Pirates chop Oaks, run record to 7-0
Michael Allan set a school record and Phil Entel returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown Saturday as the 11th-ranked Whitworth Pirates rolled to a 26-7 victory over the Menlo Oaks in a Northwest Conference football game in Atherton, Calif.
Allan hauled in a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joel Clark with 1 minute, 48 seconds left in the first quarter to put the Pirates (7-0, 3-0) up 10-0. It was the 25th TD catch of Allan’s career, surpassing the school record set by Sam Adams.
Entel’s interception return came with 8:37 remaining in the third quarter after the Oaks (3-4, 1-3) had pulled to within 13-7. Entel also made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 1-yard line on the final play of the first half.
The Whitworth defense came up with another stellar effort – holding Menlo to 202 yards on offense and surrendering just its second TD in the last 14 quarters.
Cam Collings staked the Whits to a 3-0 lead with a 33-yard field goal at the 11:49 mark of the first quarter. After Allan’s score, Collings added a field goal from 38 yards at the 5:04 mark to give the Pirates a 13-0 lead at the half.
The Oaks opened the second half with their only scoring drive – a two-play, 58-yard march with Tau Faumuina rushing for the first 48 yards and Jihad Mahasin the final 10.
A Clark-to-Kyle Havercroft 27-yard TD pass with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter accounted for the final points.
Clark hit 19 of 33 passes on the day for 255 yards, two scores and an interception. Steve Silva caught eight passes for 83 yards, while Allan finished with four catches for 60 yards.
Whitworth 26, Menlo 7
| Whitworth | 10 | 3 | 7 | 6 | — | 26 |
| Menl8o | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 7 |
WC—FG Collings 33
WC—Allan 28 pass from Clark (Collings kick)
WC—FG Collings 38
MC—Mahasin 10 run (Aiwohi kick)
WC—Entel 70 interception return (Collings kick)
WC—Havercroft 27 pass from Clark (kick blocked)
A—714.
| WC | MC | |
| First downs | 17 | 10 |
| Rushes-yards | 32-63 | 29-133 |
| Passing | 255 | 69 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 19-33-1 | 13-30-1 |
| Return Yards | 103 | 54 |
| Punts-Avg. | 2-41.5 | 8-31.5 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 0-0 | 2-0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 6-30 | 5-54 |
| Time of Possession | 31:27 | 28:07 |
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Whitworth, Nelson 11-40, Havercroft 11-24, Stonemetz 6-10, Team 1-(minus 2), Clark 3-(minus 9). Menlo, Faumuina 9-77, Mahasin 6-48, Souza 4-13, Faria 2-3, Hazel 1-1, Nino 1-1, Parker 6-(minus 10).
PASSING—Whitworth, Clark 19-33-1-255. Menlo, Parker 8-17-1-43, Hazel 5-12-0-26, Souza 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING—Whitworth, Silva 8-83, Allan 4-60, Tully 4-543, Thomas 2-31, Havercroft 1-27. Menlo, Estes 4-29, Marin 3-24, Souza 3-(minus 3), Rodgers 1-9, Mosby 1-7, Milan 1-3.