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Whittier rolls, readies for playoffs

Thursday, November, 27 By Mike McMahon
Staff writer

HUDSON — After yesterday's 33-0 win over Hudson Catholic, Whittier's players, coaches, parents, and cheerleaders gathered at the 30-yard line and the rallying cry was clear.

"Super Bowl!" the group shouted in unison. 

Whittier pounded the ball on the ground, rushing for 305 yards in a tune-up for Tuesday night against Amesbury, who downed Newburyport to clinch a berth. 

Defensively, it marked the Wildcats' fourth-straight shutout. Whittier hasn't given up a point in the last 293:34. The last point surrendered was a touchdown to Shawsheen's Cory Foss in the second quarter on Oct. 25. 

"We obviously wanted to keep everyone healthy, we also wanted to shake off all of the rust," said head coach Kevin Bradley, whose team finished the regular season 9-2. "We want to be playing our best football right now and I think we're close. We're going to get right back at it, because Tuesday comes quick." 

The Wildcats welcomed the return of Bryan Trickett, who missed last week's win over Lynn Tech and carried the ball just once against Minuteman on Nov. 8. Trickett rushed for 74 yards (on just 5 carries) and a touchdown to bring his season totals to 755 yards and 17 touchdowns. 

"That was everyone's big question; will Bryan be back," said Bradley. "He needed to get out there today and shake off some of the rust, too. He's obviously a tremendous weapon for us. We have a lot of backs that we can run and they all compliment each other. Bryan is a talent, and he's an important piece of the puzzle for us back there. He's also a player on the defensive side of the ball as well." 

Whittier spread the ball to nine carriers. Junior Andy Jacques led the charge with 79 yards on four carries against a Green Wave team that had just 17 players on its roster, including a seventh and eighth grader. There are roughly 100 students at the co-ed school. 

"It was nice to get some younger guys in there," Bradley said. "You never know when you might have to use those guys and they need to be fresh. Andy ran the ball great today, Nate Buck had a good game too." 

Junior quarterback Dillon Ryan was sharp, completing six of 13 passes for 177 yards. To close out the first half, Ryan led the Wildcats 80 yards in under a minute. He completed three of four passes on the drive for 70 yards before capping it with a 10-yard scamper. 

"He's such a worker," Bradley said. "Here's a kid who we started as a sophomore, and sort of just threw him into the fire because we knew he could take it. He's obsessed with getting better. He's at camps; he's working all the time. He's got a heck of an arm, he's a good baseball pitcher too, and is a great kid to coach." 

Tuesday's playoff battle will take place in Lowell, at Cawley Stadium. Bradley's challenge now is keeping the next four days as normal as possible. 

"It's a quick turnaround but we need to stay focused," he said. "We'll be back at it (this morning) watching film and then we hit the field. The week needs to stay normal. We'll be going at it in full gear. 

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