Fitchburg State Shoots Past Anna Maria, 48-12

Cannava and Austin highlight Falcons seven TD performance

PAXTON, Mass. (September 12, 2009) - The Fitchburg State football team defeated Anna Maria College, 48-12 in non-conference action this afternoon. The Falcons registered 531 total yards of offense to cruise to their first victory of the season. 

Fitchburg State struck first, opening the scoring on a 13 yard touchdown run by senior running back Steve Austin (Jupiter, Fla./Stony Brook) but Anna Maria responded on the ensuing drive, scoring a touchdown on an 11-play, 81 yard drive. Freshman Nate Adames (Salem, N.H./Salem) highlighted the drive with 41 rushing yards, capped off by a five yard Devon Nixon (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) touchdown reception.

Anna Maria grabbed a 12-7 lead moments later as wide receiver Dom Concepcion (Middlebury, Conn.) brought in a 21-yard TD reception, but the lead was short-lived as  Fitchburg State rifled off 41 consecutive to put the game at bay.

Junior quarterback Jordan Cannava (Woburn, Mass./Melrose) led the Fitchburg State first half surge both in the air and on the ground, connecting with senior Kyle Callahan (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) for a TD toss and adding a 1yd TD run of his own. Austin finished off the Falcons first half-scoring with a successful 2 pt. conversion rush, giving Fitchburg State a 21-12 edge going into the break.

In the second half, Fitchburg State continued where it left off, marching 65 yards in five plays for an opening drive touchdown. Austin highlighted the drive with two rushes for 26 yards, which was finished by a 34-yard touchdown pass from Cannava to junior Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke).

After stuffing Anna Maria on a fourth and one situation, the Falcons jetted down the field again. Austin led the Fitchburg State charge with 40 rushing yards on the drive, finishing it off with a two-yard touchdown plunge.  After a quick three-and-out, Fitchburg regained possession and scored their third touchdown in as many drives, capped by a 54-yard touchdown bomb from Cannava to senior Devon Jennings (Brockton, Mass./Brockton).

In the fourth, Fitchburg State tallied its fourth consecutive touchdown in as many chances, going 63 yards in ten plays. Austin capped the ten play drive with a one yard touchdown run, his third TD of the day. 

Austin led all rushers totaling a game-high 168 yards on 28 carries, while posting three TDs. Cannava was also solid for the Falcons, throwing for 235 yards on 11-of-22 passing. The junior leader totaled three TDs in the air, while adding one on the ground. Freshman Christian Guzman (Lawrence, Mass./Lawrence) led the Falcons defensively for the second straight week, totaling nine stops (five solo, four assists), while newcomer Bill McGuirk (Auburn, Mass./Holy Name) added five tackles and one forced fumble.

Fitchburg State (1-1, 0-0 NEFC) will be back in action next Saturday as it hosts UMass Dartmouth at 1:30 p.m. Anna Maria (0-2, 0-0 ECFC) travels to Husson College next Saturday at 1 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 48, Anna Maria 12

Scoring:
First Quarter: FIT: Steve Austin (13 yd run), 1:48;
Second Quarter: AMC: Devon Nixon (5yd pass), 11:20; AMC: Dom Concepcion (21yd pass), 6:39; FIT: Jordan Cannava (1yd run), 2:00; FIT: Kyle Callahan (12yd pass), 0:12;
 Third Quarter: FIT: Carlos De La Rosa (34 yd pass), 13:16; FIT: Austin (2yd run), 6:26; FIT: Devon Jennings (54 yd pass), 4:06;
Fourth Quarter: FIT: Austin (1yd run), 11:55;