Staring at a must-win scenario against the rival West Trojans, the Whitney Wildcats (6-4, 2-3) left no doubt about which team deserved the final District 5-3A playoff spot.
The Wildcats dominated the Trojans 38-0 at Wildcat Stadium this past week, extending the season and showing that the team is primed for postseason play.
The game, which was played on Thursday night due to weather concerns, was an epic showdown on paper, but the Wildcat offense scored at will while the defense delivered a season-ending shutout to the Trojans.
Whitney, which has advanced to the playoffs four consecutive seasons, will face the high-scoring Palmer Bulldogs this Thursday night in the Bi-District round. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Lumpkins Stadium in Waxahachie.
Mexia, Grandview and Maypearl will join Whitney in the playoffs to represent the district. Mexia slipped past Grandview last week to claim the district’s top slot.
Palmer is the top-seed from District 6-3A and has a history of postseason success. This year, the Bulldogs have an 8-2 record overall and have won six-straight games to go undefeated in district play. Palmer has outscored its opponents by just more than 200 points.
For Whitney, the Wildcats seemed to have found fire at the right time, as both the offense and defense went into beast mode against West.
Whitney took the opening drive down field for a quick score from Mason Seely, and then the defense answered the call. A pick-6 was erased due to a holding call, but Khrys Johnson repeated the effort to grab another interception to put the ball back in Whitney’s hands. A 25-yard rush from Delvion Walter gave Whitney a 14-0 advantage.
A defensive stop kept the momentum going, and Wildcat Hagan Landrum took the spotlight in the second quarter. After hauling in a 35-yard touchdown pass, Landrum snatched another Wildcat interception.
Up 21-0, Whitney refused to give West any thoughts of a comeback in the second half. Walter made his presence known leading the defense with a forced fumble and tackles for a loss.
The Wildcats padded the lead to 24-0 thanks to a third-quarter field goal for Carson Griffin. Then the offense went big to start the fourth. After a penalty negated a 50-yard touchdown pass, Seely spotted Kobe Haynes for a 63-yard score. The Wildcats then tacked on the final score with a 40-yard pass from Johnson to Haynes.
The defense continued to deny any effort from the Trojans and closed the 38-0 victory with its first shutout of the season.
The Lakelander 