Red Raiders hope to be more 'consistent'
By Chad Garner
FITCHBURG -- The thousands that support Fitchburg High
football don't need to be reminded about last season.

The young Red Raiders endoured a tough sub-.500 record at
4-7 and lost to archrival Leominster on Thanksgiving Day.

But Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza knows exactly what his club
needs to do in order to put a smile on the faces of the Red
Raider faithful this year.

"We have to improve. Even though we were 4-7 last year there
were some games where we were just awful," said Cosenza, who
lost 10 seniors off last year's team, but returns 16 players
which saw extended varsity action. "I can't put it any other
way. And I don't know what that was. I guess we've just got
to be more consistent. One week we played real well, the
next week we played real bad. This year, we need to be more
consistent. More consistent is the key word."

A few constants for the Red Raiders will be at the skill
positions on offense.

Junior southpaw Jeremy Kimber returns to lead the Red
Raiders from under center, and he'll have junior fullback
Matt Fraticelli and junior tailback Jon Gomez back in
starting roles.

"Our strengths on offense are our speed and returning
starters at the skill positions," said Cosenza. "I think
you've got to start with Kimber. He had a great year last
year. He's gotten faster, he's bigger and I think he's going
to be much more dangerous this year. I thought he was
outstanding last year, so we're looking forward to him
having another great year.

"They (Fraticelli, Gomez) did some good things last year and
you can see the change in them this year, especially
Gomez. I think he's got better vision, he's more comfortable
back there."

Cosenza is also happy with the added depth in the backfield
with sophomores Isiah Ford and Greg Mendez.

"Greg Mendez is a backup tailback and he's probably the
fastest kid on the team that has really impressed us," said
Cosenza.

A tough loss in the backfield is junior Steve Silvar, who
will miss the season due to injury.

Returning at wide receiver is junior Josh Less. Mike
Grenier, a tight end last season, will start at the other
wideout slot. Junior Tim Douglas, another returning starter,
is back at tight end.

The Red Raider offensive line will be quick and
athletic. The line features senior tackle Nate Wilson,
junior center Nick McNamara and junior guard Shane
Haase. Sophomore Ryan Robar and senior Mike Leger will also
see time at the other guard position. Junior Matt Dauphinais
and senior Zach Dion are battling for the other tackle
spot. Senior captain Derek Paine is a backup at center.

"If our line keeps improving that's the way we're going to
get better," said Cosenza. "I think what I like about this
year's line is that we move much better as a group. We're a
lot quicker, we're faster and we'll get into people's faces
better. I think we lacked that last year, we weren't as fast
off the ball as we would want to be. It's not an oversized
offensive line by any means."

While Fitchburg's defense also isn't overly big, it does
know how to swarm to the football with its tremendous team
speed.

"I think we're not going to be as big, but I think we're
going to run around pretty well," said Cosenza. "I think
we're going to play a lot of guys. There will be a lot of
people switching in there. I like the flexibility we
have. We have more depth than we did last year so all those
things should bode well."

With talent scattered all over this defensive unit, look no
further than the linebackers and the defensive ends.

At linebacker Paine and Jon Berthiaume are back starting,
while Leger and Dan Minichiello man the edges at defensive
end. Grenier and Douglas also bring veteran leadership at
the end position.

"I think our two defensive ends and two of our linebackers
have a lot of playing experience. They are going to have to
be the leaders out there," said Cosenza.

Senior Waheed Disu and junior Jon Fraticelli start at
defensive tackle, while Robar, Ford and Andrew Cordio are
battling for action at linebacker. Robar also can play on
the line.

The staff has also been impressed with sophomore lineman
Rich Alvarez.

Speed and awareness highlight the secondary, led by
returning senior starter Brett Barrows at cornerback. Junior
John Mendez, a transfer from Monty Tech, will start at the
other corner spot. Sophomore Eric Dion is the free safety.

Other potential impact players include: Kyle Boudreau (WR),
Orlando Anderson (WR), Eric Diaz (TE, DE), Greg Tourigny
(guard), Zach Schweda (nose guard, LB, tackle), Keith Bourne
(tackle) and Manny Guerrero (special teams, DE, TE).

Asked what the keys to success are this year, Cosenza
replied: "We've got to stay healthy, but that's the same for
everybody. Even though we have more depth, we want to have
our best people out there all the time. And two, we have to
be more consistent. We've got to find that and if we do then
we'll be fine."


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