Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greater Lawrence | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
Whittier | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 14 |
Thursday, November, 27 By Jeff Hamrick
HAVERHILL — A
day that began with Whittier coach Kevin Bradley and his crew clearing
white stuff from the field, preparing for a familiar foe, ended with his
Wildcats joyously making snow angels at midfield.
Facing
Commonwealth Conference rival Greater Lawrence for an unprecedented
third time this season, Whittier wrapped up its trifecta of victories by
a 14-8 count yesterday before a hearty crowd of a couple hundred. The
victory kept alive the Wildcats' slim chances of earning a berth in the
state vocational bowl.
"I didn't think it was going to be this
heavy," Greater Lawrence coach Tony Sarkis said of the snow accumulation
while wearing his trademark short pants. "So we sort of made some
adjustments. We knew it was going to come down to execution and ball
handling ... we knew the team that would play without mistakes was going
to win."
Well, that wasn't quite the case as the Wildcats managed an 8-0 lead at intermission despite four first-half turnovers.
But
a dismal Reggie punt fielded by Jesus Sanchez at the GL 29 set up
Whittier at the 20 late in the opening quarter. Four plays later, Connor
Bradley's 1-yard plunge and conversion pass to Sidney Taylor provided
an 8-0 lead with 10:13 left in the second.
At that point, the
Wildcats (8-3) had run 15 more plays (18-3) than the Reggies. The
touchdown helped atone for Whittier's first possession that lasted 8:21
and traveled 84 yards on 14 plays only to die on downs at the 6.
During
the ensuing two quarters, neither team mounted much offense. Whittier
did run one play at the GL 20 after stopping the Reggies on downs, but
an interception ended the first half.
The Wildcats grabbed a
14-point lead on a drive powered by Sanchez, who took the ball on eight
of the 11 plays while rushing for 44 of the 67 yards, including a 3-yard
burst with 4:59 remaining. Sanchez, who finished with 97 yards on 23
carries, did much of the damage in Whittier's three victories over
Greater Lawrence, rushing for 337 yards and four touchdowns in those
games.
"That was a good senior drive," Kevin Bradley said of the
game-clinching possession. "It's been nice to have (Sanchez). He's worked
and fought hard all year, and there was nothing better than watching
him run. We put it on his shoulders and he took it right down."
Whittier's
defensive front of starting linemen Jarod Lawther, Ralph Francesconi
and nose tackle Robert Burke, stifled the Reggie attack, allowing 141
total yards. Thousand-yard rusher Jeremy Torres was held to 25 yards on
seven carries.
"What we do (offensively) we can do in the rain,
sun or snow," Bradley said. "We've proven it ... We probably made more
changes on defense because we knew (the snow) would eliminate a couple
things from (the Reggies). They just did a great job up front and we
were able to pursue outside."
After compiling only five first
downs the first 43 minutes, Greater Lawrence (7-4) averted the shutout
with a furious three-play, 47-yard drive that included a 32-yard Angel
Martin-Yoel Batista pass — the team's first play longer than 9 yards — and culminated with Martin's 15-yard scoring run with 35 seconds remaining.
But Taylor recovered the onside attempt, effectively ending the Reggies season.
Second Quarter
W — Connor Bradley 1 run (Sidney Taylor pass from Bradley) 10:13
Fourth Quarter
W — Jesus Sanchez 3 run (pass failed) 4:59
GL — Angel Martin 15 run (Yoel Batista pass from Martin) 0:35.1
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: GL (32-102) — Martin 15-49, Shane Dunn 8-32, Jeremy Torres 7-25, Ojay Billiard 1-8, Team 1-(-12); WT (37-133) — Sanchez 23-97, Taylor 5-15, Bradley 4-14, Robby Gramstorff 2-4, Josh Barton 3-3
PASSING: GL — Martin 3-13-0, 39 yards; WT — Bradley 7-15-4, 106
RECEIVING: GL — Batista 1-32, Torres 1-5, Tyler Purpora 1-2; WT — Sean Thibodeau 4-93, Gramstorff 3-13
57 River Rd.
Andover, MA 01810
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Team | League | Overall | PF-PA |
---|---|---|---|
Whittier | 5-0-0 | 9-3-0 | 336-175 |
Greater Lawrence | 1-3-0 | 6-4-0 | 218-162 |
Shawsheen | 0-1-0 | 0-1-0 | 14-39 |
Greater Lowell | 0-2-0 | 0-3-0 | 38-90 |
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