Whitehouse Takes Undefeated Record into District 16-4A Matchup at Jacksonville

Whitehouse Wildcats (6-0, 1-0)
vs.
Jacksonville Indians (3-3, 1-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday
The Tomato Bowl, Jacksonville

Coaches
Whitehouse: Randy McFarlin
Jacksonville: Chris Taber

Last week
Whitehouse: def. Lindale, 56-24
Jacksonville: def. Nacogdoches, 35-29

Next week
Whitehouse: vs. Nacogdoches
Jacksonville: at John Tyler

Playmakers

Whitehouse

• QB Patrick Mahomes, Jr., 6-3, 185 (114 of 183, 1,686 yards, 18 TDs, 4 INTs; 43 carries, 196 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Dylan Cantrell, Sr., 6-3, 205 (34 catches, 637 yards, 7 TDs; committed to Texas Tech)
• WR Jake Parker, Jr. (31 catches, 481 yards, 4 TDs)
• WR Coleman Patterson, Jr. (27 catches, 369 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Jaylon Dews, Jr. (22 catches, 328 yards, 5 TDs)
• FS Colby Campbell, Sr., 6-0, 185 (36 tackles, 1 forced fumble)
• S Justin Dunning, Soph. (24 tackles, 3 INTs, 1 fumble recovery)
• OL Keagan Smith, Sr., 6-1, 295
• OL Hunter Conn, Sr., 6-5, 290
• CB Nate Brooks, Soph. (20 tackles, 2 INTs)

Jacksonville

• QB Carter McCown, Soph. (42 of 70, 621 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs)
• ATH Dadrian Franklin, Sr., 6-1, 180 (47 of 76, 744 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs; 51 carries, 281 yards, 2 TDs; 15 catches, 253 yards, 1 TD)
• WR Darrell Minifee, Sr., 5-11, 160 (34 catches, 422 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR/CB Londedric Taylor, Sr., 5-11, 170 (14 catches, 341 yards, 5 TDs)
• WR Cory Holman (14 catches, 214 yards, 3 TDs)
• WR Kedarrius Buckingham, Sr., 6-4, 190 (14 catches, 154 yards, 2 TDs)
• RB/LB Shakil Mosely, Sr., 5-9, 180 (38 carries, 194 yards, 3 TDs)
• RB Stacey Cummings, Jr., 5-10, 170 (26 carries, 119 yards, 1 TD)
• RB/LB Bryson Haywood, Sr., 5-11, 190
• S LaDarius Session, Sr., 6-1, 190

Just the facts

• Whitehouse averages 42.7 points per game and allows 21.7.
• Jacksonville averages 29.2 points per game and allows 29.0.
• Whitehouse is 6-0 for the first time in program history.
• Both teams have played Carthage and Marshall.
• Whitehouse beat Carthage 29-27, while Jacksonville beat Carthage 34-30.
• Whitehouse beat Marshall 60-14, while Jacksonville beat Marshall 40-7.
• Jacksonville holds a 12-8 series lead vs. Whitehouse since 1988.
• Whitehouse has won seven consecutive meetings vs. Jacksonville.

Key matchup: Whitehouse's receivers vs. Jacksonville's secondary. This may seem like a broken record to a lot of you. It seems like ETSN.fm pinpoints Whitehouse's passing attack vs. its opposition's defensive backs as the key matchup every week. Well, until somebody finds a way to slow down -- much less stop -- Whitehouse's high-powered passing attack, that's gonna be a huge factor in every game the Wildcats play. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the perfect dual-threat spread quarterback who thrives on improvisation. Combining him with four receivers who averaged at least 54.7 receiving yards per game apiece makes Whitehouse's offense borderline unfair. Jacksonville could present an interesting challenge. The Tribe has a lot of proven veterans playing in the defensive backfield, so the Indians could have a better chance at slowing down the Wildcats than most other teams who have faced them. Still, that's a very tall order, and nothing that Mahomes and company have shown of late makes you think that Whitehouse will be slowing down anytime soon.

Don't be surprised if: Jacksonville pushes Whitehouse for a while, but can't keep pace with the Wildcats' offense. Not even Sulphur Springs, which averages 44.5 points per game and scored 71 a week ago in a win at Mount Pleasant, could keep pace with Whitehouse, which beat Sulphur Springs 38-33 in September. Win or lose, Jacksonville could prove its mettle in this contest. A solid showing would solidify the Indians as a playoff contender after John Tyler and Whitehouse, the two teams that appear to have a stranglehold on the top of the District 16-4A standings. With Nacogdoches winless, Lindale 1-5, and Corsicana struggling, too, Jacksonville could prove that its ready to grab that third spot. Of course, the Tribe could pull off another big upset -- like the season opener at Carthage -- behind sophomore standout Carter McCown and turn up the heat on the district race.