Sunday, November 18, 2007 FHS-LHS series underdogs have their moments
By Fred Sullivan CORRESPONDENT

FITCHBURG -  Over the years it has become fashionable amongmedia
types to say that in rivalry games like the Fitchburg-Leominster
Turkey Day Classic, you can always throw out the records. Every game
is a tossup, because the underdogs can rise to the occasion and upset
the favorites.

The quaint concept is just not true when the Blue Devils and the Red
Raiders meet on Thanksgiving. The team with the best record usually
will win the contest. Just look at the rivalry in the 1980s, when
heavily favored Leominster always carried the day, or the 1990s, when
FHS could be found in the victory column.

Having made that argument, I’m going to talk about two contests when
the decided underdog rose up to defeat its favored opponent, and sent
their loyal fans into unbound happiness: the Red and Gray of 1957 and
the Blue Devils of 1969.

In 1957, Fitchburg High School football was at an all-time low. The
Raiders, under coach Ed Sullivan, had not defeated the rival Blue
Devils in five years, and most of the contests had not been very
close. But the winds seemed to shift as the Raiders approached their
annual contest with Leominster High. Following a disappointing start,
the Red and Gray had begun to roll as the squad moved into
November. The offense, which featured two slashing halfbacks, Ken
Rostedt and Norm Dooley; a power-running fullback, Pete Stephens, and
a rapidly emerging quarterback named "Buzzy" Congram, had
exploded against St. Bernard’s, Athol and Hudson to give the Raiders
three quality victories.

"Sully" and his enthusiastic young assistant, Jim Meredith,
continually encouraged their young squad as the Thanksgiving game
approached. The FHS student body began to sense the optimism the squad
was feeling, and soon the feeling began to emerge that the Red and
Gray might just be able to defeat Charlie Broderick’s mighty Blue
Devils. Plus, the Raiders were getting healthy and the young players
were emerging. Youngsters like Alan Muir, Brian Sullivan, Roger
Kielty, Dana Valiton, Jean Archambeault, Bill McNally and Frank Ingel,
had begun to step forward for FHS, along with solid senior performers
Howie Marvell, Dave King and Harry Karis. The off-injured Kielty had
made a strong comeback, and “Sully” and Meredith and coach Stan
Goode felt he would be a major contributor on Thanksgiving
morning. The Raider youngsters would all be needed that day.

In the fall of 1957, Broderick’s squad was led by one of LHS’ all-time
great football stars, Dick Robichaud, who often seemed to be a man
playing among children. In the week before the Thanksgiving contest,
LHS had been trounced 56-24 by a wonderful North High squad from
Worcester, but the Worcester Telegram still reported that Robichaud
had been the best player on the field. So, Sullivan knew that he would
have to stop Dick Robichaud if the Red and Gray were to have a chance
for victory. The week before the game, Joe Hannon and "Red"
Johnson --  Class of 1953 -- who had starred at UMass, volunteered
to play Robichaud in team practices to give the Raider defense an idea
of Robichaud’s speed and strength.

But the Devils were not a one-man team. Jim Gardner and Charlie Breau
were outstanding ends who were often on the receiving end of
Robichaud’s bulletlike passes. Ed Mahoney and Bob Hembrow were two of
Robichaud’s running mates in the LHS backfield. Raider fans remembered
Hembrow’s outstanding blocking efforts in the 1956 contest, when he
continually cleared a path for Robichaud and Ronnie Palazzi through
the FHS defense. The Blue Devil line was anchored by Bill Drury, a
two-way player who could dominate. But FHS knew it had to slow down
Robichaud to win.

Ten thousand fans packed into Doyle Field on a beautiful Thanksgiving
morning as the temperature hovered near 60 . It soon became apparent
that the Red and Gray were ready to play. The Fitchburg running game,
featuring the slashing off-tackle slants of the 150-pound Rostedt, was
dominating the Blue Devils’ defense. When Rostedt, running behind
devastating blocking from Muir, Kielty and Sullivan, was not slashing
outside, big Pete Stephens was rumbling through the middle with
elephant-like charges. That running offense, which was being masterly
managedby Congram, would eventually gain over 400 yards against LHS on
that morning 50 years ago.

Despite the Raiders’ offensive brilliance, Leominster scored the
game’s first touchdown on a long pass from Robichaud to Jim
Gardner. “Robby” had escaped a Red and Gray blitz, and unleashed
a 50-yard pass to Gardner, who stood all alone in the end zone. The
Raider faithful were crushed, but the offense immediately moved down
the field behind Rostedt and Stephens to notch FHS’ initial
score. When Stephens’ extra point was blocked, LHS led 7-6, but there
was joy on the Raider’s sideline. Maybe the impossible was possible!
Early in the second period, Hembrow broke loose down the sideline for
a 58-yard touchdown to extend the Devils’ lead, but FHS marched right
down the field with its relentless ground attack and scored its second
touchdown as the end of the first half approached. As the teams went
off the field at halftime, LHS led, 14-13, but it was the Raiders’
fans who were jubilant.

Then one of the most controversial and bizarre events of Thanksgiving
Day’s history happened when Fitchburg Mayor Hedley Bray, who had been
highly critical of Sullivan during the season, tried to enter the Red
and Gray clubhouse at halftime. "Sully" threw Bray out on his
tail, and returned to his players. FHS was psyched.

As the third period began, the Raider offense took control of the game
as Rostedt slashed into the Devils’ defense with 8- and 9-yard gains
and Stephens continued rumbling into the middle effectively. Late in
the period, the Raiders scored again as their fans went crazy. Now it
was time to stop Robichaud. The Raider defense, with McNally and Mike
Conry in the secondary, continually stopped Robichaud’s long passes,
and Kielty, Valiton, Archambeault and Muir shut down the Devils’
running attack. Robichaud and his teammates were flustered as the game
raced toward its conclusion, and then the officials picked up the ball
and the Raiders had a fantastic, 20-14 victory. Main Street in
Fitchburg was packed as fans drove up and down the main drag, honking
their horns. It was a victory for the ages, and old-time Raider fans
still remember the 1957 victory as one of the greatest ever.

The 1969 Red and Gray football squad, led by Alan Glenny, Richie and
Ralph Boudreau, Big Roger LaRoche, Mike Thibault, Mike Pucko and Randy
Palmer, marched into Doyle Field with an undefeated record. The
Raiders had rolled over most of their opponents rather easily behind a
dynamic offense that featured pinpoint passing by their Naval
Academy-bound quarterback, Glenny, and the spectacular open field
running of Richie Boudreau. FHS was a solid favorite against
Leominster, which had a solid 6-2 record, but “Huck” Hannigan
had his boys sky high as game time approached. Coach Marco Landon felt
the Raiders were ready, but he was a bit nervous about the Devils, who
had looked strong in recent weeks against squads from Gardner and
Revere.

On a warm overcast morning, the captains met at midfield and the Blue
Devils won the toss. It was a bad omen for Fitchburg. The Raiders
kicked to LHS, and immediately Hannigan’s squad unleashed a running
attack that dominated FHS’ big defensive line. Jimmy DiPasquale, who
returned from a preseason injury, and ace running back Bob Metivier
ran wild as their offensive line, led by Steve Mahoney, John Fiandaca,
Moe Powers and Dan Maxfield, overpowered the Raider defense. When FHS
slowed down the run, quarterback Mike Caisse calmly picked apart the
Raiders with crisp passes to Metivier, Tom Caisse, Jim Giadone and Tom
Fraticelli. Within minutes, the Raiders were reeling and the Blue
Devils held a 19-0 lead. And it would only get worse. The Raider
offense, led by Richie Boudreau’s running, would eventually get going
and Glenny’s passes would begin to be effective, but it was a Blue
Devil day from the opening whistle. Guys named Joe Cosenza, Jim
Buckley, Eric Legere and Tom Fraticelli were great on defense
throughout. When the final whistle blew and the score said LHS 40, FHS
18, the jubilant Blue Devils carried Hannigan off the field. The
legendary “Huck” called the victory LHS’ greatest of all
time. Nearly 40 years later, few would disagree.

On Thanksgiving morning at 10 a.m. at venerable Crocker Field, the two
ancient rivals will meet for the 124th time, and the Red and Gray will
enter the contest as the slight favorites. Led by a dynamic offense
which features Jeremy Kimber, Jon Gomez, Orlando Anderson, Matt
Fraticelli and Josh Less, the Raiders have rolled to an outstanding
9-1 record, but Fitchburg knows that Thanksgiving is The
Game. Throughout the season, the Raider offensive line, featuring Nick
McNamara, Shane Haase, Keith Bourne, Matt Dauphinais, Mike Alvarez and
tight end Tim Douglas, has consistently opened holes for its running
backs and afforded Kimber excellent protection when he has
passed. Meanwhile, the Raiders’ “bend but don’t break” defense,
led by Ryan Robar, Jon Fraticelli, Chris Cormier, Greg Mendez, Manny
Guerrero, Steve Silvar, Eric Dion, Joel Gomez, Tim Douglas, Orlando
Anderson and Kimber, has been very effective since the St. John’s
game. The FHS eleven is a senior-laden squad that hopes to give Coach
Ray Cosenza his first Thanksgiving victory in three years this
Thursday morning.

Coach John Dubzinski and his Blue Devils hope that they can spoil FHS’
Thanksgiving morning. The Blue Devils, with a solid 7-3 record, have
an excellent running game that features Alex Rivera and Alex Medina,
who both have been banged up in recent contests. Both are exciting,
slashing runners who have consistently been able to put points on the
board. While Rivera and Medina have been featured in the LHS offense,
senior fullback Dan Creed has been solid and Justin Kittredge at
quarterback has been very steady. Justin has provided LHS with a solid
passing game and he has been very good on the option play, giving
Leominster an extra running threat. But the key for LHS has been its
offensive line, which features the play of Chris Daigneault, Kyle
Salisbury, Matt Whitney, Mike Amico and Derek Boucher, who have
consistently dominated LHS’ games this season.

Somewhat like FHS’ defense, the Blue Devils defense has been a group
that gives up yardage but does not allow opponents to get into the end
zone easily. Kids like Rivera, Medina, Daigneault and Salisbury have
been forced to play defense and offense, but the key Blue Devil
defenders have been Alex Alcala, Mike Pedreira and Chris McNamara at
linebacker, along with Bobby Goldsby at defensive end and Corey
Mastrapasqua and Pat O’Connor at defensive back.

They will have the unenviable task of trying to stop FHS’ dynamic
offense.The Blue Devils are looking for a fourth straight victory,
while the Cosenza-men are trying to put a cap on a terrific 10-1
season and bring the turkey back to Fitchburg.

See you at the game. 

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