Whieldon Helps Orange Lutheran Overwhelm Sunny Hills

When Orange Lutheran took the field against Sunny Hills Friday, one thing was certain: the Lancers were going to win.

It remained to be seen which Lancers would triumph, the undefeated Orange Lutheran bunch or the once-beaten Sunny Hills crew.

The first quarter was barely over and the estimated 1,200 spectators at Brea Olinda High had their answer. Orange Lutheran steamrolled their second Freeway League opponent in three weeks with a 46-0 victory. (They had previously defeated Troy, 50-21.)

Next week Orange Lutheran will find out how good it really is when fifth-ranked Woodbridge visits Thursday. “They are a great team,” Lutheran Coach Jim Kunau said. “We’ve got to work really hard in practice, then come here and try our best.”

Sunny Hills Coach Tim Brogden, who watched Lutheran roll up 382 yards in total offense (to Sunny Hills’ 190) has a message for Woodbridge. Don’t take Lutheran lightly.

“Tonight was the worst defeat I’ve ever been a part of,” Brogden said. “The score is not indicative of how bad it was.”

He’s right, because it could have been worse. Lutheran quarterback Jason Whieldon passed for 223 yards and four touchdowns before leaving the game midway through the third quarter. He also rushed for a game-high 79 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown run for Lutheran’s first score.

Two scoring passes went to wide receiver Ryan Nath, back this week after missing a game with a groin injury. His first touchdown, with 1:11 left in the first quarter was a killer--a 94-yard pass play in which Nath, running a deep post pattern, hauled in Whieldon’s throw at the Lutheran 46 and outran defender Corey Achay to the end zone.

That play gave Lutheran a 14-0 lead and Sunny Hills never recovered. Lutheran scored on its first four possessions for a 27-0 lead at halftime, and added 19 more points in the third quarter.

Brogden had feared Lutheran’s offensive explosiveness and had stressed all week the need for his team to control the ball as much as possible. Sunny Hills was going to run the ball all game if it had to, and it did run the ball much of the night.

“We had to limit their opportunities on offense,” Brogden said. “They run the option very well. And Whieldon’s passes are like 30-yard handoffs; the ball is thrown so soft, so pretty, and usually only where his receivers can get it.

“After going up against Brea, a very physical and talented team, we felt we matched up better with Orange Lutheran. But we had to be the physical team; we had to make them make tackles. Even so, if we can’t disrupt their offense, we’re in deep trouble.”