Whitworth defense steps up to secure 21-13 playoff win over Pomona-Pitzer

Style points aren’t required in postseason football.

That’s a good thing for Whitworth, which did just enough to hold off the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens in an NCAA Division III opener Saturday afternoon at the Pine Bowl.

The Pirates’ defense was on the field for 81 plays, but Whitworth made stops in key moments, caging up the Sagehens 21-13.

Whitworth (10-1), with its first back-to-back 10-victory seasons, moves on to face No. 1-ranked North Central (10-0) of Naperville, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, next Saturday.

“They defended 81 plays and gave up 13 points. We put them in some really tough situations and they were unfazed and kept battling,” Whitworth coach Rod Sandberg said. “I told the team after the game it was very, very appropriate that the game was won with the defense on the field and the defense creating the turnover.”

Pirates sophomore defensive back Omari Williams, the shortest player on the field at 5-foot-7, stood the tallest when it mattered most, intercepting a pass at the Whitworth 5-yard line with six seconds left.

“Shout out to coach (Mac) Shaw (defensive coordinator). He put us in a great call right there,” Williams said.

The interception came on Pomona-Pitzer’s 13th play on its final possession that began at the Sagehens’ 20 with 2:27 to go. The Bucs had to defend 58 passes.

No wonder the Pirates may have felt like they were on their heels much of the game Saturday. Whitworth’s offense was too inconsistent and had 24 fewer plays than the Sagehens.

The Pirates had a feeling the game could go down to the final play. In a playoff-clinching win last week, Pomona-Pitzer (8-3) rallied from a 28-7 halftime deficit to score the winning touchdown with 28 seconds left in a 37-34 win over Chapman.

“They’re a great team,” Williams said of Pomona-Pitzer. “Nothing came easy for us.”

Williams had 10 tackles and senior linebacker Micajah Weisner had a team-high 13. Junior free safety Daniel McKiernan picked off a reverse pass at the Pirates’ 1 to stop a scoring threat in the first half and senior defensive end Nathan Hummel recovered a fumble at the Whitworth 9 early in the fourth quarter.

It could be argued that the Sagehens outplayed Whitworth in the first half even though the Pirates led 14-10 at the break.

As much as the Pirates talked getting past the 34-7 disappointing loss to Linfield last week, they couldn’t sustain any offensive rhythm. The Sagehens did a good job of stopping the Pirates’ running game. Whitworth managed a season-low 38 yards on 20 attempts.

Like they did a week ago, the Pirates scored on the game’s first possession.

Whitworth needed just five plays before quarterback Ryan Blair tossed a swing pass to fifth-year senior wide receiver Evan Liggett, who got loose up the sideline and outsprinted the Sagehens 42 yards to the end zone.

“I’m just squeezing every last second out of this season that I can,” Liggett said.

Pomona-Pitzer got a 36-yard field goal on its first possession.

Whitworth moved the ball quickly on its second offensive series. Blair found receiver Dawon Tobeck for the first of two touchdowns, a 26-yard TD for a 14-3 lead with 5:35 left in the first quarter.

The Pirates appeared poised to add a third TD on its third possession, but they turned the ball over when they couldn’t convert on fourth-and-2 from the Sagehens 27.

Whitworth wouldn’t score again until early in the fourth quarter.

The Sagehens pressured Blair repeatedly. He completed 28 of 37 for 303 yards and three TDs. Liggett had seven catches for 130.

Whitworth scored the lone second-half TD when Blair hit Tobeck on a 4-yard scoring play. Extending the lead to 21-10 with 14:09 remaining in the fourth.

Pomona-Pitzer’s offense centered around sophomore dual-threat quarterback Grady Russo. He completed 33 of 58 for 358 yards, but the Pirates recorded four key sacks.

Whitworth faces a monumental task next week. North Central has played in the last four national championship games, going 2-2.

Sandberg knows North Central well, having played and coached at nearby Wheaton College.

“We can’t be more than we are – we have to play Whitworth football,” Sandberg said. “For these guys it might be a new environment, but not for me. I played in that stadium 11 times as a player and a coach. I know their program. We’re going to go compete and we’re going to go win the game.”