Earley's Best is Yet to Come
By Chad Garner 
cgarner@sentinelandenterprise.com

FITCHBURG -- Playing football under a microscope at
Fitchburg High School could frighten some players, but not
William Earley.

A junior tailback, Earley loves all the pressure that come
with being the featured offensive player in the Red Raider
backfield.

Once an unknown commodity as a freshman, the 5-foot-11,
190-pound Earley has garnered attention in the football
world as one of the premier players to watch in Central
Mass. over the last two seasons.

And this season, Earley may have to carry more of a burden
on his shoulder pads to live up to elevated expectations
because he's the type of workhorse in which championship
teams are made of.

"It doesn't worry me," said Earley, who carried the ball 197
times for 1,656 yards and scored 22 touchdowns as a
sophomore. "I'm not really a cocky person, but I feel like I
am (one of the best in Central Mass.), but I hope I can get
up to be one of the best in the state."

Fitchburg head coach Ray Cosenza also believes there will be
more pressure on Earley this year to get even better than
he's been.

"His freshman year I don't think there was any pressure
because no one knew about him," said Cosenza. "Last year he
still wasn't, but as the year grew people realized that he
was the guy they needed to stop. So this year he's going to
find it a lot tougher. Teams are going to set their defenses
to try to stop him and slow him down. I think this year,
even more than last year, that that pressure is going to be
there."

Earley, who bolted onto the football scene as a freshman by
rushing for over 1,400 yards, is confident he'll do the job
once again on the field, but there's one thing he's been
trying to improve upon.

"It's not so far as getting better, but being more of a
leader than I was before," he said.

Cosenza has also noticed Earley's new leaderships skills in
preseason practice.

"He is very quiet. I think he's matured a little this year
and shown some leadership skills that as a freshman and
sophomore you just don't see," said Cosenza. "This year he's
starting to come out of his shell as far as his teammates
go."

A fan of Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams because
of his size, speed and power, Earley also possesses some of
those star qualities that make him a premier back in the
area.

"I thought he was one of the best last year. If he stays
healthy I think he'll be one of the best this year," said
Cosenza. "He has all the tools. He has great vision,
instincts, he has great hands and he has very good
speed. He's not a burner, but he makes up for that with all
the other things he does. And he's tough. He takes hits and
I don't think he's missed a game for us in two years."

In order to prepare for the 2003 season, Earley has worked
extremely hard during the off-season to improve, and has
already set a pretty lofty personal goal.

"I've been running a lot, lifting a lot and going to speed
coaches," said Earley. "My speed has increased so I'd like
to break to the end zone once I get into the open field. One
of my goals is to get 2,000 yards."

Earley's teammates also notice how hard he's worked this
summer, in preparation for another tremendous season.

"He's gotten much stronger and much faster. He's just an
all-around great back," said junior starting center Anthony
Murray. "He's definitely at the top -- top five, top
three. I think he's one of the best backs in the state. I
just love blocking for him."

Bring on the pressure, Earley's ready for it.

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