Whitehouse Looks To Avoid 0-3 Hole In District When Wildcats Host Ennis

DISTRICT 16-5A

Ennis Lions (3-2, 2-0)

vs.

Whitehouse Wildcats (3-2, 0-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Wildcat Stadium, Whitehouse

Coaches

• Ennis: Jack Alvarez
• Whitehouse: Adam Cook

Last week

• Ennis: def. Nacogdoches, 57-26
• Whitehouse: lost to Lufkin, 52-45

Next week

• Ennis: vs. John Tyler, Oct. 17
• Whitehouse: at Corsicana, Oct. 17

Playmakers

Ennis

• DE James Lockhart, Sr., 6-4, 253 (committed to Texas A&M)
• WR Donta Thompson, Sr., 6-5, 205 (21 catches, 414 yards, 6 TDs)
• QB Devin Smith, Sr., 5-10, 155 (43 of 62, 820 yards, 8 TDs, INT; 31 carries, 131 yards)
• RB Taylor Thompson, Sr., 5-9, 160 (60 carries, 376 yards, 7 TDs; 12 catches, 257 yards, 2 TDs)
• RB Tre Elliott, Jr., 5-11, 205 (60 carries, 312 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Desten Johnson, Sr., 5-9, 160 (9 catches, 205 yards, TD; 3 carries, 27 yards, TD)
• LB Ke'idre Edwards, Sr., 5-10, 190
• S Marqus Monroe, Jr.

Whitehouse

• S Justin Dunning, Sr., 6-3, 200 (41 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 INTs, PBU, fumble recovery; committed to Texas A&M)
• CB Nate Brooks, Sr., 6-0, 160 (29 tackles, 3 INTs, 5 PBUs; committed to North Texas)
• RB/LB Dominique Hollie, Sr., 6-1, 225 (31 carries, 186 yards, 7 TDs; 34 tackles, 2 for loss, forced fumble, 2 recoveries)
• RB Vincent Dunning, Sr., 6-0, 203 (89 carries, 476 yards, 3 TDs; 4 catches, 18 yards)
• QB Jackson Allen, Sr., 6-2, 175 (119 of 219, 1,463 yards, 13 TDs, 5 INTs; 24 carries, 65 yards)
• WR Trent Williams, Jr., 6-3, 185 (31 catches, 414 yards, 4 TDs)
• RB/WR Shemar Smith, Jr., 5-8, 165 (17 carries, 124 yards, TD; 19 catches, 293 yards, 2 TDs)
• LB Dillan Klein, Sr., 6-1, 210 (38 tackles, sack, 2 QB pressures)

Just the facts

• This is the second meeting between Ennis and Whitehouse, which earned a 42-32 win in the bi-district round of the 2012 playoffs.
• Whitehouse lost to Mesquite Poteet in last season's Class 4A Division II regional semifinal, while Ennis defeated Poteet in the next round.
• Ennis is averaging 38 points and 399.2 yards per game -- 209.4 rushing and 189.8 passing.
• Ennis lost its first two games of the season to Mansfield Timberview and Denton Guyer, who are a combined 8-2.
• Ennis is allowing 27.2 points and 379.8 yards per game -- 219.6 rushing and 160.2 passing.
• Whitehouse is averaging 41.6 points and 483.4 yards per game -- 190.8 rushing and 292.6 passing.
• The cumulative record of Whitehouse's five previous opponents is 14-11.
• Whitehouse has not begun district 0-3 since 2000.

Key matchup: Whitehouse passing game vs. Ennis secondary. Through five games this season, it's pretty apparent that in order for Whitehouse to win games, they need to do so in shootouts. While its defense struggled in last week's 52-45 loss to Lufkin, the Whitehouse offense came through with perhaps its most complete effort of the season to date. Using a lightning-quick uptempo approach on offense, which resulted in 95 offensive plays (58 in the first half), Whitehouse was able to roll up more than 600 yards of total offense. The Wildcats had trouble in the first and third quarters on offense. Whitehouse turned the ball on each of its first two possessions of the game, which resulted in an early 14-0 deficit. And in the third quarter, a ball-control Lufkin offense played keep-away, allowing for just four offensive snaps and no points for Whitehouse. But the Wildcats were able to cut down what was a 21-point deficit at the beginning of the fourth quarter to just a one-score game on two occasions, making Lufkin earn every bit of its victory last Friday night.

Whitehouse quarterback Jackson Allen had his most productive game of the season against Lufkin, passing for 402 yards on 44-of-64 completions. He spread the ball around to 10 receivers, but most of the balls went to the quartet of Eric Munoz, Shemar Smith, Drew Smith and Trent Williams. Munoz led the way with 14 catches, followed by Shemar Smith (eight), Drew Smith (seven) and Williams (six). For the season, Allen is averaging nearly 300 passing yards per game, while the pass-catching foursome of Munoz, Shemar Smtih, Drew Smith and Williams has been responsible for 86 percent of the team's receptions, 93 percent of the receiving yards and 100 percent of the scoring receptions. Just as impressive as Whitehouse's gaudy passing numbers last week was the performance of senior running back Dominique Hollie, who broke out with a 115-yard, five-touchdown effort vs. Lufkin. Starting running back Vincent Dunning, who sat out the first few series, leads the team with 476 rushing yards and three touchdowns. So when Whitehouse is at full strength in the backfield, the Wildcats' offense has the potential to score on any team in lines up against.

Don't be surprised if: Ennis applies a steady amount of pass-rush Friday night. The Lions have one of the top defensive ends in the country in senior James Lockhart, a Texas A&M commit. John Tyler's pass rush played a big factor in Whitehouse's 52-17 loss two weeks ago, limiting Allen to an off-night -- 12-of-34 passing for a season-low 147 yards and season-high three interceptions. John Tyler didn't always have to bring extra rushers to apply pressure on Allen, but when they did, the Whitehouse quarterback found the going rough. Expect Ennis' defense to come into Friday's game with a similar game plan. Ennis may not have John Tyler's physical corners, who made life difficult on Whitehouse's receivers for most of the night, but that may not matter if Ennis' pass-rush is able to break through Whitehouse's wall of protection. Whitehouse used its experience in the loss to John Tyler to speed up their already fast tempo on offense, which limited the effect Lufkin's defensive front had on the Whitehouse passing game. Expect the Wildcats to do the same this Friday night.