Falcons Focused On The Present

Courtesy of Chad Garner, Sentinel & Enterprise

FITCHBURG -- There's no time to look at the past.

Right now is the only thing that matters to the Fitchburg State University football team.

The Falcons posted a 6-4 overall record and 5-3 mark in the MASCAC last fall, but none of that matters now.

"Last season is last season, so we're kind of moving on from that," said senior, 6-foot-3, 230-pound FSU linebacker Talib Barksdale during Tuesday morning's Media Day at Elliot Field. "We're trying to get better each and every day of practice. Our mentality is we have nothing to prove, but something to finish.

Former Leominster High star and FSU starting quarterback Garrett DelleChiaie added: "It's a brand new season. We're trying to stay focused, learn our plays and get better every day."

Fitchburg State head coach Pat Haverty says the team has the same goal every year, which includes coming out of camp better than they came in.

Despite starting slow last year, the Falcons found their groove to have a winning season. Haverty knows there's a lot of work left to do in order to improve on last season's results.

"This is a new year, the team has to jell and start all over again," he said. "We'd like to try and put it together faster, but hopefully we improve on it."

A major strength for the Falcons is this senior class, which is being counted on to lead on and off the field.

Line play should be a big key, as both the offensive and defensive lines return quality players.

Offensively, the Falcons have four returning linemen, including Fitchburg's Jamison DiGeronimo, Brendan Coan, Maxwell Schiavone and Robert Braun.

Monty Tech grad Kevin Duong, James Veradt and Jermaine Patterson are the three anchors on the defensive line.

"Experience is huge," Haverty said. "Linemen have to grow into the position. Freshman lineman, on the majority, aren't ready to play yet, and the experience comes with years. It's great to have some experienced guys there."

Fitchburg State's base 4-3 defense is centered around middle linebacker and captain Barksdale.

"He's an aggressive, smart football player," Haverty said. "He's someone that the kids listen to and rally around. He took charge of that defense last year."

Luis Feliz, of Clinton, adds to a strong linebacker group, while Taron Seaforth is Fitchburg's top cornerback. Elizear Torres, a senior, returns at safety.

Like last season, expect Fitchburg's State defense to be aggressive and swarm to the football.

"Without a strong defense, you don't really have a good team," Barksdale said. "We're definitely going to attack and going to make a stand. We're going to attack, attack, attack at all points in the game.

"We're going to play very physical defense and we're going to get after it."

So is the offense, led by sophomore quarterback DelleChiaie.

"We have a lot of returning guys and new pieces to help us out," the former LHS star said. "My goal is to put up a lot of points in every game, so we'll see how that goes."

DelleChiaie is licking his chops to air it out, knowing just how many weapons he has at his disposal.

Fitchburg's two top pass-catchers return: seniors Phillip Saint-Juste (43 receptions, 735 yards, 10 TDs) and Ty Spencer (53-710-8).

"They give me all the opportunities in the world, so I've got to try and get it done," DelleChiaie said.

St. Bernard's graduate Cody Titus has been hampered with injuries for two seasons, but he's healthy now and Haverty is expecting big things from the junior running back.

"We're hoping he stays injury-free," the FSU coach said. "I think he can be a fantastic back if he stays healthy."

The Falcons were picked to finish fourth behind Bridgewater State, Western Connecticut State and Framingham State in the 2014 MASCAC preseason football poll.