MidValleySports.Com

By Rich Whittington

(Whittier)- The Whittier Christian Heralds used a combination of ball control and big plays to defeat the visiting Torrance Tartars in CIF Northwest Divison first round action at Whittier College on Friday evening.

The Heralds drew first blood, scoring on a 24-yard field goal by Derek Brush. This score came with 5:09 remaining in the first quarter of play.

Towards the end of the quarter, Torrance got on the board when senior quarterback

Jacob Kalama called his own number, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with six seconds left on the clock. The PAT was good, giving the Tartars a 7-3 lead.

Torrance increased its lead to 14-3 when senior Jonathan Heard scored on a blast of 17 yards with 8:01 remaining in period number two.

Whittier Christian responded with a pair of touchdowns to close out the half. The first coming on a 1-yard run by junior running Back David Fischer at the 6:18 mark. The second was a 17-yard scoring pass from Ryan Esslinger to senior wide out Cody Bronkar, with 1:11 remaining. The Heralds when into the locker room leading the contest: 17-14.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Whittier Christian scored first, with 7:06 remaining, when Esslinger sprinted 47-yards for the score. Torrance answered at the 3:34 with a 2-yard scoring run by junior Bobby Wilson. The Torrance PAT attempt was no good, and the quarter ended with Whittier Christian leading, 24-20.

Quarter number four provided even more fireworks. Fischer scored again for the Heralds, this time on a run of 18-yards, with 10:56 remaining in regulation. The PAT was good, giving Whittier Christian the lead, 31-20.

Torrance again closed the score. With 3:19 remaining in the contest, Kamala found senior receiver Malik Brown in the end zone for a 15-yard score. The Tartars added a two point conversion, bringing the score to 31-28. This is as close as Torrance would get.

After Whittier Christian recovered the Torrance onside kick attempt, Fischer scored his third touchdown of the evening…a 47-yard scoring dash which sealed the victory for the Heralds, 38-28.

Torrance finished the season with a record of 5-6, while the Heralds increased their record to 8-3. Whittier Christian will travel to Nordoff next Friday for their second round contest.