Leominster's offensive line clears the way
By Nick Mallard, nmallard@sentinelandenterprise.com
Posted: 11/27/2009 07:02:24 AM EST

FITCHBURG -- Though the Leominster skill position players will get the
glory, their efforts would have been far more difficult had it not
been the play in the trenches by the offensive line.

The Blue Devils' front dominated the line of scrimmage for most of
their Thanksgiving Day battle with Fitchburg, quietly leading the way
in a 21-6 victory at Crocker Field.

"Most of the players on the offensive line are seniors, so we wanted
it a little more than most games," senior guard Ryan DeMar said. "I
think we played better because of the situation and this being such a
huge game. We definitely wanted to win this game."

The play of the offensive line -- comprised of seniors Ryan Salisbury,
John Tobin and DeMar, and juniors .  David Ferguson and Lucas Tocci --
allowed the Blue Devils to consistently move the ball downfield, with
Leominster breaking a big run late and getting a huge passing play in
the first half due to great protection.

"Those guys practice hard and they went out and did their job today,"
said Leominster quarterback Curtis Ludden, who scored on a 65-yard run
in the fourth quarter and delivered a 41-yard bomb to Brett Storro in
the first quarter. "I told the line that they did a great job
today. They gave me time today."

Senior running back Malik Daniel finished the game with 92 yards on 16
carries and credited the offensive line with opening holes for him to
run through.

"Our offensive line came out at the beginning of the game and just
said, 'We're going to dominate this game,'" Daniel said. "They
wanted to be physical and make sure that the defense didn't get into
the backfield. They definitely did that."

Leominster head coach John Dubzinski said that the play of the
offensive line set the tone for the game and the line deserved much of
the praise for the offensive production.

"I though the line played well," he said. "They controlled the line of
scrimmage. It allowed us to feel comfortable running the ball. The
seniors wanted to go out with a win and we knew it would be a
hard-fought game. They went out and earned it."

Blue Devils 21
Red Raiders 6
Leominster (5-6) 7 7 0 7 -- 21
Fitchburg (5-6) 0 0 0 6 -- 6
First quarter
L -- Cortez Ludden 1 run (Adrian Mascarenhas kick), 2:41
Second quarter
L -- Nicholas Wilford fumble recovery (Mascarenhas kick), 5:36
Fourth quarter
L -- Curtis Ludden 65 run (Mascarenhas kick), 4:22
F -- Nolan Connor 22 pass from Kyle Phillips (kick blocked), 1:54

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