:49 to
play.
         Defensively, Fitchburg was as dominant as it has
been all year, surrendering just 87 yards to the Rangers.
         Despite its success, Fitchburg is not taking
anything for granted with two games left.
         "(Having won 16 games in a row) is nice, but
right now the only thing on our mind is getting ready for
Leominster -- not the Super Bowl, not past games, but that
game," Cosenza said. "Everyone knows how important
that game is, and we're going to prepare hard for it."

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