FHS's streak is over
Super Bowl champs' 18-game win streak snapped by Xaverian
By Rick Eggleston
Staff Writer 
WESTWOOD -- Nobody said it was going to be easy. 

After graduating 22 players from last season's undefeated
Division 1 Central/Western Mass. Super Bowl squad, the
Fitchburg football team enters its latest campaign knowing
it will have its work cut out for it.

Signs of that began to show Saturday at Xaverian Brothers
High School, where the Red Raiders carried an 18-game win
streak spanning two seasons to square off against one of the
elite teams in Eastern Mass. in the Hawks.

Then again, regardless of graduation losses, it's never been
Fitchburg's style to back down or drop anybody from its
schedule. It's just that this time around the vaunted Hawks
managed to exact some revenge, soaring to a 28-0 victory in
just the second meeting between the two teams.

"We hung in there in the first half, but we had a holding
call that really hurt us and we made some mistakes,'" said
Cosenza, whose team defeated the Hawks last season at
Crocker Field. "The key today was we weren't able to
capitalize off their mistakes in the first half. Then in the
second half, they just wore us down physically and
mentally."

While running backs Shane Hopkins and David Nelson ran wild,
combining for 193 yards on the ground and three
touchdowns. Nelson led the way, carrying the ball 19 times
for 120 yards and two touchdowns to hand the Raiders their
first defeat since falling to Brockton in October 1999 at
Crocker Field.

"We're a little more experienced than they are this year,
and I think that experience really showed in the second half
-- we were able to wear them down a little bit," said
Xaverian coach Charlie Stevenson. "Nelson and Hopkins made
some big plays. With our starting tailback hurt, we had to
make the best of our running back situation and had two
fullbacks going today."

That saw the Hawks' plan go off without so much of a hitch. 

Working out of the Power-I, Xaverian was finally able to
solve the Raiders' defense late in the second quarter with a
lengthy, 14-play, 70-yard drive that culiminated with Nelson
chugging in from five yards for the touchdown. Kicker Jon
Barker added the extra point, giving the Hawks a 7-0 edge
with a minute to go before halftime.

"At halftime we were down 7-0," said Cosenza. "I was just
disappointed we didn't come out with a little more
excitement for the second half. Maybe we were just tired,
maybe we were just worn down, I'm not sure, but that's my
only disappointment."

Still, Cosenza liked his team's chances early on, as the
defense -- led by juniors Steve Marella, Aaron Storm and
Andy Swett, and senior Nate Glenny -- prevented the Hawks
from taking flight in the first quarter.

With the Hawks threatening on first down from the FHS
10-yard line, Glenny pounced on a fumble to give Fitchburg
the ball back. FHS quarterback Ryan Logan went to work from
his own 9, handing off to freshman tailback William Early
(14 carries, 52 yards) for consecutive gains of five yards
or more, as a six-yard carry by Early pushed the ball into
Xaverian territory.

Senior running back Norman Cole (8 carries, 23 yards) picked
up seven yards, and Logan hit Frank Sienkiewicz with a
10-yard pass to put the Raiders on the Hawk 21. Two plays
later, however, a holding call against Fitchburg brought the
ball back out to the 32 and the Raiders were forced to punt.

"That hurt us," said Cosenza, whose team never got any
closer to the end zone. "I think some kids really stepped up
and played hard. William Early was forced to play some
defense, and Steve Marella and Norman Storm never came out
until the end. We did some good things, but now we can build
from it and learn from it and just keep getting better."

The Hawks opened the second half with the ball, and never
looked back. A 12-play, 65-yard drive ignited the third
quarter, as Nelson and Hopkins once again teamed up to run
past the Raiders. Nelson capped off the drive, taking a
pitch from quarterback Joe Bickerstaffe three yards down the
right side before diving into the end zone. Barker added the
extra point and the Hawks led 14-0.

The Hawks defense answered the call next, forcing the
Raiders to go 4-and-out on their next two possessions, after
the second of which saw Hopkins rack up a 20-yard gain to
set up a Bickerstaffe (5-of-9 for 70 yards) 39-yard
touchdown pass to Marc Thomas.

"Fitchburg played a great first half where we made some
mistakes," said Stevenson. "We wore them down in the second
half. We bounced back and I don't think they had a decent
drive the rest of the game after that."

The Hawks' unrelenting defense followed to again limit the
Raiders to four downs, and on the ensuing possesion scored
again when a Nelson 18-yard jaunt was followed by Hopkin
scampering 14 yards for the touchdown.
----------------------
F 0 0 0 0 -- 0 
X 0 7 7 14 -- 28 
Second quarter 
X David Neslon 5 run; Jon Barker kick (1:09) 
Third quarter 
X Nelson 3 run; Barker kick (5:00) 
Fourth quarter 
X Marc Thomas 39 pass from Joe Bickerstaffe; Barker kick (9:38) 
X Shane Hopkins 14 run; Barker kick (4:42)
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