Sport Writer: Brent Cook
October 27, 2021
Whitney to face Maypearl in a must-win matchup…
Following a near upset of the state-ranked West Trojans, the Whitney Wildcats had high hopes heading into last Friday’s showdown with the No. 7 Grandview Zebras at Wildcat Stadium.
But Grandview had different plans. Plans that included a 55-10 victory, which put pressure on the Wildcats’ playoff possibilities. Whitney now sits at 3-5 overall and 2-2 in district with two games to play. At the top of the standings, West and Grandview are both undefeated in district and will square off this Friday for the championship.
The Zebras were a step ahead of the Wildcats from start-to-finish, smothering Whitney’s offense while smoking the defense. When the dust settled, the Zebras prevailed and left Whitney standing on the sidelines, realizing next week’s game against Maypearl will be a must-win contest.
Maypearl has pieced together a solid season so far, sitting at 5-2 overall and 3-1 in district. The Panthers didn’t fare much better than the Wildcats against Grandview when they faced off last month. The Zebras blanked the Panthers 49-0, but Maypearl has since rattled off three wins in a row.
The Wildcats will need to get back on track after dropping two straight matches.
The Zebras set a lightning pace against the Wildcats as they sprinted at the gates. Grandview posted 24 first-quarter points via a variety of methods, including several big plays and a punt return.
The Wildcats eventually found the scoreboard near the end of the second quarter courtesy of a field goal from freshman kicker Carson Griffin. But the Zebras refused to relinquish the momentum and tacked on another score to capture a 34-3 halftime lead.
The second half started the same with Grandview sprinting past the goal line and stretching the lead to 48-3. Towards the end of the third, Wildcat senior Dalton Wooten found a gap and put the end zone on his radar.
Wooten’s 46-yard rushing score would turn out to be Whitney’s lone touchdown on the night. The Wildcat offense finished with less than 200 yards, proof that finding traction against Grandview wasn’t easy.
Wooten, who has starred on both sides of the ball this season, will look to fine tune the chemistry with his fellow seniors and help lead the Wildcats to the postseason. Following this Friday’s game in Maypearl, Whitney will close out the regular season against Dallas Life Oak Cliff at Wildcat Stadium.
The Lakelander 