Crimson Tide roll over FHS
By Rick Eggleston 

 
EVERETT -- What you see isn't always what you get. 

That's what the Fitchburg football team learned the hard way
Friday night, as what seemed like an otherwise productive
week at practice failed to make the hour-long bus ride to
Everett Memorial Stadium, where Eastern Mass. power Everett
dealt the Red Raiders a stinging, 49-21 loss.

"It's discouraging, because I really felt we had a good week
at practice," said Fitchburg head coach Ray Cosenza, whose
team entered Everett seemingly pumped-up and to ready forget
its 29-point loss to Xaverian a week earlier. "There's
nothing positive you can take from the first half. (Everett)
came out flying and we just came out flat."

The Crimson Tide (2-0) and their vaunted offense hit with
the sudden force and destruction of a tsunami, and in the
span of just six minutes left the Raiders (0-2) wondering
what hit them.

Everett fullback Nick Parker (89 yards on 5 carries)
provided the first blow, taking the third play of game 45
yards down the right sideline for a touchdown and a 7-0
Crimson lead after Igor Garcia booted the first of his seven
-- six in the first half -- point after attempts through the
uprights.

Though the second-ranked team in the state went on to
recover a Fitchburg fumble, the Raiders showed some early
resilience after defensive tackle Jon Fraticelli pounced on
botched handoff to give Fitchburg the ball back. However,
the rally proved short-lived as Fitchburg went four-and-out
on its ensuing possession that ended with the snap sailing
over the punter Juan Colazo's head. Colazo kicked the ball
out of the end zone, a penalty that gave made it
first-and-goal Everett from the FHS 10.

Isaac Johnson carried the ball up the middle into the end
zone, Garcia converted the point after and the Crimson Tide
led 14-0. Thanks to Everett's strong and quick defensive
line, things went quickly downhill for Fitchburg from there.

After forcing Fitchburg to punt again, Everett quarterback
J.R. Suozzo (6-for-8, 125 yards) hit Jesus Crawford with a
pretty pass downfield, a 43-yard touchdown strike that made
it 21-0.

Parker set up Everett's next score with scampers of 29 and 4
yards to land the Tide on the FHS 2, where JW Forte went in
for the score and a 28-0 lead.

Everett's next drive was a methodical 70-yard, 12-play drive
that ended with Nick Brown going in from a yard out, while
Johnson capped off the first-half rout -- and the
essentially the game -- with a 45-yard TD run.

"They beat us in every phase of the game in the first half,"
Cosenza said, "but we came out and did some good things in
the second half."

Indeed, with Everett coach John DiBiaso having called off
the dogs, the Raiders started to show some signs of life on
offense.

FHS Junior running Jon Gomez provided the punch, taking the
opening handoff of the third quarter from quarterback Jeremy
Kimber 62 yards down the left sideline. Colazo came on and
kicked the extra point, and the Raiders were on the board.

Gomez wasn't done, and on the Raiders' next possession again
took a handoff and broke through a host of Everett tacklers
before getting sprung on fantastic block by sophomore
Orlando Anderson for a 57-yard touchdown. Later, sophomore
Jon Mendez rounded out the Raiders' scoring with a 58-yard
touchdown run of his own down the right side.

"We'll go back to the drawing board this week in practice,"
Cosenza said. "We'll get ready to play a league game."

The Raiders will travel to face Mid-Wach A foe Shrewsbury
Friday at 7 p.m.

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