Burley Leads Gridironers to 38-14 Win over Fitchburg

Box Score

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Senior running back Bruce Burley (Mansfield, MA) rushed for 202 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught a 75-yard touchdown pass, to lead the Bridgewater State College football team to a 38-14 victory over New England Football Conference (NEFC) Bogan Division rival Fitchburg State College this afternoon in Bridgewater.

With the win BSC improves to 2-3 on the season and 1-1 in the Bogan Division.  Fitchburg falls to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in divisional play.

Burley rushed for touchdowns of 48 and 41 yards with the first score giving BSC a 7-0 lead on their first possession.  His 202 rushing yards on the day increased his career total to 1,953 as he moved past Al Colarusso (1,891 yards; 1976-79) into seventh place on the Bears' all-time rushing list.

Bridgewater dominated the first three quarters of play out-gaining the Falcons by a margin of 490 yards to 139 during that span.  BSC, which scored the first 38 points of the game, did not allow a point until midway through the fourth quarter when the outcome was no longer in doubt.

The Bears also scored on their opening possessions of both the second and third quarters as well. Junior wide receiver Jesse Teixeira (Taunton, MA) hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Tyler D'Ambra (Mansfield, MA) to give BSC a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.  Burley rumbled in from 41 yards out on the Bears third play from scrimmage in the opening minutes of the third quarter to increase the lead to 31-0.

Burley caught a screen pass from D'Ambra and rambled 75 yards for a touchdown with 3:56 remaining in the opening half to put the Bears up 21-0.  Sophomore kicker Dave Leombruno (Lakeville, MA) closed out the first half scoring with a 26-yard field goal with just 25 seconds left on the clock.

Leading 31-0 in the third quarter, D'Ambra capped off the Bears scoring as he punched one in from three yards out to finish off a five-play, 68-yard drive.

All told, the Bears rushed for 381 yards and totaled 497 yards of offense.  Along with Burley's big day on the ground, sophomore Jessy Resende (Brockton, MA) added 86 yards rushing on just ten carries. D'Ambra (2-for-6, 2 TD, 1 INT) completed just two passes on the day, but both of those went for touchdowns.

Leombruno converted all five of his extra point attempts and was 1-for-2 in field goal tries.  He is a perfect 20-for-20 in PATs this season and has converted a school-record 33 straight since taking over the placekicking duties in midseason of 2007.  Earlier this season, he broke Brian Gerrish's previous mark of 23 straight set in 2005.

On defense, BSC forced three turnover including a pair of interceptions by sophomore safety John Farroba (North Attleboro, MA) and junior linebacker Jason Flannery (Bridgewater, MA).  For Farroba the interception was his team-leading third of the season.

Junior linebacker John Ferbert (East Bridgewater, MA) led all players with eight tackles (six solo).  Senior cornerback John Bascon (Bridgewater, MA) recorded four of the Bears' ten pass breakups in the game, while sophomore defensive tackle Dean Daley (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ) blocked a first quarter field goal attempt and added four tackles (two solo).

Senior running back Marlon Thornton (Bloomfield, CT) rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons.  He also caught six passes for 75 yards.  Senior quarterback Jim Miller (East Hampton, NY) completed 15 of 41 passes for 206 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Thornton scored on a three-yard run in the fourth quarter while Miller later rounded out the scoring with a one-yard plunge.

Junior safety Dale Whitiredge (Haverhill, MA) led the Falcon defense with seven tackles (six solo), two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.  Junior defensive lineman Steve Witherell (Westchesterfield, NH) also recorded seven tackles (five solo).

The Bears head to Framingham State College next Saturday for another key Bogan Division game with the Rams.  Kickoff is slated for 1 PM.  Fitchburg hosts Coast Guard Academy on Saturday at 1:30