Curry Nips Fitchburg State, 41-34

Thornton leads Falcons with three TD's despite loss

MILTON, Mass. (September 13, 2008) - The Fitchburg State football team suffered a tough 41-34 setback to Curry College in New England Football Conference action this afternoon.

The Fitchburg State offense was paced by the ground attack of senior Marlon Thornton (Bromfield, Conn./Bromfield) and the aerial attack of senior quarterback Jim Miller (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton). Thornton led the Falcons with 154 yards on 19 carries (8.1 yds/carry) and three touchdowns, while Miller tossed for 356 yards and three TD's. Sophomore Kenneth Russell, Jr. (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) led all receivers with 129 yards and ten receptions.

Senior quarterback Ryan Van De Giessen (N. Attleboro, Mass./Bridgton Academy) led the Curry offense, going 25-for-43 with 302 yards passing, two touchdowns and one interception. Classmate running back Joseph Freeman (Lowell, Mass./Lynn Classical) led the Colonels on the ground with 107 yards on 18 carries (5.9 yds/carry) and three touchdowns, while junior wide-out Jon Rodriques (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) collected 104 yards on eight receptions and two TD's.

Fitchburg State opened the scoring on the first drive of the game as junior Evan Georgopoulos (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) capped a 42 yard drive with 35-yard field goal. Curry responded just 53 seconds later when Rodriques grabbed a ten-yard pass from Van De Giessen to take a 7-3 advantage. Curry jumped out to a 14-3 lead on a two yard Freeman run, but the Falcons rallied for a TD late in the first quarter as Thornton caught a 40 yard pass from Miller to cut the Colonel lead to 14-10.

JIM MILLER

In the second quarter, Curry hit the end zone quickly as Freeman pushed through a three yard run just eight seconds into the quarter for his second score of the game. The Falcons fired back late in the quarter on Thornton's second receiving touchdown of the game, collecting a 20 yard pass from Miller to end a 78-yard drive. The Colonels closed out the half on  Rodriques second receiving TD of the game to take a 27-17 lead.

Curry opened the second half with a bang as senior Tim Bloniasz (Leicester, Mass./Leicester) returned Fitchburg State's kickoff 84 yards for his first touchdown of the season. Fitchburg State responded five minutes later as Georgopoulos connected for his second field goal of the game to cut the Colonels lead to 34-20 heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Fitchburg State hit the end zone first, as Thornton busted a 56-yard run for his first rushing touchdown of the game. Curry retaliated with a seven play, 52 yard drive that was capped by a Freeman three yard run, giving the Colonels a 41-27 advantage. The Falcons inched closer when sophomore Kyle Callahan (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) caught a 20 yard pass from Miller to put Fitchburg within seven points. On the ensuing onside kick, Curry's Freeman pounced on the ball at the Falcons' 47 and the Colonels then ran out the clock.

Sophomore Jerome Freed (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) led the Curry defense, totaling a team-best seven tackles (all solo). Fitchburg State was led by freshman Sean Golden (Montville, Conn./Montville) notched a game-high 13 tackles (12 solo) and one fumble recovery.

Fitchburg State (0-2, 0-1 NEFC) is back in action on Saturday as it travels to UMass Dartmouth at 6 p.m. Curry College (2-0, 2-0 NEFC) will host Westfield State College on Saturday at 12 p.m.

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Curry 41, Fitchburg State 34

 Scoring:
First Quarter: FSC: Evan Georgopoulos (Field Goal), 11:56; CUR: Jon Rodriques (10yd pass), 11:03; CUR: Freeman (2-yard run), 3:55; FSC: Thornton (40-yard pass), 1:54;
Second Quarter:  CUR: Freeman (3 yard run), 14:52; FSC: Thornton (20 yard pass), 1:58; CUR: Rodriques (19 yard pass), 0:50;
Third Quarter: CUR: Tim Bloniasz (84 KO Return), 14:47; Georgopoulos (Field Goal), 9:48;
Fourth Quarter: FSC: Thornton (56 yard pass), 4:14; CUR: Freeman (3 yard run), 1:15; FSC: Kyle Callahan (20 yard pass), 0:37;

-FALCONS-