Kimber cool and confident
By Dean Glanzman dglanzman@sentinelandenterprise.com
Article Launched: 11/21/2007 10:05:56 AM EST
FITCHBURG -- Not much has changed since Fitchburg quarterback Jeremy
Kimber's sophomore year.

Although he's gotten faster, stronger, and more experienced, he's
still the same Kimber that Fitchburg head coach Ray Cosenza chose to
lead the Red Raiders in 2005 up until this season.

"He was then (the player he is now)," said Cosenza. "I was always
amazed with him even then with how he kept his cool in tough
situations and never really panicked. Now he is just physically
better, the experience obviously makes him better, but he's always
handled pressure well."

Kimber's natural ability to handle pressure well will come in handy
this Thanksgiving when the Red Raiders take on the Leominster Blue
Devils, something that also -- after 123 meetings -- hasn't changed.

After a year of freshman-level football, Kimber won the starting
varsity quarterback position over several upperclassmen the next
season.

"I felt like I was going to be ready because the coaches pushed me
really hard in the offseason after my freshman year. It really helped
me out going into my sophomore year," he said.

As a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball), Kimber has
been able to excel in many ways, particularly in football.

"I feel like I've gotten a lot better (since sophomore year)," said
Kimber. "Just because of repitition and experience. I was hitting the
weight room harder, getting bigger, faster, stronger, and obviously
the more I played the better everything got."  According to Cosenza,
Kimber is no stranger to the big game. And what game could be bigger
than Thursday's Twin Cities' rivalry against Leominster.

Keeping in mind Fitchburg has lost its last three meetings against
Leominster on Thanksgiving Day, dating back to 2004, while compiling
just 28 total points in those losses, is Kimber feeling any added
pressure?

No way.

"No ... nah," said Kimber. "I have so much confidence in our
offense. In our offensive line, our backs, our receivers, have all
been unbelievable this year. So, I think we will do a lot better than
we've had in the last few years.

"We just gotta keep doing what we've been doing all year, ya
know. We've been putting points up against every team, we don't plan
on stopping now. We are gonna do what we can."

However, Kimber wasn't shy in explaining the importance of
Thanksgiving Day's battle against Leominster.

"It means the world," he said.

And neither was Cosenza.

"They (Leominster) have had our number the last three years," he
said. "So our guys want to play well and want to show people what we
are capable of doing. Whether our kids admit it or not, they look
forward to this day since the first day of practice. We talk about one
game at a time and that's what is important, but I know our kids, deep
down in their mind, they've been waiting for this game to come.

"Personally this game has more meaning than the playoffs and the Super
Bowl, that's just the way it is. We've played in plenty of Super
Bowls, but this game, it's just always been the way it is."

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