A New Whieldon Gives Lancers an Old Feeling

Orange Lutheran senior Jon Talmage caught 12 passes and scored three times Thursday night against Troy, and each time he touched the ball he experienced a feeling of deja vu.

That’s because Lancer quarterback Casey Whieldon was filling the shoes of his older brother--Jason Whieldon, The Times’ Orange County back of the year last season.

Of course, it’s way too early in his career to tell if Casey Whieldon, a sophomore who learned just three days ago that he was going to start the game, will be as successful as Jason, who passed for 2,844 yards and 40 touchdowns last season. But he got a good start Thursday in the Lancers’ 35-14 nonleague victory at Brea Olinda High.

The younger Whieldon completed the first nine passes he attempted--all but one of them to Talmage--and before the Warriors (1-1) knew what hit them, Orange Lutheran (1-1) had a 21-0 first-quarter lead.

In all, Casey Whieldon completed 14 of 18 pass attempts for 182 yards and three touchdowns. He also was the Lancers’ leading rusher with 75 yards in nine carries. Talmage’s 12 receptions were good for 160 yards and included touchdowns of five, 15 and six yards.

“They are pretty similar,” said Talmage, who also made seven point-after-touchdown kicks. “Casey has the touch and so does Jason. I thought Casey did a great job tonight.”

Troy, which beat Katella, 50-20, in its opener last week, may have underestimated the Lancers, who struggled on offense in a 14-7 loss to No. 7 Newport Harbor.

Big mistake. Orange Lutheran’s backup quarterback, Brent Concolino sent an early message, returning the opening kickoff 92 yards to the Warrior five-yard line. Whieldon passed to Talmage for a score on the next play and the Warriors were in for a long night.

Orange Lutheran Coach Jim Kunau cautioned against drawing too many conclusions about Whieldon based on one game. But he admitted Thursday’s performance may raise a few eyebrows.

“He was very poised, very focused. He did not get rattled,” Kunau said.

Orange Lutheran’s defense was also tough, sacking Jordan Oliver three times and intercepting one of his passes.