MILTON, Mass. – A 10-yard touchdown pass from freshman Garrett Dellechiaie (Leominster, Mass.) to junior Phillip Saint-Juste (New Rochelle, N.Y.) as time expired propelled visiting Fitchburg State to a 20-19 win over Curry in non-conference football action Saturday afternoon in Milton. The Falcons evened their season record at 1-1, while the Colonels fell to 0-2.
Curry used a pair of first-quarter, nine-yard touchdown receptions by junior Jordan Shairs (Gloucester, Mass.) to open up a 12-0 advantage through the first 15 minutes of play. Senior quarterback Kevin Fruwirth (Agawam, Mass.) found Shairs at 13:03 after a 23-yard drive, and at 3:54 after a 77-yard drive.
Fitchburg notched the only points of the second frame, using a 21-yard scoring pass from Dellechiaie to junior Ty Spencer (Foxboro, Mass.) with just 24 seconds remaining before intermission to pull to within 12-7 .
After a scoreless third quarter, the Colonels extended their lead to 19-7 early in the final period after yet another nine-yard Fruwirth-to-Shairs connection. Less than two minutes later, Fitchburg State closed to within five points again (19-14), as Dellechiaie found Saint-Juste from 35 yards out. That capped a five-play, 58-yard drive that took less than two minutes off the clock.
The defenses dominated the remainder of the quarter, until the Falcons got the ball back at their own 37 with 54 seconds left in regulation. Dellechiaie went 4-for-7 on the final drive, which covered 63 yards on seven plays.
Dellechiaie went 18-for-33 for 269 yards, with three TDs and one interception. Saint-Juste had seven catches for 151 yards and two TDs, while Spencer collected seven receptions for 93 yards and one TD. Fruwirth finished the day 17-for-34 for 151 yards, with three TDs and one interception. Senior Phil Bigelow (East Orange, N.J.) led Curry on the ground, carrying 11 times for 85 yards. Shairs had highly productive day, making seven catches for 72 yards and three TDs, while also carrying the ball 14 times for 49 yards.
Senior Tony Louis (Medford, Mass.) led paced the Falcons' defense with eight tackles (all solo), including two tackles for loss (-5 yards) and one sack (-1 yard). Freshman Kellyn Faraone (Whitefish, Mont.) had a pair of sacks for -16 yards among his five total tackles. The Colonels were led by junior Parrish Rogers-Reed (Westfield, Mass.), who amassed a game-high 10 tackles (all solo), including four tackles for loss (-29 yards) and two sacks (-25 yards). Senior Jeff Claffey was right behind Rogers-Reed with nine tackles (7 solo).
Fitchburg State resumes play next Saturday, traveling to MASCAC rival Framingham State for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff. Curry is off until September 27, when it opens its New England Football Conference (NEFC) schedule by hosting Endicott at 7:00 p.m.
