Brockton too strong for Fitchburg
By Sean Sweeney, Correspondent Posted: 10/10/2009 06:52:34 AM EDT
FITCHBURG -- The Brockton football team, using a solid mixture of running and passing, scored four touchdowns before host Fitchburg got on the board, routing the Red Raiders 27-12 at a drizzly Crocker Field Friday night. Despite the loss, Fitchburg head coach Ray Cosenza was able to find a silver lining in it all, giving credit to his team for not packing it in despite being down 20 points at the intermission. "I'm so proud of our kids, they played great in the second half," said Cosenza. "We had plenty of chances for turnovers; the ball hit the ground a lot, but it didn't bounce our way. Our kids made a game of it, and we finally got things going offensively. "(Brockton's) skill is just tremendous, but our toughness was . just outstanding." The Red Raiders (3-2), despite only amassing three first downs against a potent Boxer (4-1) defense in the first half, were able to rebound in the second half, breaking a two-game-long scoreless streak as Kyle Phillips connected with DJ Wilson for a 57-yard strike. Phillips later found Eric Comeau from 12 yards away with 1:49 remaining in the game to round out the scoring. Brockton, coming off a tough 14-7 loss to top-ranked Xaverian last weekend, came to the corner of Circle and Broad with a purpose: to grind the Fitchburg defense down. They were pretty much successful, scoring on their first three series while running plenty of time off the clock. Despite three fumbles on the first drive,Brockton was able to punch in the first points of the game on an 11-yard touchdown pass by Sam Previte to Albert Louis-Jean on a little slant pattern. The Previte-to-Louis-Jean connection hooked up a few times during the series, including a 48-yard completion that brought the Boxers to the Red Raider 25. Seven plays later, Brockton hit paydirt on the scoring strike. On second-and-4 from the FHS 24, Previte dropped back and found Louis-Jean alone behind the secondary in the right flat for the touchdown, capping off an eight-play, 85-yard drive. McAvoy's kick made it 14-0 Boxers with 10:03 left in the first half. Fitchburg went three-and-out on the next series before Brockton marched 68 yards in four plays, with Trevon Offley scoring from 47 yards out. He took the second-down handoff and went off the right guard, getting a burst of acceleration through the line and turned on the afterburners. McAvoy's kick was blocked, giving Brockton a 20-0 lead. The Red Raiders punted four times in the first half, but lined up for five: A high snap turned into a near-fourth down conversion, as Tim McNamara picked up the loose ball and ran for it, directing traffic as he tried to give FHS new life. But a hearty lowering of the shoulder by Brockton's Edward Cassidy stopped McNamara half a yard short of the sticks. Fitchburg went three-and-out on its initial series of the second half before punting. The Boxers ran four plays, with Offley scoring from 40 yards away. McAvoy's kick made it 27-0 with seven minutes left in the third. Wilson, who scored the last FHS touchdown two weeks ago, then broke what turned out to be an 88-minute, 35-second scoreless streak for the Red Raiders, as he hauled in a 57-yard touchdown pass from Phillips with 4:06 left in the third. A Brockton defender had tried to leap and deflect it out of bounds, but he didn't have the ups to do it. Wilson caught it and went in untouched from the Boxer 40. "(Phillips) made a good throw, a kid went for the interception and he misjudged it. DJ did a good job and finished the play. For him to get in there with their speed chasing him, it says something," said Cosenza. Boxers 27 Red Raiders 12 Brockton (4-1) 7 13 7 0 -- 27 Fitchburg (3-2) 0 0 6 6 -- 12 First quarter B -- Albert Louis-Jean 11 pass from Sam Previte (James McAvoy kick), 6:37 Second quarter B -- Louis-Jean 24 pass from Previte (McAvoy kick), 10:03 B -- Trevon Offley 47 run (kick blocked), 7:20 Third quarter B -- Offley 40 run (McAvoy kick), 6:57 F -- DJ Wilson 57 pass from Kyle Phillips (kick failed), 4:06 Fourth quarter F -- Eric Comeau 12 pass from Phillips (run failed), 1:49
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