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Whitman arms Triton in convincing win over Pentucket

Friday, November, 27 By Chuck Frye
Staff writer

BYFIELD — Triton simply had too much of everything.

With a physical front line as an imposing foundation, the Vikings totally controlled the line of scrimmage yesterday against Pentucket and, in turn, time of possession. From there, sophomore quarterback Blaise Whitman became a multi-dimensional weapon, more effective than highly touted running back Brendan O'Neil.

And as dominant as Triton's offense was, keeping the Sachem offense on the sidelines, the defense kept Pentucket's running game in check and kept quarterback Mike Doud running for his life. In a swiftly moving Thanksgiving Day contest before an announced crowd of 1,731, the Vikings rolled to a convincing 28-6 victory.

"It all comes down to the basics — getting stronger and getting off the ball," said Pentucket head coach Steve Hayden. "That's the way it goes."

Eschewing O'Neil and his 1,000-yard rushing resume at the start, Whitman exhibited a strong arm as well as savvy decision-making. Receivers Mike Foley (four catches, 39 yards, two touchdowns) and Luke Miller (four receptions, 93 yards, one TD) as well as fullback Cody Miller (four catches for 42 yards) picked apart the defense, finding holes in the flats and along the sidelines or creating their own when covered tightly.

Whitman also mixed things up by running the option, showing strong speed around the corners in a 41-yard effort to go with his 174 aerial yards. Adding O'Neil's workmanlike 97-yard, 24-carry day, the Vikings owned the pigskin for almost 30 of the game's 44 minutes.

"I didn't expect them to throw quite as much as they did," Hayden explained, "but I think after they saw the North Andover tape ... North Andover threw quite a bit on us."

The Knights riddled the Sachem secondary for 69-percent passing efficiency and three touchdowns 11 days ago and Whitman hit on 67 percent of his passes (12 of 18) yesterday.

Austin Perreault (115 of Pentucket's 196 offensive yards) provided the lone offensive highlight for Pentucket (5-6). One play after Foley's first TD reception late in the first quarter, Perreault took a midrange pass from Doud (5 of 10, 121 yards), stiff-armed his way past safety Whitman, and sprinted the 70-yard distance to the end zone. The 8-6 deficit was the closest Pentucket would get the rest of the way as Triton (7-4) scored on four of its six possessions.

"(Triton) made a commitment to get more physical and they've done that," Hayden concluded. "I just hope our kids enjoyed their season and still have a happy Thanksgiving."

Additional stories:

• Whitman arms Triton in convincing win over Pentucket