Chieftains bounce back for a win 
Saturday, September 29, 2001

By Jay Gearan
CORRESPONDENT 
Nashoba 38 Fitchburg 12
 
BOLTON -- Nothing like a good old-fashioned Homecoming to
wake up the echoes at Nashoba Regional.

The Chieftains' football team, sparked by the rugged rushing
of Ben Sargent and Dave Baczkowski and the pinpoint passing
of Jamie Tucker, bolted past Fitchburg, 38-12, last night in
a Division 1 matchup.

"It was nice to rebound from a tough one last week," Nashoba
co-coach John Beary said, reflecting on his team's lopsided
loss to Leominster.  With an 18-6 lead at halftime, the
Chieftains (2-2, 1-1 Division 1) clicked perfectly in the
third quarter, scoring 20 points to put the game out of
reach.

"It was a big win for us," said Tucker, the senior
quarterback who tossed TD passes of 21 and 33 yards. "We
knew we had to step it up to be a contender in this league."

Sargent, a junior running back, thrilled the hometown fans
with a 59-yard jaunt up the middle in the second
quarter. The TD came one play after Fitchburg pulled within
a touchdown, 12-6.

"This was much better than last year," Sargent said. "They
got us pretty good down there."

Sargent added seven tackles from his linebacker position,
helping the Chieftain defense, anchored by Brian Melone,
shut down the Red Raiders.

"We got beat soundly," said
Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza, whose team is 1-3 (0-2). "We
have no excuses; they outplayed us. But, we'll continue to
work hard and we'll get better. I know it."  

In winning for the third time in seven games over the years
against the Red Raiders, Nashoba asserted itself on both
offense and defense.

Nashoba's opening scoring drive, triggered by Kurtis
Allain's blocked punt, covered 41 yards in eight
plays. Tucker connected with Jim Fulham for 21 yards,
pushing the ball inside the Fitchburg 10. From there Sargent
rushed for 5 yards and Baczkowski blasted off right tackle
for the touchdown.

Late in the first quarter, Tucker capped a 56-yard scoring
drive with a 23-yard TD pass to wideout Joe Rich. Tucker,
with superb timing on the throw, hit Rich on the numbers in
stride in the end zone.

Fitchburg began the second quarter with a solid drive of its
own as William Earley and Norm Cole gained yardage around
the ends and up the middle. Cole scored from 17 yards out.

On the ensuing kickoff, however, Sargent zipped 59 yards
after sprinting through a big hole on the right side,
cutting to the sidelines and racing all the way.

The Chieftains quickly scored after halftime. Baczkowski
broke down the sideline for 43 yards. Mike Philbin added the
PAT for a 25-6 lead.

Two minutes later, Melone picked off a pass by Fitchburg
quarterback Ryan Logan and returned it inside the Raider
20. Sargent later scored from 4 yards out.

Another Nashoba interception, this time by Jacob Marshall,
set up the final Chieftain score, a 33-yard TD pass from
Tucker to Zach Geldart.

Fitchburg mounted a fourth-quarter scoring drive of 68 yards
and scored the game's final touchdown when Earley bulled in
from the 1 early in the final quarter.  
 
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