Red alert: Raiders score upset
Friday, November 23, 2001

By John McGuirk
CORRESPONDENT 

Fitchburg 26 Leominster 14

LEOMINSTER -- It wasn't that long ago that this year's 118th
meeting between Fitchburg and Leominster (96th on
Thanksgiving) appeared to be a mismatch.
     Few, if any, gave the Red Raiders much of a chance
against the Blue Devils yesterday. But lo and behold,
Fitchburg found a way.
     Behind a solid defense and some key offensive plays,
the Red Raiders upset favored Leominster, 26-14, before a
crowd of 5,000 at Doyle Field.
     Fitchburg leads the series 56-53-9. The Red Raiders
(5-6) have beaten Leominster (8-3) four straight years and
10 out of the last 11.
     "We had a good game plan coming in and worked all
week on it," Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza said. "Our
kids bought it. They played a great football game against a
great team and that's what makes this so good."
     Trailing, 14-13, heading into the fourth quarter, the
Red Raiders dominated the final 12 minutes. Senior running
back Norman Cole busted through the Leominster defense for a
50-yard touchdown run at 9:51 to put Fitchburg ahead for
good, 19-14.
     Meanwhile, Fitchburg's defense continued to throttle
the Blue Devils, rising to the occasion in the closing
minute when B.J. Fitz stepped in front of a Kevin Barnaby
pass and returned it 21 yards for a TD to boost the Red
Raiders' lead to their final 12-point margin of victory.
     Fitchburg held Leominster to just 176 yards
offensively. The Blue Devils were playing without star
tailback Kevin L'Ecuyer (1,882 yards, 21 TDs), who was
sidelined after coming down with mono a week ago. Reserve
back Tom Fallon picked up the slack by rushing for 98 yards
on 18 carries.
     But he alone couldn't overtake the Red Raiders.
     "We had a little adversity with Kevin not playing
and (running back) Jose Navaro spraining his ankle on the
second or third play of the game," Leominster coach John
Dubzinski said. "I thought Tom Fallon played a great
game. I thought our kids played great. We knew going in it
was going to be a tough game because of the situation, but
we're not going to make any excuses."
     Freshman running back William Earley led the Red
Raiders on offense as he rushed for 117 yards on 33 carries
and a touchdown. Cole finished with 93 yards on 13 carries,
scoring twice. As a team, Fitchburg netted 248 yards on
offense.
     Graduation played a huge role in the Red Raiders' slow
start this season after they went 12-0 a year ago. Fitchburg
lost five of its first six games, but won three of its next
four heading into yesterday.
     On its first possession, Fitchburg, after recovering a
Blue Devil fumble, drove 33 yards before Earley scampered
into the end zone from six yards out to give the Red Raiders
a 7-0 lead.
     Fitchburg maintained its lead as the defense continued
to stuff Leominster.
     "I knew we would win," said junior linebacker
Steve Marella, who was superb against the Blue Devils in
chalking up over a half dozen tackles. "I had no
doubts. This just feels awesome."
     Leominster finally solved the Fitchburg defense. With
just 47 seconds left before halftime, Leominster took the
lead. A 17-yard run by Fallon and a 16-yard pass from
Barnaby to Blake Curry set up Bill Gabriel's 1-yard TD
run. Barnaby's conversion pass to Mark Daigneault put
Leominster up, 8-7, going into halftime.
     But the lead was shortlived. On its first second-half
possession, Fitchburg marched downfield. A 23-yard run by
Earley and a 28-yard pass play from Brian Bouvier to Cole
set the stage for Cole's 11-yard scoring reception from
Bouvier at 8:08, putting the Red Raiders on top, 13-8.
     But the Blue Devils responded a short time
later. Behind Fallon, Leominster marched 44 yards before the
sophomore rumbled in from 5 yards out to give the hosts a
14-13 lead with only 40 seconds remaining in the third.
     But the fourth quarter belonged to the Red Raiders as
they showed tremendous resiliency, once again sending
Leominster home frustrated.
     "There are times when we've been the favorites and
today we were definitely the underdogs," Cosenza
said. "This game has a life of its own. It's like a
season within itself. I don't think there are any favorites
or underdogs."


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