Westfield State Tops Fitchburg State, 32-16

Kimber paces Falcons rushing, passing and receiving in NEFC battle

WESTFIELD, Mass. (October 31, 2009) - The Fitchburg State football team suffered a tough New England Football Conference (NEFC) setback, falling to Westfield State College, 32-16 this afternoon. 

The Falcons opened the contest with a quick 10-0 lead after 20 minutes of play, but Westfield State responded with 32 unanswered points to earn its sixth victory of the season. Fitchburg State took it to Westfield State's #1 ranked defense with 330 yards of total offense, while limiting the Owls to only 235 total yards.

Senior Evan Georgopoulos (Melrose, Mass./Melrose) kicked off the Fitchburg State scoring with a 27yd field goal early in the first quarter, while sophomore Jeremy Kimber (Fitchburg, Mass./Fitchburg) gave the Falcons a ten point cushion with a 15 yard touchdown pass from junior Jordan Cannava (Woburn, Mass./Melrose).

In the second quarter, Westfield State received a spark from its defense as Ryan O'Connell (Athol, Mass./Athol) returned a blocked punt 29 yards for the Owls first score of the game. Junior Chris Stengel (Forest Hill, Md./North Hartford) followed suit with a 29 yard FG, while Owl senior David Benoit (Ludlow, Mass./Ludlow) rung in a 42 yard touchdown pass to close out the half with a 16-10 lead.

After the break, Westfield State continued its scoring pursuit, recording 16 more unanswered points throughout the third quarter. Senior Steve Ohlson (Quincy, Mass./Quincy) opened the Owls second-half scoring with a two yard scoring plunge at the 10:25 mark, but Westfield State's defense would not be out-done as Andrew Lafayette (Springfield, Mass./Sci-Tech) stopped Falcon running back Steve Austin (Tequesta, Fla./Stony Brook) for a two-yard loss, giving Westfield a 25-10 lead with the two-point safety.

Westfield State grabbed a 32-10 advantage late in the third quarter as Benoit found Kyle Anderson (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont) on a 25 yard route for the Owls second offensive touchdown of the day. Kimber led the Falcons to a late score in the fourth quarter with a one yard run, but the Falcons two-point conversion was unsuccessful to close out the scoring.

Kimber led the Fitchburg State offensive attack with a little bit of everything, including two TDs, 79 yards receiving, 38 yards rushing, and 58 yards passing. Cannava was also solid behind center with 174 yards and one TD, while Austin collected 42 yards on the ground. Senior Dale Whittredge (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) and junior Sean McGinn (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) led the Falcons defensively, combining for 13 stops and 2.5 sacks.

Fitchburg State (4-5, 2-4 NEFC) will be back in action next Saturday as it hosts Maine Maritime Academy at 12 p.m. Westfield State (6-3, 4-2 NEFC) will travel to Worcester State next weekend at 12 p.m.

CLICK HERE FOR BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY

Westfield State 32 , Fitchburg State 16

Scoring:
First Quarter: FIT: Evan Georgopoulos (26yd FG), 12:08;
Second Quarter: FIT: Jeremy Kimber (15yd pass), 10:49; WES: Ryan O'Connell (32yd PR), 6:12; WES: Chris Stengel (29yd  FG), 2:14; WES: David Benoit (42yd pass), 0:00;
Third Quarter: WES: Steve Ohlson (2yd run), 10:25; WES: Team Safety, 5:35; WES: Benoit (25yd pass), 1:21
 Fourth Quarter: FIT: Kimber (1yd run), 1:40;