Fitchburg State Runs Past Plymouth State, 41-30

Dellechiaie notches single season TD pass mark in Falcons key MASCAC victory

FITCHBURG, Mass. (November 16, 2013) -  Freshman Garrett Dellechiaie (Leominster, Mass.) registered five touchdown passes and became the program's all-time single season TD pass holder as he lead the Fitchburg State football team to a 41-30 victory over Plymouth State University this afternoon.

With the victory, the Falcons notch their first winning season since the 2005 campaign and now await a bid to an ECAC bowl game with an overall mark of 6-4 and 5-3 clip in the MASCAC. Plymouth State concludes its season with a 2-8 mark and 1-7 league record.

Dellechiaie paced the Falcons offensively, setting the program's all-time single season TD mark (25) with five TDs in the contest. The freshman quarterback surpassed the previous mark of 22 set by Jim Miller during the 2008 season.

Receiver Ty Spencer (Foxboro, Mass.) also had a career day with four catches, 107 yards and three scores, while Steph'fon Teague (Fitchburg, Mass.) added 150 yards on the ground on just 22 carries.

Plymouth State's Mark Hennessey (Westford, Mass.) led the rushing attack for the Panthers, totaling 82 yards on 20 carries, while quarterback Drew Bolton (Concord, N.H) finished 9-of-19 for 184 yards, one TD and three picks. Receiver Zac Iovanella (North Andover, Mass.) was also solid with two catches for 105 yards and three rushes for 30 yards.

The Panthers opened the contest with the early lead, marching down the field in 11 plays for an opening drive score, but the Falcons responded, as Dellechiaie connected with Spencer for a 23-yard touchdown. Plymouth State answered the Falcons scoring drive with a 26 yard FG from Rob Giles (Derry, N.H.), but Fitchburg State notched the last score of the first quarter as Spencer reeled in a 44 yard touchdown for the 14-10 advantage.

Fitchburg State picked up right where it left off in the second quarter as Dellechiaie found Trayvon Neal (Greenbelt, Md.) for a 6-yard TD at the 9:59 mark, but a 37 yard field goals from Giles  kept the Panthers within a score (20-13) at the break.

In the third, Fitchburg State broke open the contest, using back-to-back scores from Neal and Spencer for a 34-20 cushion. The Panthers chipped away with a Bolton, 6-yard TD run, but Shaheem Burnett (Bronx, N.Y.) iced the victory for the Falcons, busting loose for a 77 yard TD run with 1:22 remaining in the fourth.

Defensively, Fitchburg State received a stellar day from junior Taron Seaforth (Lynn, Mass.) who finished with three interception and three stops on the day. Senior Alex Alcala (Leominster, Mass.) led the Falcons with nine tackles on the afternoon, while Talib Barksdale (Hudson, N.Y.) added eight stops with four solo efforts and four assists. Bubba Kaplan (Truro, Mass.) led the Panthers with seven solo tackles and two assists on the day.