Fitchburg State Football Featured In D3Football.Com
Falcons witnessing surprising success with 5-1 start
FITCHBURG, Mass. – If you had told people in the heat of August that Fitchburg State and Castleton State would be a combined 9-2 at this point, you would have gotten more strange looks than Endicott's Drew Frenette has touchdown passes this season. And he has 18 of those.
Only a narrow loss to powerful Framingham State keeps Fitchburg from a perfect record. The Falcons are 5-1 and Castleton 4-1.
Fitchburg got win No. 5 by beating Worcester State 40-24 as Garrett Dellechiaie threw four touchdown passes. He has 15 on the year and has thrown for 1,895 yards.
Castleton kept on its Cinderella track by whipping Anna Maria 65-9. That is the most points ever scored in a game by the Spartans.
Coach Pat Haverty said that close loss to Framingham was an important step in the process.
"The kids played really hard in that game and really well," Haverty said. "The players took that loss hard. When you lose a game like that two things can happen. You can keep losing or work hard to get better. They took the loss hard but they also took it as a teaching tool."
The Fitchburg area is a football area. The Leominster-Fitchburg high school rivalry is one of the longest played and most passionate anywhere.
Dellechiaie is Leominster product and Jamison DiGeronimo, one of his offensive linemen, played for Fitchburg High.
"A Fitchburg kid protecting a Leominster kid. It's funny how those things work out," Haverty said.
Haverty grew up in Fitchburg and the place is who is his. He appreciates the love of football in the area and loves that his Falcons are able to be doing something that excites the community and campus.
"The crowds have been big even in the down years," Haverty said. "It's a community that likes football."
DiGeronimo and the rest of his unit have done a good job of keeping Dellechiaie upright. The heart of the line is senior captain Brendan Coan, the left tackle. Patrick Bowles and Maxwell Schiavone have also been outstanding.
Dellechiaie has a good group of receivers led by Phillip Saint-Juste and Devin Summiel. Sainte-Juste has caught six of Dellachiaie TD passes and Summiel four.
"Devin is a sophomore, He came in with Garrett. They are growing up together. Phillip (a senior) has good height and can make the hard catches," Haverty said.
Linebacker Talib Barksdale is the leader on the other side of the ball. His 51 tackles and two interceptions leads the team in both categories.
Dellechiaie had a number of schools looking at him but since he was in the area, Haverty saw a number of his high school games. Leoominster, played its championship game his senior season at Fitchburg State and Haverty attended.
"I really thought academically and socially Fitchburg was a good fit for him," Haverty said.
Article courtesy of d3football.com. To read the entire article please visit http://www.d3football.com/columns/around-the-region/northeast/2014/fitchburg-castleton-surprising-success#.VD5x1G6cKB4.twitter.
The Fitchburg State football team (5-1, 3-1 MASCAC) returns to action on Saturday as it hosts the Colonials of Western Connecticut State at 12 p.m.
For more information regarding the Fitchburg State football team, please contact Assistant Sports Information Director Jamie Rogers at 978-665-3726 or via email at jrogers@fitchburgstate.edu.