The Whitney Wildcats clawed into the playoffs this season and fought until the bitter end during a Bi-District battle last Thursday at Waxahachie’s Lumpkins Stadium.
Facing the District 6-3A champion Palmer Bulldogs, the Wildcats overcame a string of turnovers and kept firing for four quarters, but the comeback effort fell short as Whitney suffered a 41-32 defeat.
The game capped off a successful season where the Wildcats overcame injuries, worked together and developed as a team.
Under the leadership of Coach David Haynes and senior quarterback Mason Seely, the Wildcats rocked and rallied in every game to collect six wins on the season.
The competitive nature of the scrappy squad proved that Whitney’s athletics program continues to excel. The Wildcats have now made the playoffs for four straight seasons.
Against Palmer, Whitney was several costly plays away from advancing to the second round of the postseason.
The game started in Palmer’s favor as Whitney immediately coughed up the ball. The Bulldogs rumbled down the field and scored on the first possession. Whitney responded, though, with a touchdown scramble from Seely.
The teams then went to the air and traded points. Palmer struck first with a 60-yard passing score, while Seely first connected with Kaden Tanner to gain momentum and then to Kobe Haynes for a touchdown.
Tied at 14-14, the defenses stepped up in the second quarter and both teams used turnovers to their advantage. Following two interceptions and a score from Palmer, a Whitney interception set up a short pass from Seely to Haynes that turned into a 65-yard touchdown to close out the half.
Whitney came out in control in the second half thanks to an interception from Jake Lesson. The Wildcats pushed into Bulldog territory and put three points on the board with a 35-yard field goal from Carson Griffin.
Down 24-21, Palmer decided it wasn’t done yet. The Bulldogs drove down the field for a touchdown, grabbing a 28-24 lead and never looking back. Palmer grabbed another interception to close out the quarter and then stopped Whitney on the following possession.
The Bulldogs stretched the lead to 35-24 with just over eight minutes on the clock. Whitney immediately went into comeback mode, and a 30-yard scoring sprint from Delvion Walter and a two-point conversion closed the gap to 35-32.
With half the quarter remaining, the victory was within reach. But Palmer busted to a 50-yard touchdown with five minutes left and then stalled the Wildcats on the following drive to claim the 41-32 advantage.
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