RallyNorth.net

Whittier cools off Charlestown

Saturday, September, 08 By Bob Albright
Staff writer

HAVERHILL | On the difficulty meter you would have to rank the job of corralling Charlestown's elusive quarterback Jonathan Turner in 93-degree temperatures yesterday somewhere just above trying to catch Red Sox hurler Tim Wakefield with a Little League mitt.

But clinging to a precarious lead in the final seconds of its opener was indeed the task for the Whittier Tech defense and in particular Jeff Beauregard. The Whittier linebacker sacked the slippery quarterback to finally put Whittier's wild 36-32 win over Charlestown in steamy Haverhill in the books

"Coach sent me on the blitz and I blindsided him," said the senior from Lawrence of his momentous sack of the guy who had eluded countless Wildcat tacklers while rushing for two scores and passing for three more. "He didn't see me coming. I think that's why I got him."

With that sack and an ensuing pass incompletion on fourth down, the defending Commonwealth Conference champs inked win No. 1 of 2007, winning a war of attrition with the spirited visitors in a game that went nearly three hours largely due to the steady flow of players who were forced to the sidelines with leg cramps and other heat related ailments.

How hot was it? The Whittier cheerleaders had to call it a game at halftime and Whittier trainer Eric Crovetti got a rousing ovation by the entire team after the game for the way he prepared them for the soaring temps.

The undermanned Townies, who dressed just 26 players, were the ones who seemed to feel the oppressive temps most while veteran Wildcat coach Kevin Bradley utilized nearly his entire roster, subbing more than 20 players in and out of his offensive line alone.

"In the course of the game, we used just about everyone," said Bradley whose postgame instructions to the team were to find the nearest tub and load it up with ice to lower their soaring body temperatures.

Leading 22-20 at the half, the Wildcats looked to capitalize on their stamina and numbers advantage as they put together a monster 14-play, 63-yard drive that chewed up the entire third quarter and culminated with sophomore Bryan Trickett's (15 rushes, 124 yards, 2 TDs) 9-yard score. Trickett's two-point conversion made it a 30-22 game.

While it appeared to be the knockout punch, Turner wasted little time picking his team up off the sweltering turf and answering back with a 31-yard pass play to keep things close.

After Trickett's second score of the half with just 3:20 left to play, the Charlestown QB shredded the Wildcat secondary once again on a quick 31-yard scoring strike. But with Whittier driving the ball inside the Charlestown 30 with just a minute to go, it appeared that the Wildcats finally had things in hand, but a fumble on the 24-yard changed all of that.

"We were feeling pretty good at that point," Beauregard confessed. "But Coach is always running a 'sudden change' drill with us where no matter where we are, even in the locker room, we have to get our pads back on and get back on the field as fast as possible, so we were prepared for it."

The Wildcats rushed for 303 yards on the game to dominate the clock behind Trickett, Matt Miles (62 yards) and junior Tyler Page (42 yards). Whittier also made the most out of its lone pass attempt.

After watching the athletic Turner wriggle out of what should have been a 20-yard loss on a fumble only to reverse the field on a 64-yard scoring jaunt to put the Townies up 20-14 right before the half, Whittier answered in a hurry.

On the very next play from scrimmage, Wildcat quarterback Mike Gertz hit Craig Eaton on a perfectly thrown 59-yard bomb. After Page plowed in on the conversion, the Wildcats were headed out of the sun and into the cooler confines of their locker room, up 22-20.

With so many new faces on this year's team, Bradley was pleased with the way so many of those younger players responded in the worst of conditions.

"These kids learned under fire today," said Bradley. "I'm very proud of them. In the heat like this, and a game like this, to be able to learn and find a way to win is something. You're asking a lot out of kids who have not played varsity football. But they all stepped up and got the win."