Whittier rides the air waves
Pena's pass block preserves the win
ARLINGTON -- In an old-fashioned shootout, a defensive play won last night's Division 3 playoff game for Whittier.
With Arlington Catholic quarterback Matt DeOliveira looking for his favorite target, Bryan Stanley, for a 2-point conversion that would have tied the score with less than a minute to play, Whittier safety Jay Pena came flying over the line on a blitz to bat down DeOliveira's pass and seal the Wildcats' 48-46 victory at Arlington High, sending Whittier to the Super Bowl for the first time in school history.
"You don't understand what this has done," said Whittier coach Kevin Bradley. "The school's never had this experience before, and right now we're on top of the world."
Whittier was on top of Arlington Catholic's defense the entire game, as the Cougars managed one defensive stop, stuffing fourth down early in the second half. But save for a short possession just before halftime, the Commonwealth Large champ Wildcats (12-0) scored the other seven times they touched the ball.
Arlington Catholic (9-2) also scored seven times, the last coming on DeOliveira's 11-yard pass to Jonathan Jean-Louis, which gave Arlington Catholic a chance to tie with 48 seconds left.
"Anybody that paid admission got their money's worth," Bradley said, "because they saw an offensive show out here."
Whittier piled up 417 total yards without attempting a pass, averaging almost 9 yards on 47 rushes. The Wildcats run a deceptive Wing-T known as the Diesel, filled with double-handoffs and misdirections, with some power running mixed in.
Pena led the way with 11 carries, 162 yards, and 2 TDs. "We're all a family," Pena said. "We all just hustle. We don't give up."
AC did most of its damage through the air, as quarterback DeOliveira was 16 of 24 for 241 yards and five touchdowns, including three to Stanley.
"[DeOliveira's] ability to read defenses, not make mistakes, not make bad plays, is just incredible," said AC coach Serge Clivio. "If they want to overload one way, he just goes the other."
The night started wrong for Whittier, as AC fell on an onside kick on the opening kickoff. Derek Harmon then hauled it up the middle for a 43-yard touchdown to give the Cougars the lead -- a sign of the scoring to come.
But Whittier couldn't be stopped in the first half, with touchdowns on its first four possessions.
"You can't worry about one guy. You can't worry about two guys," Clivio said. "You have to worry about four guys, and sometimes five guys, who can hurt you in the backfield. They push it and push it and push it."
Whittier will play Medfield in Saturday's Super Bowl.
"Honestly, to tell you the truth," Pena said, "this game's over with. I'm looking at Saturday. This game's done." 