Chapel Hill Seeks First Win Versus Whitehouse Since 2011

Whitehouse Wildcats (1-0)

vs.

Chapel Hill Bulldogs (1-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium, Tyler

Coaches

• Whitehouse: Adam Cook
• Chapel Hill: Thomas Sitton

Last week

• Whitehouse: def. Hallsville, 28-15
• Chapel Hill: def. Wills Point, 26-9

Next week

• Whitehouse: at Carthage, Sept. 9
• Chapel Hill: vs. Tatum, Sept. 9

Playmakers

Whitehouse

• QB Tanner Roach, Sr., 6-0, 170
• LB/RB Khyree Key, Sr., 6-2, 243
• LB/RB Braylon Shackelford, Sr., 5-11, 190
• WR/LB Isaac Little, Sr., 6-0, 195
• DB/WR Javier Neal, Jr., 5-10, 155
• WR/DB Zach Parker, Sr., 6-1, 185
• WR/DB Seth Dolan, Jr., 6-0, 155

Chapel Hill

• RB Andrian Miner, Sr., 6-0, 178
• LB Kaleb Golden, Sr., 6-2, 195
• RB/DL DeCorian Horton, Sr., 5-6, 206
• DL Donaven Dotson, Sr.
• DB Jaden Mayfield, Sr., 5-10, 160
• FB/LB Jaylon Redwine, Sr., 5-6, 166
• LB Jordan Williams, Sr., 5-11, 185
• RB/DB Ladarian Hudson, Sr., 6-0, 185

Just the facts

• Friday's meeting is the annual installment of the Chapel Hill-Whitehouse rivalry.
• Chapel Hill is a Class 4A Division I program. The Wildcats participate in Class 5A competition.
• For the involved seniors, Whitehouse is 3-0 against the Bulldogs the past three seasons. However, two of the past three games have been decided by 10 points or less.
• Chapel Hill's last win against the Wildcats came in Week 2 of 2011.
• Whitehouse's win Friday snapped a seven-game losing streak -- all losses came against 5A opponents.
• The Bulldogs have not missed the playoffs since 2012 while Whitehouse has not been to the postseason since 2013.
• The towns of Whitehouse and New Chapel Hill are separated by 9.5 miles.

Key matchup: Chapel Hill's defensive front versus Whitehouse's running game.

The Wildcats play a very similar style to Texas Tech, which is why it's so fitting Patrick Mahomes II is now that university's starting quarterback. They're going to air the ball out and supplement high-percentage passing with a group of physical running backs that will rotate in and out all through the game.

Chapel Hill is built well to defend Whitehouse's passing attack. It never seems to have a shortage of players with the size and speed to play out on the perimeter, and many of them turn around and play as receivers once on offense.

Both teams have advantages and disadvantages relative to the game's key matchup.

The Bulldogs have to understand they'll probably give up some big passes while Whitehouse should understand it is always pressing its luck going for big plays against good coverage.

But heavy Wildcats running backs Khyree Key and Braylon Shackelford, who both can double as linebackers, plus a set of athletic backs can take away some the offensive risk by effectively running the football.

Chapel Hill has not recently had the size along the front to compete with Whitehouse in the running department. That has been its biggest undoing in head-to-head meetings since 2012.

Linebackers Kaleb Golden and Jaylon Redwine are heavy enough this go-around to slow the roll of Key and Shackelford. Still, it's going to take a complete effort from the Bulldogs' whole defensive front to turn the table.

Don't be surprised if: Turnovers dictate the outcome of the game. Whitehouse often lives on the edge. That's the nature of its offensive strength and thus its offense.

If the Wildcats' running game is successful, however, Chapel Hill is going to have to work extremely hard to jar the ball loose as well as play at the top of its game offensively.