No quit in Fitchburg

By Ross Edwards 
SHREWSBURY -- They may have gotten off to a rough start, but
the Red Raiders proved that they're not willing to bow down
to anyone.

After opening the football season with a pair of tough
losses against two of the best teams in the state, Fitchburg
got down early to Shrewsbury and seemed destined for an 0-3
start. The Red Raiders (1-2) fought back, however, winning
36-29 after engineering a furious comeback that was capped
by a Jon Gomez 3-yard touchdown run with 23.7 seconds
remaining.

"We just stuck together," said Gomez. "We didn't give up."

Gomez rushed for two of Fitchburg's three fourth-quarter
scores, as the Colonials (0-3) saw their 15-point halftime
lead evaporate before their eyes.

"It was a great comeback," said Fitchburg coach Ray
Cosenza. "I don't know what to say, I thought we were dead
after the first half. I thought our kids showed tremendous
character."

Shrewsbury built a 22-7 advantage by the midway point behind
the hard-nosed rushing of fullback Shawn Loiseau, who scored
on bursts of 5 and 75 yards before the break, tossing
Fitchburg defenders aside as he rumbled downfield.

The Red Raiders held Loiseau to a single yard in the second
half though, as they began their comeback bid.

Fitchburg fullback Matt Fraticelli scored the first
touchdown of the second half, but the Raiders still trailed,
29-15, headed into the fourth. Fitchburg quarterback Jeremy
Kimber heaved a 44-yard scoring strike to Josh Less with
just under 10 minutes remaining, setting up Gomez's two
scoring runs.

After Gomez's first touchdown, Fitchburg could have tied the
contest with an extra point, but Cosenza was in no mood to
settle. Fitchburg opted to give the ball up the gut to
Fraticelli, but he was stuffed, seemingly handing the game
to Shrewsbury.

The Fitchburg defense held tough, and the Red Raiders'
offensive line abused Shrewsbury as Gomez and company
marched their way down the field for the winning score.

"We just didn't have an answer for them," said Shrewsbury
coach Terry Walles. "Three straight drives they went down
and scored ... I don't think we really lost, I think
Fitchburg won that game to be honest with you. I don't think
we gave it away, they just played a little bit better than
us."

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