Falcons Roll Past Worcester State, 40-24
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fitchburg St. (5-1) | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 40 |
|
Worcester St. (3-2) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
Dellechiaie finished 26-of-46 for 397 yards and four TD's in Falcons MASCAC victory
Worcester, Mass. - The Fitchburg State football team collected its third conference victory of the season as it downed the Lancers of Worcester State University, 40-24 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) football action at Coughlin Field.
Sophomore Garrett Dellechiaie sparked the high flying Fitchburg State offense, which amassed 552 total yards on the day, finishing 26-of-46 behind center for 397 yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Phillip Saint-Juste and tight end Devin Summiel also had solid performances, combining for 19 catches and 332 yards on the day. Saint-Juste ignited the Falcons with 11 catches, 189 yards and two scores, while Summiel finished with eight receptions for 143 yards and one TD. Junior Kendall Perry led all Falcon rushers with 97 yards on 17 carries.
Worcester State took a 10-7 lead with 7:20 remaining in the first quarter on a 20 yard field goal by freshman place kicker Sebasian Paz and 85 yard kickoff return touchdown from senior Jack Sprague.
Fitchburg State would regain the lead for good with just over two minutes remaining in the opening quarter when Dellechiaie connected with junior receiver Taylor Ekstrom on an eight yard TD pass to take a 14-10 advantage into halftime.
Following intermission, the Falcons upped its margin with 5:49 left in the third quarter as Saint-Juste hauled in a seven yard reception from Dellechiaie for his second touchdown on the afternoon to make the score 20-10.
With the score 27-17, the Lancers cut the deficit to just three on a 13 yard scramble by senior quarterback Pat Viencek to cap a nine play, 70 yard drive before the Green and Gold put the game away on a pair of TD runs (1 yd and 6 yd) from sophomore tailback Kihliefa Best, resulting in the 40-24 final.
Offensively, Worcester State received a strong effort from Kamani Jones, finishing with 128 yards of total offense (80 rushing, 48 receiving). Senior wideout RJ Johnson was also solid for Worcester State with four catches for 28 yards and one score, while Viencek finished 12-of-31 with 117 yards passing and a pair of TD's (one passing and one rushing).
On the defensive side, the Falcons used a balanced attack, limiting the Lancers to just 271 yards of offense. Talib Barksdale and Luis Feliz led the Falcons with 11 stops and ten stops respectively, while Nick Maxner paced Worcester State defensively, totaling a game-best 12 tackles (8 solo, 4 assists).
Fitchburg State (5-1, 3-1 MASCAC) returns to action next Saturday as it hosts the Colonial of Western Connecticut State at 12 p.m. Worcester State (3-2, 1-2 MASCAC) will visit UMass Dartmouth on Saturday at 12 p.m.
