2009 Football News

March 1, 2010
Schammel joins football staff as new o-coordinator
Head football coach BJ Hammer and Director of Athletics Robert Coleman announced the hiring of Gregory Schammel as the new offensive coordinator. Schammel joins the Poet staff after coaching with Claremont-M-S in 2009.

March 1, 2010
Whittier lands seven on SCIAC All-Academic Team
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2009 All-Academic Team and the Poets had seven student-athletes recognized by the conference. A total of 82 student-athletes garnered the award from the seven SCIAC programs.

January 5, 2010
Season Review: Tough '09 builds Poets for '10
A year of injuries and heartbreak saw the Whittier College football team fall a mere 16 points shy of completing the program’s first winning season since it captured the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in 1998. Despite the difficult season the Poets still placed five on the all-conference team and took another step towards being a contender in the SCIAC.

December 1, 2009
SCIAC names five Poets to all-conference team
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its 2009 all-conference teams and the Poets were honored with a total of five student-athletes who garnered a spot on the first or second-team.

November 14, 2009
Ollison grabs three scores but Tigers beat Whittier
Junior wide receiver Josh Ollison had five catches for 116 yards and three touchdowns but it wasn’t enough as Occidental reclaimed The Shoes for the second consecutive year with a 44-23 win over the Poets on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 1191 at Memorial Stadium.

November 7, 2009
Stags stun Poets with late touchdown
Claremont-M-S freshman quarterback Patrick Rooney and senior wide receiver Nick Marineau stunned the Whittier College football team on Saturday evening with a six-yard hook up just 19 seconds after the Poets scored what appeared to be the winning touchdown in a wild 21-17 game at Memorial Stadium.

October 31, 2009
Poets run past Leopards to first SCIAC win
The Whittier College Poets handed the University of La Verne Leopards their 6th overall loss and 4th in SCIAC play 34-21 in front of a raucous crowd of 576 as Whittier College controlled the afternoon on both sides of the ball.

October 24, 2009
Whittier falls to Sagehens on homecoming weekend
The Whittier College defense forced four turnovers, which includes three interceptions, and held Pomona-Pitzer to just 4-of-13 conversions on third down but it wasn’t enough as the Sagehens escaped Memorial Stadium with a 15-7 win in front of a homecoming crowd of 1441.

October 17, 2009
Poets stymied in 31-point loss to Redlands
The Whittier College football team dug itself in a hole it couldn’t get out of Saturday evening at Ted Runner Stadium. The Poets were outscored 34-7 in the second quarter as the No. 25 Bulldogs won their third-consecutive game over WC in the 98th meeting between the two programs.

October 10, 2009
Poets even record with 21-6 win over Chapman
The Whittier College football team got back on track on Saturday evening with a 21-6 win over Chapman University at Ernie Chapman Stadium in front of a standing room only crowd of 4,496.

October 3, 2009
WC falls to Cal Lutheran on the road, 45-14
For the ninth consecutive game Whittier couldn’t figure out Cal Lutheran University. The Kingsmen jumped out to a 21-point halftime lead and rolled to a 45-14 win in the CLU’s and WC’s Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Mt. Clef Stadium.

September 29, 2009
Boehm named to D3football.com Team of the Week
Brandon Boehm accomplished a first for the Whittier College football program. On Tuesday evening he was recognized as a member of the D3football.com Team of the Week after his performance against Menlo College on Saturday, September 26.

September 26, 2009
Poets suffer setback to Menlo, 28-24
Menlo College went a perfect 3-of-3 on fourth-down conversions which includes a 14-yard pass from Nick Ruhl to Kenny Cavness with under 1:30 to play in the fourth quarter to seal a 28-24 win for the visiting Oaks and spoil the 100 year celebration of Whittier football on Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.

September 17, 2009
Schilling named SCIAC Athlete of the Week
The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its Athletes of the Week on Thursday afternoon and senior running Paul Schilling was honored as the first male honoree of the year. Schilling helped guide the Poets to 31-28 victory over Sul Ross State (Texas) in the team’s season opener on September 12.

September 12, 2009
Poets win opener, 31-28, over Sul Ross State
Sophomore quarterback Alesana Sausau and senior running back Paul Schilling combined for 347 yards and four touchdowns as they led the Whittier College football team to a 31-28 come-from-behind victory over Sul Ross State on Saturday morning at the Socorro Athletic Complex.

September 9, 2009
Football, others, lend hand in cancer awareness
September is ovarian cancer awareness month and the Whittier College football team has partnered with the Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Greater California to promote awareness and help the organization raise money.

September 9, 2009
Football 2009 Position Preview: Secondary
Although the Poets could see two new faces starting in the secondary on September 12 it could very well be the most experience position on the defensive side of the ball. Whittier returns two starters and welcomes in a pair of transfers who have plenty of collegiate experience.

September 8, 2009
Football 2009 Position Preview: Linebackers
Senior linebacker Brandon Boehm led the Whittier defense in 2008 as he was the team’s top tackler and garnered a spot on the All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference second-team. The 2009 season should be no different for Boehm with the return of all three linebackers from last year’s squad.

September 7, 2009
Football 2009 Position Preview: Defensive Line
Junior Ryan Kirkpatrick played in all nine games in 2008 and recorded 19 tackles with three for loss and one sack. He is the lone returning starter to the defensive line but he won’t be without experience as the Poets have a host of lettermen contending for time in the trenches.

September 6, 2009
Football 2009 Position Preview: Offensive Line
The heart of the offense for the Poets lies up front where Whittier welcomes back all five returning lineman from last year. The purple and gold averaged 131 yards per game on the ground with a four-yard per rush average and had one all-conference selection.

September 6, 2009
Football 2009 Position Preview: WR/TE
The receiving core for the Poets could be the most experienced skill position on the offensive side of the ball. Whittier returns two of its top receivers from 2008 in sophomore Josh Ollison and junior tight end Chris Delgado and the addition of three transfers makes this group one of the most talented on the entire Poet roster.

September 5, 2009
Football 2009 Position Preview: Backfield
In 2008 the Poet football team rushed for 1179 yards and 13 touchdowns with 920 yards and 10 scores coming by way of graduated senior Anthony Pomponio. Whittier will have to replace 78 percent of its ground offense but the purple and gold is confident the ground could once again be the strong point of the offense.

September 4, 2009
Football 2009 Position Preview: Quarterbacks
In 2008 the Whittier College football team lost starting quarterback Matt Castaneda to injury just four games into the season. Now the Poets lost Castaneda for the year as an injury over the summer has sidelined the junior signal caller for the 2009 campaign.