Super hurdles
Round 2 for the Raiders, Colonials
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
By Mike Besaw TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Yogi Berra said it best, "It's like deja vu all over again."

The Shrewsbury and Fitchburg High football teams will square off in a
rematch of last year's Central Mass. Division 1 playoff at 7:45
tonight at Oakmont Regional High in Ashburnham.

But that's where all similarities end.

In 2007, both teams went into Thanksgiving with playoff spots in
hand. The Red Raiders finished 9-2, while the Colonials were unbeaten
(11-0).

Things were not so easy this time around.

After opening the season 4-0, Fitchburg endured a four-game losing
streak. Coach Ray Cosenza was able to rally the troops, the Red
Raiders winning their final three games (Wachusett, Marlboro,
Leominster) to earn the Division 1 North title by virtue of their win
over the Mountaineers.

"We challenged them to go undefeated in the month of November,"
Cosenza said. "We told them if we did that, we would have a chance
of playing in December."

Shrewsbury faced different hurdles. The first was the loss of 20-plus
seniors from the 2007 Super Bowl winning team. The second was
injuries.

During a win over Wachusett in the third game of the season, the
Colonials lost junior quarterback/safety Nate Theodoss to a knee
injury. Later, starting tailback/cornerback Hunter Beckmann went down
with turf toe. Theodoss has since returned, but Beckmann saw limited
action against Milford on Thanksgiving.

As far as the graduated seniors, the Colonials knew that was part of
high school football and nobody was going to be crying over their
losses.

"The first thing we did was tell the kids to be themselves, not
anyone else," coach Terry Walles said. "We knew our second guys
were pretty good."

Senior captain Chris Cole echoed his coach's sentiments.

"Last year, we felt we were, as juniors, doing it for the
seniors," he said. "Now it's our time and our chance to be
us."

Which leads us back to tonight and Round 2.

The Red Raiders have a terrifying array of offensive talent. Senior
running back Greg Mendez (1,352 yards, 10 TDs), who came off the bench
in last year's tilt, leads the ground game behind an offensive line
led by Boston College-bound Keith Bourne and four-year starter Ryan
Robar.

The passing game is led by sophomore Kyle Phillips (40 for 86, 662
yards, 9 TDs). His main targets are sophomore Quinton Perkins (30
receptions, 541 yards, 10 TDs) and senior Orlando Anderson (11, 231,
1).

"Anderson is a touchdown waiting to happen," Walles said.

Shrewsbury answers with jack-of-all trades Paul Tizzano. The senior
has seen time at quarterback, running back and receiver while also
playing defensive back and kicking. He has amassed 900 yards of
offense.

Add to Tizzano the speed, if healthy, of Beckmann (638 yards), the
power running of senior captain Hussein Yatim (426) and the controlled
passing game of Theodoss (61 percent, 638 yards, 5 TDs), and
there’s a lot for Fitchburg to contend with.

"They can spread you out and throw it or run it," Cosenza said,
"and they can line it up and pound you."

Shrewsbury senior defensive end Jamie Weed summed up both teams best
when he said, "There are no superstars. Everybody does their job,
and when you do your own job, things turn out good."

Like a return performance on the grandest stage in Central Mass.

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