Leominster QB O'Connor shines in loss
By Ross Edwards
Posted: 11/28/2008 06:05:55 AM EST

				
LEOMINSTER -- Leominster quarterback Pat O'Connor did everything in
his power to keep the Blue Devils in the contest.

Despite completing only one pass -- a 6-yarder to Curtis Ludden --
O'Connor proved to be a driving force for the Blue Devils, picking up
key first downs and making big plays throughout Leominster's 20-17
overtime defeat at the hands of Fitchburg on Thanksgiving Day.

"Pat O'Connor is one of the best players we've had here," Leominster
coach John Dubzinski said. "He's a great leader and he just had a
fantastic year. He's a kid who got better every day and every game,
and he's got a bright future ahead of him."

O'Connor led the Leominster offensive attack, rushing for 103 yards
and a touchdown. The score capped a lengthy second-half drive that
allowed the Blue Devils to tie the game at 14-14.

"Coming in, we felt we had to slow him down," Fitchburg coach Ray
Cosenza said of O'Connor. "We felt he was the key. We knew we couldn't
stop him, he's too good. Maybe we made a stop here or there that was
crucial, but he had a great game. And we knew coming in that if we
were going to have any success, we were going to have to slow him
down."

Trailing 14-6 with 7:36 to go in the third quarter, Leominster set up
shop at its own 41-yard line. During the ensuing drive, which ground
more than seven minutes off the clock, O'Connor ran the ball six times
for 42 yards, including three first downs and the game-tying TD.

On the score, the Leominster Advertisement Quantcast quarterback
appeared to have been stopped short on a QB sneak. O'Connor, however,
kept driving his legs and managed to plow his way across the goal line
with a strong second effort.

O'Connor also showed great versatility. On first-and-10 at the
Leominster 40 midway through the second quarter, he dropped back to
pass, but found nothing there as the Fitchburg defenders matched his
receivers step for step. Rather than risking a turnover by making an
ill-advised throw, O'Connor shifted to his right, froze a defender
with a nifty pump-fake, then tucked the ball in and scrambled for an
11-yard first down.

"I always tell him, he's like a throwback kid," Dubzinski said. "He
plays three sports, he's a great student, he's a great leader and a
kid that other kids look up to. He was a pleasure to coach and he will
be remembered for doing a lot of great things."

Upon leaving the locker room after the game's end, O'Connor was
visibly disheartened by the hard-fought loss. Still, the Leominster
senior captain had nothing but praise for his teammates and his
opponents. Most of all, he stressed just how much it has meant to him
to play alongside his fellow Blue Devils during his high school
career.

"Nothing but great memories," he said. "There have been some struggles
and ... we've had a lot of success. It's been a fun ride."

Fitchburg High School Athletics and Competition Home Page