Leominster victorious over Fitchburg
By Ross Edwards, redwards@sentinelandenterprise.com Posted: 11/27/2009 07:02:32 AM EST
FITCHBURG -- The Blue Devils brought their punishing defense to Crocker Field Thursday as Leominster High School emerged with a 21-6 victory over host Fitchburg in the annual Thanksgiving Day rivalry football game. The Red Raiders had no answer for the 1-2 punch of Leominster quarterback Curtis Ludden and running back Malik Daniel. Ludden racked up 79 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while fellow senior Daniel ran for 92 yards on 16 carries for the Blue Devils. "Words can't even explain how I feel right now," Daniel said. "This is a huge win for the community. Everyone's here that we love and care about. This rivalry's been going on since before my grandparents were here. It feels really good." Leominster (5-6, 3-2 Division 1A) benefited from a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Cortez Ludden in the first quarter, then pulled ahead 14-0 after junior Nicholas Wilford recovered a fumble in the end zone in the second. Fitchburg (5-6, 1-4 Division 1A) finally got on the scoreboard late in the fourth with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Connor from quarterback Kyle Phillips. The Blue Devils avenged last year's 20-17 overtime loss at Doyle Field. Leominster has won five of the past six meetings, but Fitchburg still holds a razor-thin, 59-58-9 advantage in the rivalry's history. Leominster's defense was led by strong outside containment and pass coverage by Jared Wilbon, as well as the bruising inside presence of senior James Langen. Brothers Curtis and Cortez Ludden also made major contributions, notching back-to-back sacks to start the fourth quarter. "It's a good feeling beating them at Crocker Field," Curtis Ludden said. "We played hard. The O-line did a great job, the defense did a great job and the coaches did a great job. That's all I've got to say today." After forcing a Leominster turnover on the game's opening drive, Fitchburg was held to three-and-out deep in its own territory. Sophomore Kevin O'Connor tipped the ensuing punt to set the Blue Devils up with great field position at the Fitchburg 45. On the very next play, Curtis Ludden faked a handoff and found senior Brett Storro streaking down the right sideline for a 41-yard gain. Geraldo Rivera carried the ball down to the end zone's doorstep, and Cortez Ludden burst in for the score on the following play. Adrian Mascarenhas, who was 3 for 3 on extra points, split the uprights to make it 7-0. In the second quarter, Fitchburg again was forced to punt deep in its own territory. This time, the snap sailed high over punter Tim McNamara's head and Wilford pounced on the loose ball in the end zone to make it 14-0. Fitchburg's defense, however, refused to quit. With time running down in the half, Jose Cabrera recovered a Daniel fumble to give the hosts a short field at the Leominster 27. Fitchburg drove all the way down to the 1-yard line, but Leominster's defense again was up to the challenge. Brendan King made a touchdown-saving tackle on third down, and the Blue Devils bottled up senior Byron Teague on the following play. "It was huge for us, because we've been stuffed three or four times down there," Leominster head coach John Dubzinski said of the goal-line stand. "It's a tough thing to bounce back from. ... We had a couple key fumbles, they had a couple key sacks. Neither team played a mistake-free game, but both teams, I thought, played very, very hard. Both teams did a good job." The second half was more of the same for the Red Raiders, who were unable to capitalize on their opportunities. Fitchburg recovered a fumble at the Leominster 38 late in the third quarter and moved the ball down to the 26 behind hard running by Teague (40 rushing yards) and Tyrie Osby (38 rushing yards). On the following play, however, Leominster's Wilbon went airborne and barely got his feet inbounds in the back of the end zone for a drive-killing interception. "We were in it, but we didn't make (the most of) those bounces," Fitchburg head coach Ray Cosenza said. "I think Leominster did. That was the difference. Both teams had opportunities and we didn't take advantage of our chances. "Our defense kept getting the ball back for us and we don't put any points on the board until the last two minutes. It's tough to come away with a win." Midway through the fourth quarter, Leominster buried the dagger when Curtis Ludden took a quarterback sneak 65 yards to the house. Fitchburg responded with an impressive scoring drive that culminated in Connor's touchdown catch, but it was too little and far too late to save the Red Raiders. The extra-point attempt was blocked by Leominster. "Our kids didn't (quit) and we're proud of that," Cosenza said. "That's the way they've been all year. We haven't always played well, but we've always played hard, and that's something these kids can leave here knowing: that they don't give up. I think they played the right way and it just wasn't our day today."
Fitchburg High School Athletics and Competition Home Page