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Whittier can't slug with Northeast

Saturday, October, 08 By Hector Longo

HAVERHILL — And in one morning on the football field, Whittier Tech had its second-half season quest spelled out in front of them.

Saturday morning's disappointment — a 28-6 thumping at the hands of Northeast Tech — clarified the task even further. The Wildcats can't afford another slip-up, and they're going to need some help.

"No team is going undefeated in our league this year," said Wildcats coach Kevin Bradley after his troops absorbed a 28-6 thumping from Northeast Tech. "We have to go back, and get into the hunt, because everyone is going to be knocking everyone else off."

Northeast, the preseason pick of many in the Commonwealth Large after winning back-to-back EMass Division 4A Super Bowls, took it to Whittier from the opening snap.

The Cats, riding a two-game winning streak, just weren't ready for the onslaught.

"(Two first-quarter fumbles) set the tone for the day," lamented Bradley. "Talking to (Northeast coach Don Heres), he said that was the best game they've played all year. You know it's going to be a fist fight when we play each other, and that's what it turned into."

Northeast carried the biggest stick in this rumble, senior Bobby Novello (19 carries, 122 yards) who bludgeoned the Wildcats off tackle, one painful chunk at a time.

Knight TD marches of 70 and 62 yards, everyone inch of which was covered on the ground, surrounded the halftime intermission and busted open a game which had been a manageable 6-0 when the Cats turned it over on downs with 4:47 left in the second quarter.

"Novello's been there for three years now," said Bradley. "His line and the backs blocking for him did a great job, too."

Meanwhile, Whittier just sputtered on offense.

Aside from a fourth-quarter, 61-yard TD burst by Shane Surette, there wasn't much.

Surette did find some life working with shifty senior Andrew McGrath (4 catches, 53 yards), but with Northeast playing keep away (52 offensive plays to 31 for Whittier), the Wildcat chances were few and far between.

"We've just got to get tougher and execute better on both sides of the ball. Continuity was a problem," said Bradley.

"Playing a two-time Super Bowl champion, we needed to see what we could do. It's a good gut check. Now, we'll find out the kids that want come back and play hard when things get bad. The good football players come back with a vengeance."