Red Raiders struggle in first setback

Fitchburg hurt by mistakes

SHREWSBURY » There are lessons to be learned in adversity.

The Fitchburg High football team learned a lesson the hard way Saturday afternoon.

Out-muscled, out-toughed, and out-scored by host St. John’s, the Red Raiders couldn’t get out of their own way against the previously winless Pioneers, as the hosts beat previously unbeaten FHS in all phases of the game en route to a 44-7 win at Pioneer Field.

The Red and Gray fell to 2-1, and will look to correct their mistakes ahead of next weekend’s tilt against a pretty good Westboro squad.

Interim Fitchburg coach Greg Graham, who spoke with his team for a number of minutes about the team’s chirpiness during the rout, noted that the Pioneers’ size up front had a big hand in deciding the game.

“(St. John’s) is just very good up front. They’re very big, very physical; I knew they were extremely good, and in-person, they’re extremely game. That’s where we lost the game, in the trenches, at the line of scrimmage,” Graham said. “Their offensive and defensive lines, they were just better than us.

“We go back to work Monday. Like I always tell the kids, it’s not necessarily about what the other team did or does, it’s about what we do and how we do it. We have to go back to the drawing board and fix a few things and be ready to move forward and be better.”

St. John’s, which had previously fallen to Catholic Memorial and St. John’s of Danvers, improved to 1-2.

While the game was close through most of the first half, it was clear that the Pioneers’ size advantage up front would win the day with the Red Raider front having tremendous difficulty in moving them.

Yet, when push came to shove and FHS found itself in a deeper hole after not protecting quarterback Monty Graham and seeing Sebastian Romain score from 12 yards away off the left guard and untouched to put the Pioneers up, 21-7, with 6:30 left in the second quarter, Fitchburg

collapsed in on itself.

The penalties rolled in: a hold, followed by a Phil Arpano incomplete pass, a three-yard loss on an end around before the Pioneers blocked the ensuing punt, setting the hosts up at the Raider 16.

Two plays later, Darren Appiah went up the middle and scored from 13 yards out, giving St. John’s a 28-7 lead after Sam La

vallee booted home the point-after.

Penalties against FHS on the ensuing Raider drive after getting as deep as the Pioneer 23 after Graham connected with Donovan Deleon for a gain of 19 pushed Fitchburg back to the Raider side of the midfield stripe with seconds remaining in the first half.

“We’ll do our best to refocus and re-group, and we’ll move forward from there,” Graham stressed.

The Red Raiders stopped St. John’s on the

Pioneers’ first series of the third quarter, with junior Danger Errickson wrapping up Appiah with the help of Devon Barisano to foil the hosts on fourthand-1, and that looked to give Fitchburg a solid starting point.

But St. John’s stopped Anthony Oquendo on the first carry, hit Graham for a four-yard loss before an FHS penalty found itself tacked on.

An incomplete pass, a false start, and an incomplete pass followed.

Two plays later, Appiah

broke a tackle and went off to the end zone with a 62-yard TD.

Appiah finished with 165 yards on 14 carries.

Lavallee, who attempted a 50-yard field goal but fell just short by about five yards, didn’t miss from 20 yards with 7:10 left in the

game, and Vincent Pusateri put the capper on it with a 14-yard TD run with a couple of minutes left.