FHS gets Earley returns
By Eric Avidon 
eavidon@sentinelandenterprise.com

FITCHBURG -- William Earley and Gamba Payton were back on
the field Friday night after each served a one-game
suspension last week, and, along with their return, the
Fitchburg High football team returned to the win column.

Earley, a junior running back, and his younger brother,
Raymond, a sophomore quarterback, led a Fitchburg offense
which scored touchdowns on its first four possessions of the
first half before the intermission interrupted its fifth
possession, and then put the ball in the end zone on its
first two possessions of the second half.

Payton, meanwhile, helped lead a Red Raider defense from his
linebacker spot which allowed just one touchdown through
three quarters before visiting Shrewsbury scored twice
against the Fitchburg reserves in the fourth quarter.

The result was a 43-21 win for the Red Raiders (4-2, 3-0
Central Mass. Division 1) at Crocker Field.

"Obviously William is the key to our offense and it was
great to have him back," said Fitchburg coach Ray
Cosenza. "But I was impressed with how his brother Raymond
played. I thought he played a great game. He's starting to
get more confident. ... He's going to be the real key for
us."

For the game, William Earley ran the ball 17 times for 177
yards -- including seven rushes for 106 yards in the third
quarter -- and scored two rushing touchdowns as well as one
more on an 85-yard kickoff return. Raymond Earley threw the
ball just one time, but it was a 63-yard touchdown pass to
Brian Ricciuti on Fitchburg's first possession of the
game. He also ran the ball five times for 38 yards and
scored two touchdowns.

"I think I played pretty good, but I give it up to the
line," Raymond Earley said. He added that the TD pass "felt
pretty good. It was the first touchdown pass of the season."

After the Ricciuti touchdown reception gave the Red Raiders
a 7-0 lead, Shrewsbury (2-4, 0-3) answered with a 46-yard
touchdown drive capped by a 28-yard run by junior Dennis
Molinari (13/113, TD). The ensuing two-point conversion put
the Colonials up 8-7.

But William Earley answered. Earley fielded Shrewsbury's
kickoff on the 15-yard line, and after a slight hesitation,
burst through the middle of the Colonial coverage team and
was gone for an 85-yard return. After he punched in the
two-point conversion Fitchburg led 15-8.

The Red Raiders never looked back. In the second quarter,
William Earley scored on an 11-yard run and Raymond Earley
scored on a 10-yard run. In the third quarter William Earley
ran the ball in from 24 yards and Raymond Earley ran it in
from 12 yards out to put Fitchburg up 43-8 heading into the
fourth quarter.

"It was huge (to get an early lead)," Cosenza said. "Last
year, Shrewsbury played real tough and hung around and their
confidence grew. We didn't want that to happen. ... When we
came back with that kickoff return, that was key. And then
our defense played very well."

Like Cosenza, Shrewsbury coach Terry Walles was impressed
with the play of both William and Raymond Earley.

"William Earley is obviously a great back, and I think
Raymond Earley is going to be pretty special too," he
said. Regarding his own star running back, Molinari, Walles
said that "he's a great football player. ... He works real
hard. He didn't play a down in the second half because he
was too banged up, but he'll be back next week. He's one of
the best backs around."

Fitchburg hosts Milford next Friday night.

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