Whitehouse Can’t Contain Ennis Rushing Attack, Falls 34-10

WHITEHOUSE--Whitehouse had no answer.

It seemed whatever Tycen Thompson and James Harris wanted, they got. The Wildcats lost for the second straight game, 34-10 to Ennis in their district 17-5A opener Friday.

Whitehouse's vaunted defense was nowhere to be seen. The Wildcats gave up nearly 400 yards rushing for the second consecutive week as Thompson finished with 160 yards and two touchdowns while Harris had 145 and three scores. The Lions as a whole finished with 399 yards on the ground.

"They did what they wanted," Whitehouse coach Adam Cook said. "They had a couple of big runs, but they were able to get those two or three yards and just chug on. Those were some big 'ol heavy backs. We were right there hitting them, but they're getting two or three yards after contact."

Whitehouse (3-3, 0-1 District 17-5A) wasn't without opportunities. It seemed every time it was in position to score, though, it committed a crucial mistake. Nearing the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats were less than 10 yards away from scoring.

After three dropped passes, they settled for a field goal and their first points of the evening.

In the second half, the Wildcats were once again in the red zone. When it seemed they might score, Bubba Grimes came up with a game-altering interception. He came away with a 63-yard return and a penalty on Whitehouse tacked on 15 more. Ennis (3-3, 1-0) found itself in perfect position to score, putting the game out of reach for good.

"It just seemed like we couldn't get anything going," Cook said. "We tried to get (Clayton) Cook running the ball. He was running out of gas. There was a time where we felt like we could tempo these guys and get them going fast. We just couldn't seem to get into that rhythm."

Fatigue also played a factor in the Wildcats' downfall. A couple of members of the defensive line also played on offense. Midway through the second half, their energy had been sapped. Hands on their hips, it was clear they couldn't continue to chase Thompson and Harris.

"We put that defense out there a ton," Adam Cook said. "Those three-and-outs hurt you. We used Mitchell Melrose and Darius Trimble some on offensive line. Those guys were tired. I don't know how much that affected them on defense. We knew that might happen."

The Wildcats were outgained 451 to 225 Friday night. Clayton Cook was a bright spot, with 77 yards on 16 carries. Kendrion Johnson also came away with a couple of big catches to finish with 43 yards receiving and a touchdown.

The Wildcats will look to regroup for their next matchup against Jacksonville. The game is set to start at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Jacksonville.

"We're in district, so we can't make any excuses right now," Adam Cook said. "We've got to put our best guys out there, try to get the ball in their hands and roll with it. We'll look at this, learn from it and get ready to go after those Jacksonville Indians."

Ennis 34, Whitehouse 10

Ennis              7    13   7    7    --    34
Whitehouse           3      7      0     0    --    10

First Quarter
ENN--James Harris 8 run (Trevor Oakley kick), 8:00.
WHI--Cooper Clemson 25 field goal, 0:59
Second Quarter
ENN--Tycen Thompson 49 run (Oakley kick), 11:11.
ENN--Harris 1 run (XP blocked), 1:35
WHI--Kendrion Johnson 18 catch from Jake Clemons (Oakley kick), 0:18
Third Quarter
ENN--Harris 5 run (Oakley kick), 5:14
Fourth Quarter
ENN--Thompson 6 run (Oakley kick), 11:54

                                           ENN                    WHI
First Downs                             21                       9
Total Yards                             451                     225
Rushes-Yards                   62-399                 24-109
Passing Yards                        52                   116
Comp.-Att.-Int.                6-11-0             12-29-1
Punts-Avg.                         2-37.0               7-35.4
Fumbles-Lost                          1-1                    1-0
Penalties-Yards                     6-70                  3-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Ennis, Tycen Thompson 23-160, James Harris 22-145, Zion Dove 6-31, Kade Graff 6-25, Kyre Holloway 2-23, Stephen Alexander 1-9, Dylan Santos 1-8, Team 1-(-2). Whitehouse, Clayton Cook 16-77, Jake Clemons 5-30, Kendahl Fry 2-(-1), Jaden Haskins 1-3. 
PASSING--Ennis, Graff 6-11-0--52. Whitehouse, Clemons 12-29-1--116.
RECEIVING--Ennis, Thompson 3-23, Holloway 2-14, Trevor Oakley 1-15. Whitehouse, Cameron Cantrell 2-46, Kendrion Johnson 2-43, Jackson Cook 4-8, Clayton Cook 1-8, Kendahl Fry  1-7, Brandon Bullard 1-7, Seth Dolan 1-(-3).