Sports Writer: Brent Cook
August 30, 2023
Despite the blazing heat and a frantic finish, the Whitney Wildcats remained cool, calm and collected Friday night, claiming a 28-21 victory in the season opener at Wildcat Stadium.
The Wildcats squared off with an old Central Texas nemesis, the Troy Trojans, and showed plenty of poise in the back-and-forth battle.
In the end, the Wildcats stood tall as senior playmaker Jairdyn Anderson capped off a highlight reel night by swatting away a last-minute, fourth-down comeback toss to the end zone from Troy.
Anderson’s 200-yard, three touchdown and one interception performance propelled the Wildcats, and Coach David Haynes and crew will attempt to keep the momentum rolling in a rivalry showdown in Hillsboro on Friday.
The Wildcats, the 2022 Bi-District Champions, had the upper hand for most of the contest, but turnovers and missed chances fueled the Troy charge.
Still, the Wildcats’ experience was evident against Troy, and there was no lack of offensive star power, team depth and defensive pressure.
In typical first-game fashion, both teams spent most of the first half picking and prodding, attempting to find the formula to pass the goal line.
The Wildcats moved the ball as quarterback Mason Seely spotted holes in the Trojan secondary and spread the ball around the field to Anderson, Kaden Tanner and Marcus Wilson.
And the defense, led by the likes of David Haynes III, Khyrs Johnson and Hagan Landrum, responded by keeping the Trojans at bay.
Multiple red zone attempts in the early going fell short for both teams, and then the squads traded turnovers.
With a blank scoreboard in the second quarter, Seely picked up the pace and stepped in the pocket, finding Anderson across the middle.
Anderson then iced the Trojan defenders with a pair of jukes and sprinted to a 35-yard score.
Troy fired right back on the next possession with a similar catch-and-run that put the score at 7-7 going into the half.
The third quarter featured a flurry of fireworks as Whitney quickly stalled the Trojans and struck paydirt on its first possession. It was another connection from Seely that sent Anderson dancing to the end zone.
Not to be outdone, Troy tied it back up with an immediate touchdown return on the kickoff. But Anderson had the final say as he found the end zone once again to put the Wildcats ahead for good.
With the score at 21-14, the teams again traded turnovers. This time, two apiece. The pattern was put to a stop as Whitney’s running back combo of David Haynes III and Miguel Figueroa slowed the pace and barreled to the end zone. Figueroa stretched the score to 28-14 at the end of the quarter.
The Wildcats kept running and the defense held strong, but as the clock dipped under five minutes, Troy collected another touchdown. The score sparked a final charge from the Trojans.
Nearing the end zone, Troy faced a fourth-down attempt and Anderson stepped up once again to slap a pass out the air and seal the victory.
The Wildcats will travel to Hillsboro Friday night to face the Eagles. Hillsboro, coming off a trip to the playoffs in 2022, defeated McGregor 28-15 last week with an impressive running attack and stingy defense.
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