Bears tack on another win

Any win is a good win, but when the Bears of Bridgewater State College faced off against division rival Fitchburg State after last Saturday's game, it seemed that some wins prove to be better than others. The Bears won their fourth game bringing their Bogan Division record to 2-0 and their overall record to 3-1 as a result of the hard-fought 15-7 win over the Falcons. Fitchburg was the only team to come through with a win against Bridgewater in the regular season last year had some payback coming.

"We had some animosity toward this team from years past," said BSC head coach Chuck Denune. "It was a real important game and was a huge win to give our home crowd."

Defensively, the Bears had a strong game halting Fitchburg's passing game all day. On the Falcons' second drive, Bridgewater State College senior safety, Zane Fyfe, made his first of two interceptions along with a pass breakup, a fumble recovery, and five tackles. Fyfe was also honored with the NEFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the game.

"They were pretty good up the middle and got a few lucky passes on us, but the defense was solid," said Fyfe. "It was a good win."

The interception soon turned into a Bridgewater 27 yard field goal by sophomore kicker Brian DiCristoforo putting three on the board for the home team. Bridgewater's tentative defense continued to make crisp plays and soon forced a fumble which was recovered by Fyfe. On the next three Fitchburg possessions, Bridgewater's defense forced them to punt. The Falcons would only see the goal line once in the entire game.

With less than two minutes left on the board in the first half, Bridgewater State College's offense took control of the game. A short, yet effective wide receiver pass from quarterback Greg Borsari to wide receiver Chris Joyce and then to the other wide receiver Nate Stearns for 27 yards built a base for the offense to mount an attack into the end zone.

Borsari then passed to Jesse Texeira to the Fitchburg one-yard line. The ball was then punched in by senior tri-captain running back Matt Maroon for six points. Maroon ended with 20 carries and completed the game with 55 yards rushing. The Bridgewater State College's PAT failed to make it through the uprights leaving the score 9-0 at halftime.

After a frustrating first half, the Falcons were looking for a better second half where they could get their offense working and put points on the board.

The Bears came back with the same intensity they started with against the Falcons. Bridgewater's smash mouth tactics continued working as they drove an accomplished offense through the ranks of the Fitchburg defense.

With the Borsari, Maroon, and Burley trio tearing through the field, the Bears were able to blast 62 yards on 11 straight running plays.

"All the credit goes to the O-line; they did a hell of a job." Matt Maroon asserted. "They gave me some huge holes. I wasn't getting touched for at least four yards every time."

With the Bears competitive spirit unwavering, Borsari, on third and goal, led the Bears into the end zone for another six points. The extra point failed and the score was 15-0.

Finally, the Falcons struck back at the Bears halfway through the third quarter. Fitchburg quarterback Jim Miller ended a shutout with his 19 and 12 yard passes to receivers Dave Salvi and Billy Thomas, respectively, until finally throwing for a touchdown to wide-out Dan Langlois. With the score 15-7 and a minute thirty left on the clock in the third quarter, this was still anyone's ballgame. In fact, the game would not be over until the final minute of the fourth quarter.

This physical display of prowess on both sides continued into the fourth quarter when Bridgewater, after the kickoff, shaved minutes off the clock, but was halted at the Fitchburg eight yard line. The Falcons took over with nearly four minutes left in the match and Miller put together a drive with his impressive passing ability, shining through the Bears' defense for the first time all game.

Extending six consecutive completions, Miller and his offense found themselves within reach of the Bears end zone with under a minute to go.

After a five yard gain, the Falcons had a first down at the ten yard line, Miller attempted to spike the ball to stop the clock but lost his grip on the ball to fumble it to Bridgewater defensive tackle Chris Dijak. This clinched the game for the Bears and thrust Fitchburg to its defeat.

"We played hard for three quarters. In the fourth there were a couple of mistakes, but we did real well overall," Defensive Coordinator Joe Verria said. "We were very focused in practice, with a lot of intensity. We knew how important this game was, and prepared for it."

"The D played awesome, and the O-line made things happen," Denune stated. "We still need to be more consistent in our passing game. We're right there; we just need to follow through."

"There's always room for improvement," Fyfe said, "We just gotta take it week to week. We'll be alright as long as everyone does their responsibilities."

With the game over, Coach Denune shared parting words with his team.

"Everyone's got a gun for you now!" Coach Denune stated. "Be ready to work on Monday."

The next game for the 3-1 Bridgewater Bears will be on Saturday, October 7 at Framingham State College at 2 p.m. Framingham is currently 0-4 overall, 0-2 in the Bogan Division and in the MASCAC.

Last season, the Bears defeated the Framingham State College Rams in a rout by the score of 57-0.