WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 24, 2022) - The Poets stumbled against a strong Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens team Saturday night in their second consecutive home game, falling 59-0.

In the second half, Whittier limited its SCIAC opponent to just 14 points after allowing 45 in the first. 

Poets linebacker senior Enrique Santana stood out, tallying a sack, breaking up two passes and contributing seven tackles, including two for a loss. Last season, the Salesian High School product led the conference in tackles and was named Second Team All-SCIAC.

Fellow senior linebacker Mark Martinez added nine tackles, while junior Paul Lira finished with a tackle for a loss and senior defensive lineman Nicholas Hanamaikai recorded a sack.

On the offensive side, Juan Estrada handled 14 carries for 40 yards, equaling the same number of rushing yards he recorded against the Sagehens Oct. 2 last year.

Freshman quarterback Adam Pinard made his collegiate debut for the Poets, leading the team in completions (three) and passing yards (10).

Poets punter Sean Aldana had a busy and productive night, punting for nearly 400 yards on 11 attempts. This included a 57-yard punt inside the Sagehens 20-yard-line. Aldana, who doubles as a wide receiver, was also part of what would have been the largest Whittier gain of the night. The senior caught a Jonathan Martin pass for 32 yards, advancing to the opposing 35-yard-line, but the play was nullified by an illegal block.

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography