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Ferreira does it all for Whittier

HAVERHILL — Whittier head coach Kevin Bradley knew he had a natural athlete in senior halfback/linebacker Nick Ferreira — even before Ferreira’s three touchdowns led the Wildcats to a 34-24 victory over Northeast yesterday morning.
Ferreira found the end zone in a variety of ways — a 3-yard run, a 48-yard punt return and a 32-yard interception return.
“If you put the ball in Nick’s hands, he’s a threat anytime,” Bradley said. “You saw it on the punt return, he never fair catches — he’s just dangerous and he’s a very good ballplayer.”
Whittier (3-0) came out firing and never looked back, scoring on the first drive of the game when Dillon Ryan connected with wideout Steve Surette for a 15-yard touchdown pass.
Surette, who has quickly become Ryan’s favorite target, amassed 131 yards and two scores on five receptions, making this the third straight game in which the pair has been able to hook up for two scores and the second-straight game they have connected for over 100 yards.
Northeast (0-3) responded by capitalizing on a fumble deep in Wildcat territory with a 26-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 8-8. But the visitors didn’t score again until the fourth quarter.
Whittier responded by finding the end zone twice more before halftime, on Ferreira’s 3-yard run and a 50-yard Ryan-to-Surette bomb for the pair’s second score of the game.
From there it was all Ferreira. His punt return touchdown came after the Wildcats forced a three-and-out on Northeast’s first drive of the third quarter, and his interception came on the Knights’ second snap of the fourth quarter, putting the Wildcats up 34-8 and prompting Bradley to call in his second string.
“I was just in the right places at the right times,” a humble Ferreira said of his individual performance.
But when asked about his team’s 3-0 start, his humility changed to bravado.
“We’re confident now. Unstoppable. That’s how we feel,” he said.
Likely the same way the Wildcats’ next opponent, 3-0 Lynn Tech, will feel when it travels to Whittier Saturday.
Whittier 34, Northeast 24
Northeast (0-3):    8  0 0 16 — 24
Whittier (3-0):    8 14 6  6 — 34
First Quarter
W — Steve Surette 15 pass from Dillon Ryan, (Donald Leighton run), 9:40
N — Mike Cain 26 pass from Donato DiPietrantonio, (Kladji Pelivani run), 2:40
Second Quarter
W — Nick Ferreira 3 run, (Surette pass from Ryan), 7:01
W — Surette 50 pass from Ryan (PAT failed), 6:00
Third Quarter
W — Ferreira 48 punt return (PAT failed), 8:47
Fourth Quarter
W — Ferreira 32 interception return (PAT failed), 10:45
N — Bobby Novello 68 kickoff return, (DiPietrantonio run), 10:27
N — Novello 22 run, (Christian O’Leary run), 4:31
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Northeast (25-98)  — Christian O’Leary, 10-13, Joey Ginepra 6-13, Kladji Pelivani 4-8, Dan Khun, 3-30, Mike Cain 1-12, Bobby Novello 1-22; Whittier (22-55) — Donald Leighton 7-25, Nick Ferreira 5-20, Paul Buccos 5-8, Dillon Ryan 2-9, Andy Jacques 2-3, Mark Asemota 1-10 PASSING: Northeast — Donato DiPietrantonio 10-20-2, 110 yards; Whittier — Dillon Ryan 6-11-1, 143 yards
RECEIVING: Northeast — Raul Galdamez 2-42, Dan Khun 2-7, Kladji Pelivani 2-4, Mike Cain 1-26, Jerel Hickerson 1-15, Christian O’Leary 1-10, Rory Connerty 1-5; Whittier — Steve Surette 5-131, Mike Davis 1-12