Boxers too much for Red Raiders
BROCKTON 35, FITCHBURG 7 By Steve Kendall Coorespondent
BROCKTON- Traffic may have delayed the beginning of last night's game between Brockton and Fitchburg, but the late start didn't slow down the Boxers at all. Brockton scored 28 first-half points and rolled to a 35-7 win over the Red Raiders at Rocky Marciano Stadium. The Boxers improved to 4-1, while the Red Raiders fell to 2-3. "I was a little worried with Marshfield coming up next week and (Fitchburg) getting here late," Brockton coach Peter Colombo said. "I wasn't sure we were taking Fitchburg seriously, which would have been a big mistake. But the kids obviously were focused and ready to go." Brockton scored twice in each of the first two quarters. Quarterback Jesse Resende scored the Boxers' first and fourth TDs on runs of 20 and 1 yards, sandwiched around a 1-yard scoring run by Richard Johnson and an 83-yard fumble return for a TD by Jason Vega. Resende finished with 20 yards rushing and 91 yards passing as the Boxers outgained the Raiders, 272-175. Johnson added 66 yards on just nine carries, while Sam Besong had 52 yards on four carries. Fitchburg did have some success moving the ball in the first half, gaining 112 yards. But three turnovers, including the fumble that Vega returned for the touchdown that gave the Boxers a 21-0 lead, killed any hopes for Fitchburg. "We turned the ball over - what? - six times against a good team," Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza said. "You can't do that against anyone, never mind a team like Brockton, and expect to win. But I'll tell you this: No matter what the scoreboard might say, I'm very proud of our kids. We played better physically as we have in any game this year. We will be a better team because of this - I am positive of that." The Boxers wasted little time jumping out into the lead as Besong gained 37 yards on the second play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Resense turned a bootleg into a 20-yard TD run, breaking a pair of tackles at the 5 before scoring. Fitchburg picked up a first down on its first possession before Brian Ricciuti's first pass was picked off by Vega, who returned it to midfield. Two plays later, Resende hooked up with Lamont Penn for a 36-yard completion that brought the ball to the Fitchburg 20. Runs by Johnny Ray Barnes (nine yards) and Resende (10 yards) moved the ball to the 1, and Johnson punched it in from there as Brockton boosted its lead to 14-0. Fitchburg moved the ball right downfield on the strength of runs by Justin McDonald and Eldred Wright. But just when it looked like the Raiders were heading for a touchdown to halt Brockton's momentum, disaster struck. While fighting for a first down, Wright was stripped by Vega, who raced 83 yards the other way for a TD, and Brockton had an insurmountable 21-0 lead. "We were playing with confidence and moving the football, and then (Vega) strips the ball and goes all the way for a touchdown. That definitely hurt," Cosenza said. "There's a big difference between being down 14-7 and 21-0. If we don't turn the ball over there, this could have been a very different game. Colombo agreed. "Jason made two huge plays, but the strip and run was the biggest of the game," he said. "If Fitchburg scores, we have a game on our hands. Instead, we have a three-touchdown lead at home. It was huge." To their credit, the Red Raiders didn't quit, putting together a drive that was capped by Wright's 26-yard run that spoiled the shutout with 1:51 to play. Wright had 77 yards on 13 carries, Justin McDonald 12 carries for 55 yards, and Brett Barrows nine carries for 38 yards.
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