Fitchburg State Soars Past Worcester State, 42-28

Falcons post second consecutive victory led by Miller's four touchdowns

FITCHBURG, Mass. (October 18, 2008) - The Fitchburg State football team collected its second consecutive New England Football Conference victory, defeating Worcester State College 42-28 this afternoon at Elliot Field. The Falcons used a 21 point second quarter to propel them to first place ranking in the Bogan Division.

Fitchburg State used a combination of the potent ground game and an efficient aerial attack to amass 460 total yards of offense. Senior Marlon Thornton (Bromfield, Conn./Bromfield) led the Falcon rushing game with a team-high 177 yards and two touchdowns with no rushes for negative yardage. The crafty veteran also posted 26 receiving yards and one TD out of the backfield.

Senior Jim Miller (East Hampton, N.Y./East Hampton) commanded the Fitchburg State offense with 226 yards in the air on 13-of-18 throwing and three touchdowns, while running for 47 yards and one TD. The conferencing leading quarterback connected with sophomore wide-out Kenneth Russell, Jr. (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) six times in the contest for a game-high 115 yards.

Worcester struck first midway through the first quarter as sophomore Anthony Monahan (Wrentham, Mass./King Phillip) brought in a 30 yard pass from senior quarterback Pat Good (Hull, Mass./Hull) to cap a 13-play, 95 yard drive. Fitchburg State responded quickly, marching 74 yards in a 2:12 span to even the score at 7-7 on a Thornton 16-yard TD reception.

The Lancers added a score late in the first period to take an early 14-7 lead, but the Falcons exploded for 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to grab a 28-14 lead heading into halftime. Sophomore Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) ignited the scoring surge with his fifth touchdown of the season just 1:17 into the frame. Junior Steve Austin (Jupiter, Fla./Stony Brook) continued the rally with a 34 yard TD reception, while Thornton busted a 24-yard run, breaking several tackles for his second score of the game.

In the third quarter, both teams traded scores, giving Fitchburg State a 35-21 advantage. Miller found the end-zone first for the Falcons, notching a 24-yard TD run to cap an eight play, 67 yard drive. The Lancers responded late in the quarter as junior Will Earley (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) pushed through a 3-yard run for his second score of the game.

STEVE WITHERELL

Worcester battled back in the final quarter as Earley registered his third touchdown of the game, but the Falcons secured the victory with Thornton's team-leading tenth touchdown of the season. The Lancers threatened late in the period, but Falcon freshman Andrew Cavanagh (Brattleboro, Vt./Brattleboro Union) ended any scoring chances with a last minute interception.

Earley led the Worcester State offense with a game-high 201 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The 201 yards ranks fifth all-time in Worcester State history, while his 39 carries are the most ever in program history. Good was also solid for the Lancers with a 10-for-27 performance and 135 yards.

Cavanagh led Fitchburg State defensively, totaling six tackles (1 solo, 5 assists) and two interceptions. Senior Jason Basely (Canterbury, Conn./Ellis Tech) was also strong with ten stops and one sack, while freshman Sean Golden (Montville, Conn./Montville) tallied a game-high 12 tackles (3 solo, 9 assists). Sophomore Tyler Russell (Princeton, Mass./Wachusett) led the Lancers with a five solo stops and seven assists.

Fitchburg State (3-4, 3-1 NEFC) is back in action next Saturday as it travels to Mass-Maritime at 2 p.m. Worcester State (2-5, 2-2 NEFC) will travel to Coast Guard Academy next Saturday at 1 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 42, Worcester State 28

Scoring:
First Quarter: WSC: Anthony Monahan (30 yd pass), 8;50; FSC: Marlon Thornton (16 yd pass), 6:38; WSC: Will Earley (6 yd run), 1:34;  
Second Quarter:  FSC: Carlos De La Rosa (10 yd pass), 13:43; FSC: Steve Austin (34 yd pass), 12:15; FSC: Thornton (24 yd run), 4:21;  
Third Quarter: FSC: Jim Miller (24 yd run), 11:56; WSC: Earley (3 yd run), 6:58;
Fourth Quarter: WSC: Earley (9 yd run), 8:44; FSC: Thornton (3 yd run), 2:17;