Fitchburg State Lances Worcester State, 37-7

Dellechiaie propels Falcons with 375 yards passing and four TD's

FITCHBURG, Mass. (October 12, 2013) -  The Fitchburg State football team collected its first home victory of the season as it downed the visiting Lancers of Worcester State University, 37-7 in MASCAC action at Elliot Field.

Freshman Garrett Dellechiaie (Leominster, Mass.) sparked the high flying Fitchburg State offense, which amassed 534 total yards on the day, finishing 28-of-38 behind center for 375 yards and four touchdowns. Receivers Ty Spencer (Foxboro, Mass.) and Taylor Wrice (Malden, Mass.) also had solid performances, combining for 21 catches and 260 yards on the day. Spencer ignited the Falcons with ten catches, 149 yards and two scores, while Wrice finished with 11 receptions and 111 yards. Mike Delaney (Marion, Mass.) led all Falcon rushers with 112 yards, one rushing TD and one receiving TD.

Fitchburg State opened the game with a 14-0 lead behind a pair of Spencer (26yd, 46yd) touchdowns, but Worcester State closed the gap with a 16 yd TD catch by Casey Hippert (Douglas, Mass.) at the 8:51 mark of the first quarter.

Both teams continued to battle of the first and second quarters, trading field position until Fitchburg State closed the half with a 9yd TD reception by Phillip Saint-Juste (New Rochelle, N.Y.). Dellechiaie connected with Saint-Juste in the far corner of the end zone to give the Falcons a 20-7 cushion heading into the break.

In the second half it was all Fitchburg State led by the play of Delaney. Delaney cashed in with his first touchdown of the day, a 32 yard run at the 9:05 mark of the third, before sealing the victory with a receiving TD, a 39 yard pass from Dellechiaie. Kicker Christopher Ludwig (Fort Myers, Mass.) capped the scoring with 4:39 remaining as he connected on a 24 yard field goal.

Offensively, Worcester State received a strong effort from Dana Valentine (Roxbury, Mass.), who finished just one yard shy of the century mark. Hipper was also solid with five catches, 73 yards and one score, while quarterback Kevin Bumpus (Bridgewater, Mass.) finished 14-of-35 with 146 yards passing, one TD and two picks.

On the defensive side, the Falcons used a balanced attack, limiting the Lancers to just 232 yards of offense. Elizear Torres (Bronx, N.Y.) and David Dezeme (Fort Myers, Fla.) led the Falcons with five stops and four stops respectively, while Talib Barksdale (Hudson, N.Y.) and Taron Seaforth (Lynn, Mass.) both registered interceptions.

With the victory, the Falcons improved to 3-3 on the season (2-1 MASCAC) and take the first points of the season in the pivotal Sterling Cup rivalry with the Lancers. Worcester State falls to 2-3 on the season and 1-2 in the league.

The Sterling Cup, named for the town of Sterling, was started back in the 1980's to build a traditional rivalry between Fitchburg State and Worcester State. At the end of the spring season, one school is honored with the coveted Sterling Cup trophy, symbolizing dominant success over the opposing school. One point is awarded to the winner in each of the 16 NCAA sponsored sports.

Fitchburg State will be back in action next week as it travels to Western Connecticut State University at 5 p.m. Worcester State will visit UMass Dartmouth on Saturday at 12 p.m.