FITCHBURG -- There were a couple of basic dfferences between Fithburg High and Shrewsbury when the two unbeaten teams met Friday evening at chilly Crocker Field.
The visiting Colonials hadn't faced the same caliber of competition as the Red Raiders, and they didn't have Chris Roy. The senior fullback rushed for 128 yards and added a pair of dazzling special teams plays, accounting for three touchdowns in all as Fitchburg jumped ahead early and rolled to a 34-0 win.
Roy had touchdown runs of 28 and 45 yards in the first 12 minutes of the game, Then broke a 78-yard punt return for a score as the Raiders (3-0-1) took a 19-0 lead at the break. Throw in a 76-yard kick return that ended just a few yards short of paydiirt, and it turns into a 282-yard all-purpose night for the all purpose back. "It was just one of those games where it seemed everything went right," said Roy.
He gave much of the credit to the offensive line and tailback Ricky Morales, who had 58 yards on eight carries before taking a helmet to the knee and sitting out the rest of the game. But Morales was the frequent weapon early, loosening up the defense of the Colonials (3-1) before Roy came back inside for the kill.
"That's exactly what we did," said Fitchburg coach Ray Cosenza. "When you have two people like (Morales and Roy), plus Devin Gates, they're tough to stop>".
"They're a good team. Up front they kind of manhandled us, " said Shrewsbury coach Sean Mahoney. "Roy's a good player, and Morales and Gates, too."
Shrewsbury came in on a high, off to its best start in years, and looked good on offense early behind the outside running of Bill Demalia and quarterback Brian O'Connor. But after moving to the FHS 36 on three plays, the Colonials stalled as Fitchburg's defense tightened up. "We did make some adjustmnets. Demalia has pretty good speed, but the kids played much better defense in the second half," Cosenza said.
"Offensively we were close to doing some thngs in the first half," Mahoney said, recalling a pass on a fake punt that could have brought a first down if it had not been dropped..
Instead, Fitchburg took over and moved swiftly behind Morales before Roy broke it for a 28 yard score behind a great block from Robbie Sequin. On the next drive, Roy broke a tackle at the line and bounced outside for his 45-yard score and a 13-0 lead. "That was the game plan, to give Ricky the ball and spread the defense out, then bring it back inside, "Roy said. "We just wanted to open up the field."
Another three and out by the Colonial forced a punt, a boomer by Paul Bondanza that Roy fielded on his own 22. Breaking up the right side, Roy was able to get out of the crowd and cut across the field, outrunning Bondanza and then putting a fake on Jason Rudman at the 20 before coasting in.
"I was just reading the cuts from the angles of pursuit they had in the open field," Roy said. Roy had to shift to tailback in the second half after Morales went down, setting the stage for the likes of Rich Demar, Dustin LeBlanc, and Saul Sicard to get some carries. Roy's return of the second-half kickoff to Shrewsbury's 11 (saving tacke by O'Connor, despite a Roy stiff Arm) set up Devin Gates' sneak from 6 yeards. LeBlanc finished the scoring later in the quarter from 5 yards, his first career tgouchdown.
"I think we executed much better on offense," Cosenza said, recalling rough goings against New Bedford and MIlford in recent weeks.
The Raiders will have to be at their best next week when they travel to Brockton, considered the best team in Massachusetts. The Boxers beat St. John's Prep of Danvers, 43-21 Friay night.