If there were one drive which Whiting could have used a mulligan in its 33-6 loss to Monrovia on Saturday in the Class 2A state championship game, it would be the last one of the first half.
The Oilers stopped the Bulldogs on the previous possession, getting a big play from Martin Petruf on fourth-and-2 from the 20. Petruf dropped Jaden Rhea after a 1-yard gain with 2:57 left in the half.
Whiting quarterback Stuart Glascow looked sharp in the opening parts of the ensuing Oilers drive, going 5-for-8 passing.
Then it all came unraveled for Whiting.
From the Bulldogs 19, Glascow threw four incomplete passes. There was also a delay-of-game penalty mixed into the sequence. Trailing 14-6, a golden opportunity to score was wasted.
Whiting coach Jeff Cain agreed it was a turning point.
“That was huge,” Cain said. “We had a chance to get it turned around before the half.”
The missed opportunity loomed even larger when Whiting, which had the ball first in the second half, fumbled on its first possession.
Monrovia’s Jeremiah Welty recovered Glascow’s fumble at the 41.
The Bulldogs finished their eight-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Dalton Smith with 8:25 left in the third quarter.
Whiting, which likes to run the ball, was stymied on the ground. The Oilers finished with 99 yards rushing and just 237 total yards.
Glascow said Monrovia forced his team out of its game.
“They stopped the run,” he said.”They stopped our counters. We had to pass, and they just took it from there.”
Monrovia coach Kevin Hutchins said the Bulldogs were ready for the Oilers’ passing attack.
Whiting threw for 321 yards against Knox in the sectional championship game.
The Oilers, though, prefer to run.
“We worked the whole game to try to put them in a position where they had to put the ball in the air,” Hutchins said. “When that happens, we feel pretty confident.”
Petruf plays big: It was a bittersweet ending for Petruf.
Petruf, who plays tight end and safety for the Oilers, finished with 16 tackles. Fifteen of them were solos. He also caught four passes for 42 yards.
Cain said every time he turned around, Petruf was making a play.
Petruf finished the season with 116 tackles and 48 receptions for 954 yards.
Defense comes through: The 373 yards rushing that Monrovia piled up against Whiting might seem like a big number.
But the Oilers held Monrovia below its season average of 428 yards.
In the first half, after the Bulldogs scored on its second offensive play via a 76-yard run by Smith, Whiting forced Monrovia to punt. The Oilers stopped the Bulldogs twice on downs.
The Oilers just couldn’t capitalize offensively. Three turnovers — two interceptions and a fumble — hurt.
“You need to take care of the ball better than we did,” Cain said.
A good run: Cain wasn’t happy with the way the game played out for his team, but he couldn’t complain about the season.
“This was a great thing for the community, a great thing for the kids and great for me in my career,” he said. “This is not what we wanted to have happen (in the end), but we have a young group. Hopefully, we’ll get better.”
Twitter @MikeHuttonPT
MONROVIA 33 , WHITING 6
Whiting 6 0 0 0—6
Monrovia 14 0 7 12—33
First Quarter
M: Smith 76 run, (Stader kick), 11:17.
W: Davenport 1 run (kick failed), 5:33.
M: Rhea 5 run (Stader kick), 0:23.
Third Quarter
M: Smith 2 run, (Stader kick), 8:25.
Fourth Quarter
M: Rhea 18 run, (kick blocked), 8:04.
M: Williams 1 run, (kick blocked), 5:06.
TEAM STATISTICS
W M
First downs 12 19
Rushes-yards 30-99 57-373
Passing 137 0
Comp-Att-Int 12-25-2 0-2-0
Return Yards (9) (18)
Punts-Avg. 2-35.5 1-40
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 3-15 3-20
Time of Possession 22:11 25:49
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Whiting: Glascow 16-63, Davenport 6-17, Madden 2-12, Alicea 1-3, Petruf 2-3, Valerio 1-1, White 2-3. Monrovia: Smith 13-167, Rhea 19-122, Lee 18-68, Williams 5-22.
Passing: Whiting: Glascow 12-25-2–137. Monrovia: Williams 0-2-0.
Receiving: Whiting: Petruf 4-42, Alicea 3-47, Madden 2-31, Zorich 1-11, Valerio 1-6, Macon 1-0.
