Blue Devils win is a rush job 
By Jay Gearan
CORRESPONDENT 

Leominster 40 Minnechaug 20

WORCESTER -- Move over, Brockton. Leominster High has jumped
to the head of the class.
     With yesterday's 40-20 victory over Minnechaug Regional
in the Central/Western Mass. Division 1 Super Bowl at
Worcester State, Leominster notched its 10th Super Bowl win,
snapping its nine-wins-each tie with Brockton. The Devils
now own the most Super Bowl victories in the 31-year history
of this annual high school football classic.
     Capturing its first Super Bowl since 1998, Leominster
made it six straight wins in Super Bowl appearances,
finishing the season with a 10-3 record.
     "This was a great game," Leominster coach John
Dubzinski said, soaked from a celebratory ice-bucket shower
in the closing minutes. Blue Devils win is a rush job We
went from the beginning of the season to right here on
Dec. 7, thinking we were the best Division 1 team in our
league. We had some ups and downs, but over the course of
the year we played very well. I'm happy for the kids."
     Rebounding with remarkable spirit from their emotional
28-20 loss to arch-rival Fitchburg on Thanksgiving, the Blue
Devils worked a solid game plan and scored in every quarter,
including 28 points in the second half, adding to a 12-6
halftime lead.
     "This is unbelievable. I don't even remember the
Fitchburg game right now," said Leominster senior
quarterback Kevin Barnaby, who rushed for two touchdowns and
also rifled scoring strikes to Blake Curry and Anthony
Bizzotto. "The only thing I remember is the score of this
one."
     Few would have predicted a final score of 40-20 in the
early going.
     Leominster's offense took time to get rolling because
of penalties, mostly holding and blocking miscues that
totaled 15 in the game, negating long touchdown runs by Adam
Cordio and Kevin L'Ecuyer.
     At the start, the Falcons benefited from the yellow
flags, stepping off to the Leominster 24. Still, keyed by
good defensive plays from linebackers James Giadone and Pat
Moran, the Devils held, and 41-yard field goal attempt by
Minnechaug's Dave Garden fell short.
     Leominster punched ahead, 6-0 with 58 seconds left in
the first quarter on Barnaby's third-down, 30-yard
completion to Curry. The ball was tipped by Falcon defender
Ryan Hanofee, but Curry, alone on the 10, grabbed the
spinning ball and sprinted into the end zone. Garrett
Donatelli's point-after attempt hit the left upright and
bounced away, but he later booted four straight PATs.
     Late in the first half, the Devils marched 59 yards in
10 plays, scoring from the 4 on a Barnaby pass over the
middle to sophomore Bizzotto, who was hit at the 1, but
powered in.
     The Falcons got the ball back with only 38 seconds left
in the second quarter, but managed to score as the half
expired on a Hail Mary pass after quarterback Dave Garden
moved Minnechaug from its 37 to the Leominster 30 with
consecutive strikes to Steve Menty, Joe Malvezzi and Natty
Piel.
     On the last play of the half, Garden unloaded a bomb
that was tipped at the goal line and fell into the hands of
Hanofee.
     Dubzinski, pleased with his team's overall pass defense
against Garden, who entered with close to 2,000 yards in
passing and 25 touchdowns, admitted the last-gasp score was
"a crusher."
     Yet the Devils came out for the second half and stifled
the Falcons with a three-and-out defensive display.
     Leominster then marched 61 yards, a drive marred by
penalties but highlighted by L'Ecuyer's 25-yard run and
Barnaby's third-down pass to tight end Mark
Daigneault. Barnaby completed an 18-yard pass to Curry at
the one, setting up Barnaby's TD sneak.
     With 2:35 left in the third quarter, the Falcons pulled
within 19-13 on Garden's 33-yard sideline TD pass to
Hanofee, hitting the receiver in stride at the 10.
     Two plays later, however, Leominster was back in the
comfort lead zone when the speedy Cordio, a sophomore, broke
a beauty, a 41-yard end run made possible by an excellent
out-front block from Bizzotto.
     It was 26-13 entering the fourth quarter. Curry's
interception of a Garden pass at the Devils' one set the
stage for an amazing 99-yard drive in 15 plays, covering
7:44 of the final quarter.
     Bizzotto and L'Ecuyer were the running stars leading
the charge until Barnaby's keeper from the 1.
     "They were tough in the first half. I think we kind of
wore them down up front," said L'Ecuyer, who rushed for 188
yards on 17 carries.
     Added Barnaby, "We just ran our offense and our line
played great."
     Minnechaug scored on a 9-yard pass play to Menty with
2:19 left, but the 5-foot-9, 165-pound L'Ecuyer, who entered
the game with 1,502 yards and 21 touchdowns this season,
closed the Leominster scoring with a 50-yard TD sprint in
the final minute.
     As the Devils exited the field on their way to the bus,
the 6-foot-3 Curry held his helmet and raised it high over
his head. No one watching could have missed it.
     "I have this helmet up for every single player on this
team," Curry said. "That 99-yard drive, that was the
defining moment. That shows how we play football."
     Added Dubzinski, who has won four Super Bowls in his
years at Leominster, "We overcame a lot today.  The kids
showed a lot of class and character to keep working at
it. It should be a nice off season."
     That began last night for Dubzinski, who was asked
about his immediate post-game plans.
     "I'll probably go Christmas shopping," he said with a
laugh. 
 
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