By Danielle Achin
Sports Editor
The Framingham State football team secured their first victory of the season in the home opener against St. John Fisher University on Sept. 10.
Despite the Cardinals’ previous victory in an intimidating 62-21 blowout against Buffalo State, the Rams charged the field with determination to win on their home turf.
First quarter opened up with a pair of touchdowns for St. John Fisher putting them up 14-0, but their luck would soon run out.
With less than a minute in the first, wide receiver Manny Lara connected with quarterback Nicholas Goffredo for a 29-yard touchdown for the Rams.
In the second, FSU managed to tack on the single touchdown of the quarter and tie the game 14-14 with a three-yard run from quarterback Noah Leonard.
After a scoreless third quarter, Goffredo opened the fourth with another completed pass to wide receiver Nick Gordon for the touchdown.
Despite the touchdown being revoked due to an unsportsmanlike penalty against FSU, Rams kicker Matthew Farley converted a 22-yard field goal, giving the Rams a 17-14 lead.
With just over eight minutes on the clock, linebacker Dylan DeWolfe recovered a fumble and returned it 43 yards until he was pushed out at the 12 yard line.
This ultimately set the Rams up for another scoring opportunity.
A touchdown run from running back Devaun Ford and another completed kick from Farley left the Cardinals trailing behind 24-14.
With just over two minutes in the game and the Cardinals a few yards shy of the endzone, defensive end Gerell Boyce intercepted St. John’s pass and returned it 20 yards.
At the 1:50 mark, defensive back Luis Sulham completed the three yard run, pushing the lead to 31-14.
The Cardinals managed to add to their score in the last minute of the game, but the game would conclude with the Rams victorious by a 31-20 score.
The home-opener victory proved not only to the other opponents but the Rams as well what can happen when players are in sync with one another.
Lara complimented his team for coming together when they needed to most.
“We did leave a lot of points out there, but the defense came in and did what they had to do,” he said. “Offense came in as well and we played as a team. We did what we had to do.”
Lara said there is a lot of improvement needed on both sides, such as continuing to work as a team and cutting down on penalties, but the team is more than ready to progress.
Captain Cully Curran praised his team for coming back from a slow start and answering with aggression and determination rather than letting defeat set in by the first quarter.
“I really liked the way we responded - it's a great way to respond as a team and it builds confidence going forward,” he said.
Curran said as long as his team comes out “firing on all sides” from the start, they should have no problems moving forward with the league.
The Rams look to capitalize on their victory when they will be traveling to UMass Dartmouth facing off against the Corsairs on Sept. 24