No. 6 Whitehouse Takes High-Flying Offensive Attack to Hallsville

No. 6 Whitehouse Wildcats

vs.

Hallsville Bobcats

7:30 p.m. Friday

Bobcat Stadium, Hallsville

Coaches

• Whitehouse: Adam Cook
• Hallsville: David Plunk

Last season

• Whitehouse def. Hallsville, 35-18

Next week

• Whitehouse: vs. Chapel Hill (in Tyler), Sept. 5
• Hallsville: at Van, Sept. 6

Playmakers

Whitehouse

• QB Patrick Mahomes, Sr., 6-3, 200 (committed to Texas Tech)
• WR/S Justin Dunning, Jr., 6-4, 200
• LB Reggie Long, Sr., 5-10, 205
• CB Nate Brooks, Jr., 5-11, 150
• WR Jake Parker, Sr., 6-0, 165
• WR Coleman Patterson, Sr., 6-1, 180
• WR Jaylon Dews, Sr., 6-0, 160
• S Chris Reese, Sr., 5-10, 155
• RB Vincent Dunning, Sr., 6-3, 195
• CB Isaiah Burton, Sr., 5-8, 160
• RB/LB Dominique Hollie, Jr., 6-1, 215
• DT Kostin Wallace, Sr., 5-11, 340

Hallsville

• ATH Macailyn Wilder, Sr., 5-9, 155
• WR Andre Jones, Sr., 5-10, 165
• OL Trey Gillespie, Jr., 6-2, 240
• LB Tyler Martinez, Sr., 5-11, 200
• DB Dewayne Johnson, Jr., 6-1, 195
• WR Jamil Young, Jr., 6-0, 180
• QB Stephon Dunn, Sr., 5-10, 190
• TE Travis Teodorczyk, Sr.
• RB/LB Khalil Sneed, Jr.
• WR/DB Jaylon Kerby, Jr.
• WR Jacob Walker, Jr.
• OL Logan Bailey, Jr.

Just the facts

• Hallsville leads the all-time series with Whitehouse 25-8-1, but the Wildcats have won the last five meetings.
• Whitehouse has eight starters back from an offense that averaged 45 points and 476.3 yards per game in 2012.
• The Wildcats won 10 games last season for just the third time in school history. Whitehouse's three 10-win season have occurred within the last seven years.
• Whitehouse has four players with at least one FBS offer -- Mahomes, Long, Justin Dunning and Brooks.
• Adam Cook takes over the Whitehouse program for the school's all-time winningest coach Randy McFarlin, who compiled a 59-43 record nine seasons.
• Hallsville has made the playoffs four times in head coach David Plunk's eight years on the job. But the Bobcats have not won a playoff game since 2003 against Adrian Peterson and Palestine.
• The Bobcats' two district losses in 2012 were by a combined 12 points.
• Hallsville averaged 30.9 points per game a season ago, while allowing 24.3.

Key matchup: Whitehouse receivers vs. Hallsville secondary. Three of the Wildcats' top four receivers and their quarterback from 2012 return, so containing big plays through the air will be key for Hallsville defensively. Parker, Patterson and Dews combined for 150 receptions, 2,266 yards and 26 touchdowns a season ago. The trio figures to improve upon those numbers in 2013 after the graduation of Texas Tech signee Dylan Cantrell (66 receptions, 1,396 yards, 15 TDs). With Mahomes' strong arm and accuracy and his receivers' penchant for getting open and making things happen after the catch, the pressure will certainly be on Hallsville's defensive backfield.

Johnson might be Hallsville's top player on defense and has the size and speed to cover lots of ground. Kerby and Jecori Clayton are also capable defenders who figure to matched up in several one-on-one situations. Sometimes, a heavy pass rush can be the secondary's best friend. Hallsville was able to apply pressure in last season's opener as the graduated defensive end Coby Bradford finished with five sacks. But with Bradford gone, the responsibility of containing Whitehouse's lethal passing attack falls more on the shoulders of the secondary.

Don't be surprised if: Whitehouse attempts to sprinkle in a sizeable dose of running back Vincent Dunning to keep the Hallsville defense honest. Dunning, who missed half the season a year ago, was a hard man to bring down when on the field. If Whitehouse can establish the run, that might take some of the pressure off Mahomes and the passing game, which could make the Wildcats' offense even more difficult to stop. The Wildcats' bread and butter is still its spread passing attack, so don't expect a complete change of offensive philosophy.

The bottom line: if Whitehouse can protect up front, the Wildcats shouldn't have any problem putting points on the board. Even after being sacked five times a year ago, Mahomes still managed to toss three touchdowns in the offense's 35-point output. It's going to be hard for most defenses to contain Whitehouse this season, and the Wildcats looked great in their scrimmage with Mount Pleasant last week.