The Whitney Wildcats delivered a first-half warning against the Mart Panthers. Then they issued a powerful second-half statement, proving why they are a Top 10 contender in 3A-Division 1 football.
Overcoming a sluggish start Friday night in Mart, the Wildcats attacked after halftime to blank Mart 40-0 in the season opener. Whitney scored 28 unanswered points in the second half, finishing with 519 yards of offense while holding Mart to 156.
The Wildcats showed both their firepower and depth, with senior TCU signee Kobe Haynes accounting for 419 yards of Whitney’s offense. Haynes, already one of the most accomplished players in Whitney history, completed 14 of 24 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 98 yards and two scores.
Mart forced a Whitney punt on the opening possession, then drove into Wildcats territory. But the defense pounced and a fumble recovery from junior linebacker Bryson McManaway changed the momentum.
On the next play, Haynes threw a strike to connect with senior Ja’Caiden Overstreet for a 72-yard touchdown.
As the clock clicked under a minute in the second quarter, Haynes spotted reliable senior KJ O’Hearn across the middle to set up a 25-yard scoring sprint from the quarterback. The team took a 12-0 lead into the break but had also piled up 11 penalties for 130 yards.
Whitney’s veteran Coach David Haynes told the Waco Tribune-Herald following the game that he responded by having the Wildcats do up-downs at halftime — something he said he had never done in his 18 years of coaching.
The message worked.
Whitney came out of halftime and quickly took control.
The scoring started with a touchdown rush from Edgar Sanchez. A two-point conversion from Haynes put the score at 20-0. Haynes then led the squad down the field and crossed the goal line again.
The Wildcats continued pouring it on in the fourth quarter.
Haynes found O’Hearn, who made a dazzling touchdown dive at the back of the end zone for a touchdown to stretch the lead to 32-0. Then the quarterback threw a downfield bullet to Rex Gatlin for a 55-yard score that slammed the door shut.
Overstreet finished with three catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. O’Hearn caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Gatlin added two receptions for 59 yards and a score. Senior Fisher Watson had four catches for 52 yards.
Whitney’s defense was just as impressive.
Mart managed only 156 total yards, and the shutout was Whitney’s first since 2024. The victory also extended Whitney’s winning streak against Mart to three games. The Wildcats defeated the Panthers 42-8 in 2024 and 63-34 last season.
Mart is a Class 2A Division II program with eight state championships, making the victory another solid early test for a Whitney team carrying unprecedented expectations.
The Wildcats entered the season ranked No. 10 in Class 3A Division I, the highest preseason ranking in school history. Those expectations are fueled by experience. Whitney has returned 19 starters along with 26 seniors.
The Wildcats reached the third round of the playoffs last season, tying the deepest postseason run in school history.
Now they want to go farther.
Whitney will get its next test in a Thursday night showcase against Cameron Yoe at 7 p.m. at Waco ISD Stadium.
Player of the Game
This week’s player of the game is senior Ja’Caiden Overstreet. The versatile receiver finished the game with 140 receiving yards, including a 72-yard score in the first half that put the Wildcats on track for the season-opening victory.
The Lakelander 