Sanchez leads Whittier to victory

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November 10, 2012

Sanchez leads Whittier to victory

By Christopher Smith csmith@eagletribune.com The Eagle-Tribune The Eagle Tribune Sun Nov 11, 2012, 12:13 AM EST

LYNN — With his team down six points in the fourth quarter, Whittier’s Jesus Sanchez took over.

The running back scored two touchdowns in the fourth to lift the Wildcats to a 30-22 win over Lynn Tech yesterday here at Manning Field.

“Jesus was just hot,” Whittier coach Kevin Bradley said. “And when the game’s on the line, you’ve got to go to your hot guy.”

Whittier led by 10 points entering halftime, but 16 unanswered points by Lynn Tech put the Wildcats down 22-16 with 9:24 remaining.

With his team losing grip of the game, Bradley had a simple plan from that point forward: Feed the ball to Sanchez and let him win the game.

Sanchez carried six times for 58 yards on a seven-play drive in the fourth. He capped off the drive with a 20-yard touchdown dash to tie the score and a successful two-point conversion run to give his team the lead.

That was the first of two touchdowns Sanchez scored in the final quarter.

“He was running hard and running tough,” Bradley said. “And we like that.”

Sanchez added: “When the ball’s called to me, I know I have to make the play. I’m comfortable with it. I feel like I can take the role (at the end of games).”

Whittier ended its two-game losing streak. It had dropped a 44-14 decision to North Shore on Oct. 27 and suffered a 37-12 setback against Shawsheen on Nov. 3.

Whittier was resilient yesterday. The Wildcats fumbled an onside kick during the third quarter and didn’t even run one offensive play that quarter.

But they didn’t let it get to them.

“In the fourth quarter we found ourselves,” Bradley said. “We just flipped it right around quick. ... It speaks very highly about a team when you’ve been kicked around to come back and also just kick them around. We did that.”

Whittier 30, Lynn Tech 22

Whittier (7-3): 8 8 0 14 — 30

Lynn Tech (3-6): 0 6 16 0 — 22

First Quarter

W — Jaylin Deveau 1 run (Jesus Sanchez run), 5:11

Second Quarter

LT — Kennedy Gomes 3 run (run failed), 4:12

W — Justin Reyes 16 pass from Connor Bradley (Robby Gramstorff run), 1:00

Third Quarter

LT — Gomes 4 run (Colon run), 4:00

Fourth Quarter

LT — Gomes 2 run (Colon), 9:31

W — Sanchez 20 run (Sanchez), 5:52

W — Sanchez 2 run (run failed), 0:45

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

RUSHING: W (36-210) — Jaylin Deveau 12-54, Jesus Sanchez 19-129, Connor Bradley 3-13, Robby Gramstorff 1-11, Josh Barton 1-3; L (0-0) — Billy Colon 16-65, Kennedy Gomes 10-88, Charlie Park 1-2, Nelson Figueroa 4-11

PASSING: W — Bradley — 4-5-0, 62 yards; LT — Gomez 1-3-0, 12 yards; Colon 2-7-1, 29 yards

RECEIVING: W — Deveau 1-6, Justin Reyes 2-45, Gramstorff 1-11; LT Colon 1-12, Gomes 1-3, Figueroa 1-26