Whitehouse Wins 2 of 3 During Friday Pool Play at the Division I 7-on-7 Football State Tournament

LEANDER -- Whitehouse can no longer call itself undefeated in 7-on-7 this summer, but the Wildcats did what they had to do Friday to get to Saturday's championship bracket.

Whitehouse scored 110 points in its first two games before losing in a close contest to Cypress Ranch to finish 2-1 in pool play and secure a Division I championship bracket berth at Southwest Williamson County Regional Park.

Whitehouse scored at will in its tournament opener, a 60-32 rout of Weslaco, then beat Plano West 48-40 in a shootout.

The Wildcats fell behind 21-6 to Cypress Ranch before coming back in the second half, only to fall a score short, 34-27.

Down 21-6 in the first half, quarterback Patrick Mahomes found Coleman Patterson for a touchdown, but Cy Ranch answered quickly for a 27-12 halftime lead. Whitehouse's Vincent Dunning caught a short touchdown pass and a two-point conversion in the second half to cut Cy Ranch's lead to 27-20, but the Mustangs again had an answer, stretching their lead to 34-20.

Mahomes' 25-yard touchdown strike to Jaylon Dews and a PAT to Ryan Cheatham narrowed the gap to 34-27, but Whitehouse couldn't convert on its final possession after getting a defensive stop.

Nevertheless, the Wildcats' first two wins earned them a shot at the D-I crown. Whitehouse opens championship bracket play at 9 a.m. Saturday against Lake Travis.