THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Whitney High School Athletics

Whitney High School traveled to Bob Bell stadium Friday night and defeated Oakmont High School 42-0 in Capital Valley Conference play. The Vikings, fresh off their 57-0 homecoming beat down of Bella Vista the previous week, came in with momentum and confidence. But the Wildcats, 35-8 homecoming winners over Ponderosa, had a stingy defense and big-play offense that proved too much for Oakmont. Whitney quarterback Robert Jones hooked up with Justin Kraft on a 34-yard touchdown pass to cap a seven-play, 75-yard opening drive. Nick Eaton aided the drive by hauling in a 24-yard pass. After trading three-and-out’s, the Wildcats defense recovered an Oakmont fumble. Two plays later, Whitney’s Jason Sanchez sprinted down the sidelines for a 33-yard touchdown run. Sanchez finished with 74 rushing yards on 11 carries and a score. “It was nice to get Jason Sanchez in the end zone,” said Whitney head coach Jesse Armas. “He had a nice, big run there.” Oakmont’s attempt to return the ensuing kickoff resulted in a fumble recovered by the Wildcats’ Preston Deruelle. On the very next play, Kraft fully extended for a dazzling 33-yard catch of a touchdown pass from Jones. Kraft ended up with 112 receiving yards on five receptions and three first-quarter touchdowns. “The momentum definitely had a major swing in Whitney’s favor after Justin Kraft’s diving end zone catch,” said Oakmont quarterback Colton Baron. “That one hurt, especially coming from an amazing player.” The next Wildcats’ drive ended with the third Jones-Kraft TD connection in the first quarter, this time from 37 yards out to leads 28-0. Jones finished 9-for-12 for 171 passing yards and four TDs. “In the first quarter, the offense was clicking,” said Kraft. “The (offensive line) was blocking great, receivers were getting open.” Oakmont switched to an up-tempo offense, but totaled only six first downs and could get no closer to scoring than Whitney’s 25-yard line. The Wildcats’ defense collected eight sacks, two by Eaton. The Wildcats made two more trips to the end zone in the second half to finish up the assault. Whitney improved to 4-3 overall (3-1 CVC) while Oakmont dropped to 4-3 overall (1-3 CVC). THIS WEEK Whitney will be at home against Roseville (1-6 overall; 1-3 CVC). The Tigers beat Bella Vista 32-25 for their first win of the season last week. “I’m looking for Roseville to put up a good fight,” said Armas. “They’re going to try to come in and upset us.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Whitney High School Athletics

WILDCATS BACK IN THE RACE WITH WIN OVER OAKMONT

JIM LINSDAU

Placer Herald | 10/18/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Whitney High School Athletics