Worcester State 20, Fitchburg State 10
Worcester, MA --- Sophomore Tony Tokarz (Holden, MA) amassed 253 yards of total offense with a pair of touchdowns to help lead Worcester State to a 20-10 triumph over Fitchburg State in NEFC Bogan Division action at Coughlin Field this afternoon.
With the win the Lancers (1-6, 1-3 NEFC Bogan) end a 10-game losing
streak as their last victory came against Maine Maritime on October
10, 2008. Fitchburg State drops to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in
conference play.
Tokarz finished the contest with 87 yards on the ground and 166 in
the air as he passed and ran for a score. Sophomore teammates
David Bougan (Webster, MA) and Marcus
Price (Worcester, MA/Doherty) along with junior
Nate Starling (Braintree, MA) combined for 27
rushes for 156 yards as Price led the pack with 73 yards rushing.
Junior Jamaal Atkins (Webster, MA) also hauled in
eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown for WSC.
Offensively, Fitchburg State was led by junior Jordan Cannava
(Woburn, MA) who was 20-for-36 passing with 186 yards with an
18-yard scoring strike to senior Kyle Callahan (Stoneham, MA).
Fourth-year Steve Austin (Tequesta, FL) ran for 67 yards on the
ground while junior Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, MA) caught seven
passes for 70 yards.
Third-year Tyler Russell (Princeton, MA) paced the
Lancers on defense with a team-best 11 tackles while senior
Matt McLean (Methuen, MA) had a break-out
performance with 10 stops (3.5 for a loss) with a sack. Junior
Andrew Tokarz (Holden, MA) and fourth-year captain
Steve Melville (Merrimac, MA) each notched seven tackles while
Melville added a sack and Tokarz intercepted a pass in the
end-zone.
Sophomore Will Gasson (Marshfield, MA) collected 10 tackles (2.5
for a loss) with a pair of forced fumbles while freshman Mark
Irvine (Waltham, MA) distinguished himself with 11 tackles and a
fumble recovery. Both players also combined for two pass breakups.
Coming into the contest Fitchburg State had the fourth-best scoring
offense in the NEFC (29.5 points) and through nearly 58 minutes of
play the Falcons were held to just 3 points which were scored on
their first drive which was a 40-yard field goal by Evan
Georgopoulous (Melrose, MA) with 1:40 left in the opening quarter.
Worcester State dominated the running game as they outrushed the
visitors 237-58 and WSC also doubled up the Falcons in total yards
403-244 and first downs 27-13.
Both teams will entertain conference opponents next Saturday. The
Lancers host Coast Guard at noon while Fitchburg State entertains
Mass Maritime at 1:30.