Fitchburg's Red Raiders are doing something right.

Byline: Fred Sullivan

The axiom is that you do not remove the king from his throne until the king has been soundly defeated. Therefore, the Brian Vayda-led Warriors of Tantasqua Regional High School have to remain on the top of the T&G's basketball poll as we enter February.

The Division II defending state champions have rolled to a 14-0 record as they seem to be priming themselves for a rematch at WPI against the potent Bernardians of Coach Mark Pierce.

The Warriors have now won close to 40 consecutive contests as they steamroll through the South County. Only a late-season date against an excellent Doherty High five would seem as a barrier for a perfect regular season.

The Warriors are very good, as the faithful of St. Bernard's can truly attest, and Vayda's overall game gives the Warriors a real shot in any contest. But one does have to question their powder-puff schedule.

Next on the T&G poll would have to be the Pioneers of St. John's who have been kicking some serious butt in recent contests.

With David White and John Perron beginning to bank upon the very large presence of one Matt LaBove and younger brother, Chad, the Bob Foley squad seems to have placed itself at the head of the field in Division I.

When March rolls around, the top division in boy's basketball with the likes of Marlboro, Doherty, Wachusett Regional, Leominster and Holy Name could be very interesting. But St. John's, after a rather slow December, seems to be gathering momentum as tourney time approaches, and the history of St. John's and their storied member, Bob Foley, has to make them favorites in D-I, and No. 2 in our Telegram & Gazette poll.

But you may have noticed that I have excluded one basketball team from my analysis of the T&G early February poll.

That would be the Red Raiders of Fitchburg High School. Coach Paul DiGeronimo and his Red and Gray five, or should I say eight or nine, have had quite a week for themselves as they knocked off arch-rival Leominster and Mid-Wach A rival Wachusett Regional in very convincing fashion.

It is that "convincing fashion" which must have gained the attention of Bobby Foley and others because it did get noticed by Steve Dubzinski of LHS and Tom Gibbons of WRHS, who were seriously manhandled by Fitchburg's swarming full court pressure and serious rebounding on both the offensive and defensive backboards.

When you defeat an excellent Blue Devil squad with kids like Tyler Strange and Bobby Goldsby, 81-60, and then come back...

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