Red Raiders run over Nashoba
Fitchburgracks up 329 rushing yards
By Chad Garner

FITCHBURG - There's no question that the Fitchburg High 
football team has three execptional running backs, but 
what goes unnotices is the bone-crushing blocks of the 
offensive line.

The powerful starting offensive line of Tim Caron, Josh
Raboin, Marcus DiNatale, Anthony Fanellik, Sean Roy and
Steve Marella allowed quarterback Jason Twomley and running
backs Norman Cole and Frank McDonald to rush for 329 yards
in 25 minutes of play, leading the Red Raiders to a
convincing 43-18 victory over the defending Division 1 super
bowl champion Nashoba Chieftains Friday night at Crocker
Field.

"Our backs did a great job and they get all the credit.  All
three of them ran very well, but I think our offensive line
did a fantastic job too," said Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza.
"Our line got a little better this week I think than last
week.  We played a very good football team.  Our offense did
a terrific job against a very good football team and a very
well coached football team.  We're very happy with the
outcome."

The dominating Red Raider (2-0) offense was led by senior
tailback McDonald, who rushed for 180 yards on eight carries
with three touchdowns, Twomley (3 carries, 85 yards, 75-yard
INT return for TD), and Cole who carried the ball eight
times for 64 yards and one touchdown.

After Red Raider defensive back Tim Keenan ended the
Chieftains frst possessino, picking off Nashoba (1-1)
quarterback Ryan Marshall and retuning the ball 20 yards to
the Chieftain 33, it took only one offensive play for the
Red Raiders to get on the score board.

After an illegal motion penalty brought the ball back to the
39, McDonald took a handoff from Twomley up the middle, cut
right and got a excellent black from wide receiver Jon Shea
to spring him into the end zone on a eye-popping 39-yard TD
run.  Sophomore kicker Ryan Logan added the extra point,
giving the Red RAiders a 7-0 lead with 9:05 remaining in the
first quarter.

On the Red Raiders' second possession, Cole capped off a
seven-play, 45 yard drive with a 28-yard TD run.  Cole broke
a gang tackle at he line and ran over a defender en route
to the score.  Logan gave the Red Raiders a 14-0 with the
extra point.

The Chieftains used a 11-play drive to get down to the Red
Raider 13, keyed by Marshall's 21 yard pass to Eric Horvath,
but Mike Philbin missed a 30 yard field goal wide right.

Mcdonald went right back to work with 6:10 left in the second
quarter, breaking two tackles at the line of scrimmage and
juking Chieftain defensive back Marshll for a 64 yard TD.
After Logan's kick the Red Raiders staked to a decisive 21-0
lead.

"We thought we could be a little bit closer, but they really
took it to us," said Nashoba co-head coach Ken Tucker.
"Fitchburg is an outsanding football team.  They're big,
they're strong and their backs are very good.  They just
controlled the ball and did everything they wanted to do and
we couldn't stop it."

"We didn't tackle well at the line of scrimmage and then we
didn't tackle well in the secondary," he continued.  "Frank
McDonald played about as good as I've seen a back play
to night in a long time.  He was exceptional.  Once he got
into the secondary we couldn't tackle him.  That was a big
difference in the game.. we just could't make a tackle when
he broke in the clear."

Fullback Andrew Hansen gave the Chieftains a big lift with a
61 yard run down to the Red Raider 5, and after Hansen
brought the ball down to the three, Kurtis Alian scampered
in from three years out.

On the extra point attempt, Fitchburg's Caron blocked
Philbin's kick and Raboin picked up the loose bll and
rumbled 85 yards for the conversino return, lifting
Fitchburg to a 23-6 lead.

McDonald wasn't done in the first half as he motored in on a
35 yard TD run, his third of the falf, via a nifty counter.
Logan added the extra point and the Red Raiders led 30-6.

"We just came out and we knew we could beat them.  We were
prepared and we came in here focused," said Twomley.  "I
give credit to them (offensive line).  We can't score unless
they make the blocks and they've been making the blacks for
past two games.  They've been dominatimg."

Playing defensive back, Twomley capped off the first half
with an interception, coasting down the sidelines on a 75
yard interception return for the touchdown.

With the Red Raiders leading 43-6 Nashoba was able to score
the final two touchdowns of the game.  Backup quarterback
Jamie Tucker added a one yard TD run and Bobby Montalto
raced 60 yards for the Cheiftains' final score.

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