Whitehouse Takes Big-Play Passing Offense to Mesquite For First-Round Clash With Ennis

Class 4A Division II Region II
Bi-District Playoff

Whitehouse Wildcats (9-1)
vs.
Ennis Lions (8-2)

7:30 p.m. Friday
Mesquite Memorial Stadium

Coaches
Whitehouse: Randy McFarlin
Ennis: Jack Alvarez

Next week: Winner plays Sulphur Springs or Wylie East in a 4A Division II Region II area playoff.

Playmakers

Whitehouse

• QB Patrick Mahomes, Jr., 6-3, 180 (193 of 341, 3,061 yards, 37 TDs, 8 INTs; 85 carries, 222 yards, 6 TDs)
• WR Dylan Cantrell, Sr., 6-2, 202 (52 catches, 1,094 yards, 12 TDs; committed to Texas Tech)
• WR Jake Parker, Jr. (55 catches, 770 yards, 7 TDs)
• WR Coleman Patterson, Jr. (41 catches, 671 yards, 9 TDs)
• WR Jaylon Dews, Jr. (32 catches, 515 yards, 7 TDs)
• FS Justin Dunning, Soph., 6-3, 185 (44 tackles, 5 INTs, 5 pass break-ups, 3 fumble recoveries)
• SS Colby Campbell, Sr. (62 tackles, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble, 1 recovery)

Ennis

• RB Terence Williams, Jr. (185 carries, 1,174 yards, 14 TDs; 9 catches, 286 yards, 4 TDs)
• QB Brandon Adams, Sr., 6-4, 200 (67 of 151, 974 yards, 13 TDs, 5 INTs)
• RB Nick Gabriel, Jr. (118 carries, 698 yards, 11 TDs)
• WR Darby Smith, Sr. (17 catches, 300 yards, 3 TDs; 9 rushes, 139 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Devin Smith (18 catches, 229 yards, 5 TDs)

Just the facts

• Whitehouse junior quarterback Patrick Mahomes passes for a career-high 435 yards and four touchdowns last week in the Wildcats' loss to No. 2 John Tyler.
• The receiving foursome of Dylan Cantrell, Jake Parker, Coleman Patterson and Jaylon Dews have accounted for 88.6 of the Wildcats' receiving yards and 35 of their 39 TD receptions.
• The Wildcats are one win away from tying the school record for wins in a season, set by the 2006 and 2007 teams, which each won 10.
• Whitehouse head coach Randy McFarlin has compiled a 58-42 record in his nine seasons as head coach. In the previous nine seasons, Whitehouse was just 37-55.
• Ennis got off to an 8-0 start has dropped its last two games -- 51-14 to Lancaster and 16-0 to Waxahachie.
• The Lions average 34.9 points per game on offense, while their defense surrenders an average of 20.1.

Key matchup: Whitehouse passing game vs. Ennis secondary. The Lions' DBs haven't been tested the way they'll be challenged Friday night against Whitehouse's pass-happy attack. During the season, Ennis allowed just 110.9 passing yards per game, but the most passes any of its opponents attempted during a game was 32. In contrast, Whitehouse quarterback Patrick Mahomes attempted 57 passes last week, and the Wildcats average 39.4 per game. Almost 75 percent of Whitehouse's total offense comes from its passing game, which averages 344.2 yards per game. And it's not as if Ennis will have to focus one or two options. The Wildcats have four receivers that have at least 32 catches and seven touchdowns. Earlier in the season, head coach Randy McFarlin called this year's group of pass-catchers the deepest he's had in his nine-year tenure with the Wildcats. It'll be up to Ennis' defensive backs to put the clamps on the receivers because even turned-up pressure hasn't fazed Mahomes much. The junior QB was sacked six times and under heavy rush the entire night last week against John Tyler, but still managed to set a career-high in passing yards.

Don't be surprised if: Whitehouse makes a statement to open the playoffs by earning a convincing first-round victory. The Wildcats simply appear to have too many weapons for Ennis to compete against. If Whitehouse gets out to a big lead, it may be hard for Ennis to launch a comeback similar to what John Tyler had last week when the Lions rallied from a 24-point deficit. Ennis is a run-first team, and Whitehouse's secondary has been making big plays all season long with 19 interceptions to their credit.