Who's No. 1? It's Colombo: Brockton gives coach all-time mark
by Steve Kendall 
Saturday, October 6, 2001
FITCHBURG - After 42 years of coaching, 305 wins and
countless milestones, one might think Armond Colombo would
start considering retirement. But it's not even on the
70-year-old man's mind.

``Never did I dream of something like this when I started
coaching,'' Colombo said after Brockton's 15-14 win over
Fitchburg last night made him the state's all-time leader in
coaching victories. ``There have been a lot of great
football coaches in the state of Massachusetts, so for me to
be in the spot I am is an inspiration to me. I'm inspired to
win more games to show I deserve the place I'm in now.''

Colombo, with a career record of 305-93-4, had been stuck in
a tie with Bill Broderick at 304 wins since beating
Barnstable three weeks ago. His young Boxers team put in
valiant efforts the past two weeks, but fell short in losses
against Xaverian and St.  John's Prep.

Last night, however, the toughness the Boxers showed in
those two losses paid off as the Brockton defense stopped
Fitchburg inside the 10-yard line twice in the final six
minutes of the game - once on downs and once on a turnover.

``I'm so glad this team did it,'' Colombo said. ``They are a
tough bunch of kids, and that's why they won this game
tonight. They fought hard all game and made the big plays
when we needed them to make them.''

Junior Tyrone Pruitt scored both Brockton touchdowns, as
well as what proved to be the game-winning two-point
conversion.

``It feels great to be a part of history,'' Pruitt
said. ``We really wanted to get this win for coach - he
deserves it.''

The victory did not come easy for the Boxers (2-3). Playing
in front of the home crowd at Crocker Field, Fitchburg (1-4)
had a 338-126 advantage in total offense and accumulated 240
yards in the second half without scoring a point.

``They made the plays, but we certainly didn't make any
breaks for ourselves,'' Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza said.

Brockton pulled to within 14-13 on an 8-yard run by Pruitt
with just under five minutes to play in the third
quarter. The Boxers lined up to kick the extra point, but a
motion penalty pushed them back five yards. Colombo elected
to go for two and the move paid off, as Pruitt took a pitch
and beat the Fitchburg defense to the end zone.

The rest was left up to the Brockton defense. The Boxers
managed to hold Fitchburg off after the Raiders reached the
8-yard line with 5:48 to play, as Brandon Hill blocked a
30-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Logan. Then, with
Fitchburg driving for a game-winning touchdown with two
minutes left, Brockton junior Harry Cange pounced on a
fumbled snap to again thwart the Red Raiders.

Fitchburg had one final shot, but Hill picked off a Brian
Bouvier pass at the Brockton 15 to seal the historic win.

``The defense made the key plays when they had to, and that
just shows the toughness of those kids,'' Colombo said.

Fitchburg wasted no time rattling the Boxers, as Anthony
Murray recovered a fumble on the game's second play. After
runs of 13 yards by freshman William Earley and 14 by Norman
Cole, Bouvier scored from 1 yard out, giving Fitchburg a 6-0
lead.

Brockton took advantage of great field position to take the
lead before the end of the first quarter. After its defense
pinned the Red Raiders inside their 10, David Gern returned
a punt to the Fitchburg 34. A 17-yard pass completion to
Andrew Gomes and a Fitchburg penalty moved Brockton to the
12 before Pruitt punched in his first score from the 4 for a
7-6 Boxers lead after the PAT.

After the teams traded turnovers early in the second
quarter, the Red Raiders put together an impressive
nine-play, 60-yard drive that culminated with a perfectly
executed trick play. Facing a second-and-9 from the Brockton
27, Early took a pitch and headed to the left before
stopping and hitting a wide-open Frank Sienkiewicz with an
option pass for a touchdown. Ryan Davenport recovered
Early's fumble in the end zone on the conversion attempt to
give Fitchburg a 14-6 halftime lead.  
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