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 even than highly touted running back Brendan O'Neil.
And as dominant as Triton's offense was, 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 (1,149 yards, 20 TDs heading into the game) at the start, Whitman exhibited a strong arm as well as savvy decision-making.
Receivers Mike Foley (4 catches, 39 yards, 2 TDs) and Luke Miller (4 catches, 93 yards, TD) as well as fullback Cody Miller (4 catches, 42 yards) picked apart the defense.
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 (122 yards, 3 TDs)."
Austin Perreault (115 of Pentucket's 196 offensive yards) provided the lone offensive highlight for the Sachems (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.
This was Pentucket's second losing season in the last dozen years.
Triton 28, Pentucket 6
Pentucket (5-6):6âÇâÇ0âÇ0âÇ0 — âÇ6
Triton (7-4):8âÇ12âÇ8âÇ0 — 28
First Quarter
T — Mike Foley 14 pass from Blaise Whitman (Whitman run), 1:12
P — Austin Perreault 70 pass from Mike Doud (pass failed), 0:54
Second Quarter
T — Foley 8 pass from Whitman (kick failed), 4:56
Third Quarter
T — Luke Miller 44 pass from Whitman (pass failed), 0:26
Fourth Quarter
T — Brendan O'Neil 2 run (Foley pass from Whitman), 0:48
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Pentucket (22-75) — Austin Perreault 8-45, Nolan Dragon 6-30, Mike Doud 6-1, Peter Koopman 2-(-1); Triton (41-156) — Brendan O'Neil 24-97, Blaise Whitman 10-41, Derek Paquette 5-9, Cody Miller 1-6, Mike Foley 1-3
PASSING: Pentucket — Doud 5-10-0, 121; Triton — Whitman 12-18-0, 174
RECEIVING: Pentucket — C.J. Lataille 2-31, N. Dragon 2-20, Perreault 1-70; Triton — Luke Miller 4-93, Miller 4-42, Foley 4-39
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