FHS an Earley favorite
By Chad Garner 
cgarner@sentinelandenterprise.com

When it comes to Fitchburg High football, expectations every
year are to win the Super Bowl.

Coming off a solid 8-3 campaign and an upset victory over
eventual Division 1 Central/Western Mass. Super Bowl
champion Leominster on Thanksgiving Day, the Red Raiders are
looking for more in 2003.

But with the loss of 18 seniors, including all-star
linebacker Steve Marrella, quarterback Ryan Logan, tackle
Mark Thomas, defensive lineman Jon Lewis, tight end Jeff
Smart, and defensive ends Matt and Mike Brown, Fitchburg has
some holes to fill if it wants to challenge for a Super Bowl
crown this season.

"We're going to miss some of those guys, but the kids that
we do have coming back played quite a bit last year," said
Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza. "If you have a decent program,
you always want to compete and hope the kids really step
up."

Fitchburg opens on the road at Eastern Mass. power
Xaverian. The game will be played at Catholic Memorial, 1:30
p.m. today.

Fitchburg's overall strength this season appears to be on
the offensive side of the football. Junior tailback William
Earley, who has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his
first two varsity seasons, will be a workhorse once again.

"When you run the way I like we've run for the last 13
years, you've got to have a guy that can carry the rock a
lot," said Cosenza. "He's right up there with some of the
great ones we've had here."

Earley will be following the blockers of three experienced
lineman in center Anthony Murray, and guards Joe Golden and
Brad McNamara.

"They are keys for us," said Cosenza. "They really need to
anchor the line."

Senior Matt Lamey and sophomore Logan Johnson will start at
the tackles.

The Red Raiders will have a rookie signal-caller in
sophomore Raymond Earley, who will be backed up by senior
Curt Barrett. Earley played tailback as a freshman.

"He's a back that's very elusive and he allows us to run a
little more option this year," said Cosenza. "He's a
phenomenal athlete, but he has no varsity experience."

Junior Eldred Wright, a strong lead blocker, will play
fullback.

The wide receivers are experienced with senior Matt Vieira
and junior Ricciuti starting for the second straight season.

Fitchburg's attacking base-50 defense is led by tackle
Murray, junior linebacker Gumba Payton and safety William
Earley.

"We're not as big as we were last year, but we can run
better at all positions," said Cosenza.

Golden is the nose tackle, alongside John Fanelli at tackle,
and ends Lamey and Ryan Meehan.

Matt Thibeault and Kyle Scachetti start at the other
linebacker spots. The secondary is comprised of
T.J. Loughin, Deashawn Perkins and David Gray.

"We should be very competitive," said Cosenza. "The kids
have worked very hard and are in great shape. We hope to be
competitive in the league and have a shot."

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