Fitchburg shows its true colors
Saturday, October 19, 2002

By John McGuirk
CORRESPONDENT

Fitchburg 28 Shrewsbury 7
SHREWSBURY-- Call it a case of mistaken identity.
     For those who have followed the Fitchburg football team
for the better part of the last three weeks, one could
certainly attest to the fact that it was a team in the midst
of a struggle.
     After plodding along with a 1-2 record over that time,
the Red Raiders last night proved to one and all that
they're alive and well.
     Shrewsbury found out that first-hand as the
sixth-ranked Red Raiders used a solid rushing attack to
overpower the Colonials, 28-7, in a Division 1 battle at
Bergstrom Field.
     Leading at the half, 14-7, Fitchburg scored 14
unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
     "Give Shrewsbury credit because I thought they took
it to us in the first half," Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza
said. "We played much better in the second half, but this
was a game for most of the game."
     Tailback William Earley was the centerpiece of the Red
Raiders' arsenal. The sophomore had his best offensive
output of the season, rushing for 288 yards and two TDs on
26 carries.
     His value was that much more enhanced because
quarterback Ryan Logan was out with an ailing back.
     "We told (William) without Ryan playing, that he was
going to have to carry the ball quite a bit," Cosenza
said. "He met the challenge and had a great game for
us. Our offensive line definitely picked it up in the second
half."
     For the game, Fitchburg (4-2, 2-1) had 379 yards in offense.
     The Colonials (2-4, 1-2) were equal to the task,
though, at least for the first half. Shrewsbury finished
with 198 yards -- 152 of those in the first 22 minutes.
     Sophomore fullback Dennis Molinari keyed that effort,
rushing for 77 yards and the Colonials' lone score on 22
carries. Quarterback Matt Holland completed 8 of 16 passes
for 123 yards but was intercepted twice.
     "We're still a young team, but the kids are buying
into our system and are learning," said Shrewsbury coach
Terry Walles, whose two-game winning streak
ended. "Fitchburg is a very good football team and is
well-coached. I thought in the first half we gave them all
they could handle. We just kind of ran out of gas at the
end, but the future is looking bright for us."
     With Logan out of commission, Fitchburg opted for a
more run-oriented strategy. Junior quarterback Curt Barrett
got the start and did a nice job running the offense, but
the backfield duo of Earley and Matt Donovan (69 yards, 2
TDs on 9 carries) helped.
     On their first possession, the Red Raiders ran nine
plays covering 73 yards, capped off by an 8-yard scoring run
by Donovan. The conversion failed and Fitchburg had a 6-0
lead.
     The Red Raiders increased their lead midway through the
second half thanks to Earley, who bolted around left end 70
yards to give Fitchburg a 14-0 advantage.
     Shrewsbury didn't fret, though. On the next possession,
the Colonials moved the ball meticulously downfield before
Molinari dove in from a yard out, cutting the deficit to
14-7 just 31 seconds before the half.
     Following a scoreless third quarter, Earley's
interception of a Holland pass in the end zone set up the
Red Raiders' next score.
     Gains of 12 and 22 yards by Earley and an 18-yard
scamper by Donovan paved the way for Earley's 1-yard TD
plunge with 9:43 to go in the quarter. Donovan's conversion
run put Fitchburg in control, 22-7.
     The Red Raiders closed it out with a five-minute drive,
capped by a 9-yard scamper into the end zone by Donovan with
just more than 2 minutes remaining.

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