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November 6, 2009

Whittier linemen pound out team's 8th win

It seems the Wildcats always find a way to win.

Case in point? Saturday's game vs. Chelsea. When Whittier's passing game faltered, the Cats were able to rely on their ground game for a punishing 34-13 victory and an 8-0 record.

Whittier had its way in the first half, scoring 22 of its points.

A physical Chelsea squad started making its mark in the second quarter, forcing a turnover, slowing the Wildcat offense and changing field position. On David Cortez' 3-yard touchdown run with 1 1/2 minutes until halftime, the Red Devils drew within nine at 22-13.

"Chelsea was hitting us hard," Wildcat head coach Kevin Bradley said. "They brought it to us, we had a little lull and they took advantage."

But Whitter turned into a less than gracious host, grinding down the second half clock while shackling Chelsea to only 2 yards and 7 1/2 minutes of possession time. Sapping all the tension out of the situation, Whittier easily prevailed in the Halloween battle of unbeatens.

The Wildcats get production from different players each week. This time, the linemen rose to the challenge.

Right-side linemen Jordan Britton, a junior, and sophomores Rudy Ortiz and Ryan Tragakis cleared a steady path whether Don Leighton (game-high 92 yards and a touchdown), Nick Ferreira (39 yards on nine carries), bruising fullback Nate Allen (32 yards and two TDs) or outside threat Paul Buccos (49 yards and a score) got the ball.

"They're hungry and they execute everything week-in and week-out," said Bradley. "They love it when we keep the ball on the ground and they want to pound people; they want to score."

Whittier travels to Manchester-Essex on Saturday. A win there and the Wildcats wrap up the CAC Large title, making it impossible for second-place Greater Lawrence to catch up.

Whittier 34, Chelsea 13

Chelsea (6-1, 2-0 CAC Small):0�Ç13�Ç0�Ç�Ç0 — 13

Whittier (8-0, 2-0 CAC Large):14�Ç�Ç8�Ç0�Ç12 — 34

First Quarter

W — Steve Surette 2 pass from Dillon Ryan (run failed), 8:17

W — Nate Allen 5 run (Nick Ferreira run), 2:08

Second Quarter

C — Nelson Molina 2 run (Juan Martinez kick), 10:54

W — Paul Buccos 17 run (Ferreira run), 5:38

C — David Cortez 3 run (run failed), 1:32

Fourth Quarter

W — Allen 7 run (run failed), 9:30

W — Don Leighton 20 run (dropkick failed), 7:14

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING: Chelsea (33-68) — David Cortez 7-44, Nelson Molina 9-38; Whittier (43-237) — Don Leighton 12-92, Paul Buccos 5-49, Nick Ferreira 9-39, Nate Allen 6-32, Mark Asemota 3-13, Jack Cressy 2-7, Dillon Ryan 3-4, Andy Jacques 2-3, Tyler Thistlewood 1-(-2)

PASSING: Chelsea — Molina 3-8-0, 41; Whittier — Ryan 6-13-0, 61

RECEIVING: Chelsea — Daniel Martinez 2-21, Felix Torres 1-20; Whittier — Surette 5-59, Kobie Green-Jackson 1-2

11 left

After downing fellow unbeaten Chelsea, Whittier (8-0) is one of 11 unbeaten teams left in Eastern Mass.

The others are Abington, Cohasset, Franklin, Gloucester, Holliston, Natick, Reading, Walpole, Westwood and Xaverian.

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Whittier linemen pound out team's 8th win
by Anonymous , , Fri Nov 06, 2009, 01:32 PM EST
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