Leominster eyes another triumph
For the Leominster football team, tradition comes before all else.
By Nick Mallard
Posted: 11/26/2008 06:06:26 AM EST
Despite being in a chase for a postseason spot, Blue Devils head coach
John Dubzinski insists that playoff aspirations are the furthest thing
from his team's collective mind as it heads into the 125th
Thanksgiving Day clash with rival Fitchburg.

"The standings aren't really an issue for us," Dubzinski said after a
recent practice. "The Thanksgiving game is the most important game of
the year. We're focused on going out there and not worrying about
anything except the game and I'm sure Fitchburg is the same way."

Both teams head into the season finale with identical 6-4 overall
records and 1-1 conference records in Division 1 North, putting the
Blue Devils and Red Raiders a game behind Wachusett Regional and ahead
of St. John's, which finished its conference schedule with a 1-2
mark. The winner of tomorrow's contest earns a postseason berth, but,
according to Dubzinski, that's just a minor footnote in a much larger
story.

"The Thanksgiving game is a special game for both towns," the coach
said. "Both places get very excited for it and the schools get very
excited for it.

"It's great to play Fitchburg at the end of the season," Dubzinski
added. "I think it's great that both teams have a traditional rival to
look forward to. It's going to be a typical Thanksgiving game: very
close and very competitive."

The Blue Devils will be looking to win their fifth straight
Thanksgiving Day Advertisement Quantcast game after pulling out a
close win in last season's thriller between the Twin City
rivals. Dubzinski was quick to point out that there's no guarantee of
that happening.

"Fitchburg is a very, very good team and they're very well coached,"
Dubzinski said. "They have many very good players. They played really
well in the second half of the season and I think they're playing
their best football of the year and I think, coming in, we're playing
our best football of the year."

One of the biggest concerns the coach has with the Red Raiders is the
potent Fitchburg offense. The Red Raiders were able to put up 251
points over their 10 games so far this season.

"They have some very explosive offensive weapons and we know that
coming in. They have strong running backs and wide receivers and it's
going to be our job to try to contain them. They're very good on
offense and have a big, strong line on defense, so it's going to be a
great challenge for us."

Among the many weapons that worry Leominster is a dangerous running
game and a pair of receivers who have given opponents problems all
season.

"We know that we have to try to shut down (running back) Greg
Mendez. He's had a great year," Dubzinski said. "They have two real
threats on the outside in (receivers) Quinton Perkins and Orlando
Anderson, who can both make plays. And then they have a big offensive
line to help them out."

However, Leominster has no shortage of offensive firepower at its
disposal. The Blue Devils scored 234 points of their own over their
10-game campaign.

"Offensively, (running back) Malik Daniel has done a great job for
us. He's been our leading rusher this season," Dubzinski said of his
offensive prospects. "Pat O'Connor, our quarterback, has had a great
season. He's got over 1,000 yards passing and 500 rushing. He's thrown
six touchdown passes and run for seven, so he's had a fantastic
year. We have quite a bit of offensive talent."

Players also having solid seasons for the Blue Devil offense include
Jared Wilbon, Michael Pedreira and Curtis Ludden.

The key for Leominster will be its ability to make defensive plays and
limit opportunities for the Red Raiders.

"We're going to have to work hard on defense," Dubzinski
said. "They're a strong offensive team and we're going to have to step
up to their level."

As of late, the Blue Devils have done an excellent job of stepping up
and working through adversity. After starting the season with a
red-hot 4-1 stretch, Leominster faltered during a tough portion of its
schedule, dropping three straight to fall to .500.

"After starting 4-1, we struggled and lost three tough games to
Wachusett Regional, Holy Name and Brockton," Dubzinski said. "We play
some very good teams. We've kind of regained our focus and our
intensity and it resulted in a big win against St. John's down at
their field. We carried that over and played well against Milford last
week."

Defeating St. John's in Week 9 certainly could be considered the
highlight of Leominster's season. Despite being widely considered the
underdogs, the Blue Devils stormed into Shrewsbury and defeated the
previously undefeated Pioneers, 20-13. Wilbon led the surge, scoring
twice and making a crucial interception late in the contest.

The win against St. John's essentially saved Leominster's postseason
hopes as, combined with the Pioneers' loss to Wachusett the following
week, St. John's fell to 1-2 in division play and gave the Blue Devils
the chance to decide their own destiny with the Turkey Day battle at
Doyle Field. Fitchburg also won its two most recent games, gaining
momentum heading into tomorrow's contest.

"We're very similar teams, I think," Dubzinski said. " Our season and
Fitchburg's are very, very similar. They've had some tough losses and
we've had some tough losses. Both of us have (hung) in there and
bounced back. They're a very resilient team and so are we.

"We both had our ups and downs and now we're both playing our best
football of the year," the Blue Devils coach added. "We're really
looking forward to having an exciting game."

As for what happens after the game, Dubzinski isn't concerned. He
insists his team is focused on the task at hand Thanksgiving morning

"The kids on the team have had a lot of brothers and their fathers and
grandfathers play in Thanksgiving games, so I think they understand
the history and importance of it," Dubzinski said. "It's the biggest
game of the year for both teams, so you don't really have to get the
kids to pay attention. They're very focused in practice and that's one
thing you don't have to worry about. They want to win this game."

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