DISTRICT 17-5A

Corsicana Tigers (5-3, 3-0)

vs.

Whitehouse Wildcats (5-3, 1-2)

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

 

Coaches

  • Corsicana: Steve Hoffman
  • Whitehouse: Adam Cook

 

Last week

 

Next week

  • Corsicana: vs. Ennis, Nov. 4
  • Whitehouse: at Lindale, Nov. 4

 

Playmakers

Corsicana

  • QB Blake Hoffman, Soph., 5-10, 180 (40 of 64, 673 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs; 53 carries, 188 yards, 3 TDs)
  • ATH Kishawn Kelley, Sr., 6-2, 202 (52 carries, 231 yards, 2 TDs)
  • RB John Woods, Sr., 5-10, 160 (65 carries, 309 yards, 4 TDs)
  • RB Ja'Micha Polk, Sr., 5-6, 160 (74 carries, 303 yards, 1 TD)
  • WR/DB Trevor Denbow, Sr., 6-0, 190 (16 catches, 400 yards, 5 TDs; 52 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 INTs, 6 PBUs)
  • WR DJ Sheffield, Sr., 5-7, 160 (17 catches, 304 yards)
  • DE Caleb Johnson, Sr., 5-11, 220 (67 tackles, 18 for loss, 6 sacks, 2 PBUs)
  • LB Desmond Hawkins, Sr., 5-10, 215 (104 tackles, 8 for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries, 1 INT, 3 PBUs)

 

Whitehouse

  • QB Jake Clemons, Jr., 6-1, 170 (42 of 66, 731 yards, 8 TDs, 1 INT)
  • WR Zach Parker, Sr., 6-1, 190 (38 catches, 610 yards, 7 TDs)
  • WR Fiver Trimble, Sr., 6-2, 170 (28 catches, 346 yards, 2 TDs)
  • WR/QB Tanner Roach, Sr., 6-0, 170 (70 of 123, 963 yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs; 27 carries, 166 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 22 yards, 1 TD)
  • LB Isaac Little, Sr., 6-0, 195 (92 tackles, 11 for loss, 3 sacks, 2 INTs)
  • CB Javier Neal, Jr., 5-10, 155 (51 tackles, 3 for loss, 6 INTs, 3 PBUs, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
  • CB Kaleb Ford-Dement, Sr., 6-1, 175 (30 tackles, 2 INTs, 8 PBUs, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovery)
  • LB Braylon Shackelford, Sr., 5-9, 190 (77 tackles, 7 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery)

 

Just the facts

  • According to the National High School Sports Federation, Corsicana tied a national record and set a Texas mark by playing in its fifth overtime game of the season last week.
  • All five Tigers wins this season have come in overtime. Corsicana lost three consecutive non-district games to Tyler Lee, Lancaster, and Marshall by a combined score of 119-37.
  • Corsicana averages 19.9 points per game, and allows an average of 27.8.
  • The Tigers have not reached the playoffs since 2012.
  • Whitehouse is averaging 27.5 points and 320.3 yards per game -- 98.9 rushing and 221.4 passing.
  • The Wildcats have allowed just 19.5 points per game, while forcing 22 turnovers --- 13 interceptions and nine fumbles.
  • Whitehouse's three losses to Carthage, Ennis, and Jacksonville have come by a combined 17 points.
  • Wildcats quarterback Jake Clemons is 2-0 in starts this season, completing 28 of 43 passes for 530 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in those two games.

 

 

Whitehouse WR Zach Parker. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
Whitehouse WR Zach Parker. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
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Key matchup: Whitehouse passing attack vs. Corsicana secondary. The Wildcats have not been as explosive on offense as they've been accustomed to over the last decade-plus, and the factors are many. Injuries at the running back position, and a revolving door at quarterback have contributed to the drop in production. Whitehouse, which averaged more than 42 points per game from 2012-15, is putting up a little more than 27 per game this season. During the same four-year stretch, the Wildcats averaged more than 470 total yards of offense each game. This season has been a different story with Whitehouse putting up only 320 yards a week. Junior quarterback Jake Clemons got his second start of the season last week, and moved to 2-0 as the Whitehouse starter. He completed 16 of 21 attempts for 277 yards (a season high for the Wildcats) and a pair of touchdowns in a pivotal 27-17 win over Nacogdoches last Friday night. If Clemons is on top of his game, Whitehouse might be able to show glimpses of offenses from yesteryear.

Whitehouse CB Javier Neal. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
Whitehouse CB Javier Neal. (Rob Graham, ETSN.fm)
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Whitehouse has always been a pass-first operation, but the Wildcats have historically been able to have success on the ground. From 2012-15, Whitehouse averaged more than 150 rushing yards per game, but this season, it's been a struggle. The Wildcats come into Friday's game averaging less than 100 yards rushing. No players on Whitehouse's roster have more than three rushing touchdowns on the season, and the team's leading rusher for the year is Ken'tavian McDade, who has just 236 yards. The challenge for Corsicana will be to keep Whitehouse's collection of receivers from having a major impact on the game. So far this season, the Tigers' secondary has done a number on opposing offenses. Corsicana has allowed just one team (Lancaster) to pass for more than 200 yards, while the duo of defensive backs Trevor Denbow and Jarrick Lusk have combined for three interceptions and 11 passes broken up.

Don't be surprised if: Friday's game is low-scoring and decided by one possession. Corsicana has set the national record for most overtime games in a season with five, including all three district wins. Meanwhile, Whitehouse's three 17-5A games have been decided by 10 points or less. Neither offense has performed particularly well in 2016, as Corsicana is averaging less than 20 points per game, and Whitehouse has managed only 62 points total in its three league games.

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