PREP FOOTBALL / Special Pullout Section : Whittier Knocks Out Western : DIVISION VI

The stadium lights at California High School emitted a dull glow that gave the impression they had been there since the Johnson Administration.

That’s how long it has been since Whittier has been to a Southern Section final, but with a 24-12 victory against Western Friday in front of 4,500, the Cardinals will be in their first final since 1964, when they defeated Loyola, 21-14.

Friday night’s game was Western’s first appearance in a playoff semifinal.

Whittier (9-4) plays the winner of tonight’s game between Valencia (11-1) and Savanna (10-2) for the section title next Saturday.

The dull glow also prevented Western Coach Jim Howell from seeing the action clearly on the field, but he saw enough.

“That’s probably as much as we’ve ever been manhandled in my 15 years at Western,” Howell said.

Whittier’s rock, its defense, limited Western to 228 yards of offense, but 120 of those yards came in the final three minutes, when the Cardinals were playing their second team.

“They’re the most physical team we’ve played,” said Brandon Brennan, who completed 13 of 28 passes for 197 yards and had one intercepted. “I got hit after every ball, They’re just strong.”

It was a rough night for Brennan, the county’s second leading passer, who got hammered on his first four pass attempts. He did not complete a pass until 1 minute 39 seconds remained in the first half.

Western (8-4-1) trailed in its previous two playoff victories, but this time, the Pioneers faced a team that was simply stronger, better and more prepared. Twice this week Whittier added a morning practice to their schedule to ready itself for the Western offense.

The Cardinals gained 377 yards, including 300 on the ground.

Each team scored in the second half. Whittier went 70 yards to open the third quarter, and Marques Robinson caught a 50-yard pass from Brennan with 2 minutes 10 seconds left in the game.

Kourtney Dean rushed 21 times for 156 yards to lead the Cardinals. He had 109 in the first half, and needed only nine carries to break 100 yards.

Whittier recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff at the Pioneer 36 took a 3-0 lead on Steve Olivas’ 27-yard field goal.

After Jason Covarrubias’ 56-yard punt, Whittier drove 92 yards in only six plays, with quarterback Bryan LaVigne scoring on a rollout from 12 yards.

The Cardinals stretched the lead to 17 on Gus Sanchez’s four-yard score with 1:39 left in the first half.

Whittier held a huge edge offensively in the first half, outgaining Western, 229-74. Fifty-five of Western’s yards came on the final drive before halftime, when the Pioneers recovered a squibbed kick at their 45 and scored eight plays later on Jason Covarrubias’ acrobatic 11-yard catch in the end zone with 13 seconds remaining.

Brennan was successful out of shotgun formation during the drive, completing six of seven passes for 48 yards. Prior to the drive, he had been 0 for 6 with an interception.