Raiders dig in on defense
by Chris Forsberg
cforsberg@senitinelandenterprise.com

FITCHBURG -- On the wekend before Halloween, the Fitchburg football
team proved that looks can indeed be deceiving.

One glance at the stat book following Fitchburg's 33-20 non-conference
triumph over visiting Nashoba Regional Friday night at Crocker Field
proves that.  The Chieftains piled up over 300 yards of total offense
(including two running backs with over 100 yards) and didn't punt the
ball while making six forays into the red zone.

But the team mustered just 13 points over the game's first 43 minutes
thanks to a Fitchburg defense that showed up for this Halloween party
with the ability to bend like a contortionist and strike like a cobra.

"I thought, defensively we dug in," said Fitchburg coach Ray
Cosenza.  "That's a tough team to stop...  They didn't punt the ball
all game, so that says something about their offense.  But it's good
to win.  We needed this win."

Both teams were desperate for a win with each having dropped their
last three games.  But it was Fitchburg (3-5, 2-1 Division 1) that
kept the Chieftains (4-4, 3-3 divisioon 1A) at arm's length the entire
night before delivering the knock out blow with three fourth quarter
touchdowns in the span of four minutes.

Appropriately, it was the defense driving in the dagger when senior
defensive back Josh Mathieu picked off an Eric Hvoslef offering and
sprinted 55 yards for a score that put Fitchburg on top, 33-113 with
3:02 remaining.

"We had chances to score in the first half, we didn't do it, and that
came back to haount us in the second half," said Nashoba coach John
Beary.  "They came back with the big plays, including that
interception for a touchdown, but that's the game of football."

Nashoba missed a golden opportunity to grab an early lead when a
fourth down pass from Hvoslef eluded a wide open Mike Generoso in the
end zone.

Fitchburg took over and marched 82 yards for a 7-0 advantage when
sophomore quarterback Jeremy Kimber lofted a 15 yard touchdown pass to
Mathieu at 9:19 of the second quarter.

The Red Raiders would never trail and their defense ensured that.
Nashoba tied the game on a 10 yard touchdown run by senior John
McAlpine late in the second quarter, but it was Fitchburg's defense
that tackled Hvoslef at the goal line as time expired in the first
half to keep the game deadlocked.

The Chieftains had another chance to pull ahead when Fitchburg
fumbled away its first possession of the second half.  Nashoba then
penetrated to the Fitrchburg 16, but a 15 yard loss on a fumbled pitch
ultimately led to a turnover on downs.

Nashoba could have been up by as much as three touchdowns at that
point, but flexible Fitchburg simply refused to break.

"Being tied 7-7 at halftime wasn't the issue for us, it was when we
kicked off to them in the second half, stopped them on a turnover and
didn't get in," said Beary.  "That was the big momentum swing from
our standpoint."

Riding that momentum, and the spark of sophomore running back Jon
Gomez (83 yards, 8 carries -- all in the second half), Fitchburg
covered 80 yards in six plays capped by a 37 yard touch down run by
sophomore fullback Matt Fraticelli.

Nashoba scored on the first play of the fourth quarter off a 1 yard
sneak by Hvoslef, but a bit of trickery resulted in a failed 2 point
conversion pass that kept Fitchbu8rg out front, 14-13.

The Red Raiders then got a 2 yard touchdown run by Brett Barrows and a
20 yard touchdown jaunt by Gomez before Mathieu's interception sealed
the game.

Kimber finished with a sparkling QB rating of 154.2 after completing 6
of 8 passes for 96 yards and a score.  He added 32 yards on the ground
and allowed Fitchburg's option offense to thrive in the second half.

Zack Blanchflower totaled a game high 119 yards on the ground, while
Rick Piermarini piled up 106 yards for the Chieftains.

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