PREVIEW: Whitehouse Seeks 3-0 With Melissa Upcoming

Whitehouse Wildcats (2-0)

vs.

No. 9 Melissa Cardinals (2-0)

7:30 p.m. Thursday
Wildcat Stadium, Emory

Coaches

Whitehouse: Marcus Gold
Melissa: Seth Stinton

Last week

Whitehouse def. Chapel Hill, 37-6
Melissa: def. Frisco, 63-48

Next week

Whitehouse: idle
Melissa: vs. Trinity Christian, Sept. 21

Players to watch

Whitehouse

WR Cameron Cantrell, Sr., 6-1, 175 (3 catches, 59 yards, TD; 2 carries, 20 yards; committed to Texas Tech)
RB/LB Peyton Kennedy, Jr., 5-11, 190 (7 carries, 59 yards, 4 TDs; 29 tackles 3 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT)
WR Kendrion Johnson, Sr., 6-3, 190 (11 catches, 296 yards, 2 TDs)
DL Darius Trimble, Sr., 5-11, 250 (11 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack)
QB Flint Herrington, Sr., 6-0, 165 (38-of-60, 542 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT)
CB/OLB Chaez Spurlock, Sr., 5-10, 180 (16 tackles, 1 for loss, 0.5 sacks, 1 pass defended)
WR/DB Kendahl Fry, Sr., 5-8, 170 (17 catches, 140 yards 2 TDs; 1 tackle for loss)
LB Michael Raabe, Sr., 5-11, 210 (17 tackles, 4 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 INTs)
RB Jaden Haskins, Sr., 5-7, 155 (18 carries, 81 yards)

Melissa

QB Brendon Lewis, Jr., 6-3, 195 (28-of-43, 439 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs; 27 carries, 237 yards, 5 TDs)
RB/LB Ja'Bray Young, Jr., 5-10, 208 (35 carries, 369 yards, 3 TDs; 4 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD)
WR Kenneth "Junior" Castleberry, Sr., 5-11, 170 (4 catches, 113 yards, 1 TD)
WR/DB Kennedy Lewis, Sr., 6-4, 195 (5 catches, 69 yards, 2 TDs)
DL Collin O'Neal, Sr., 6-1, 210
RB/DB Champ Mapps, Jr., 5-8, 175

Just the facts

Whitehouse coach Marcus Gold is 2-0 in his inaugural season with the Wildcats thus far.
Whitehouse has won its two games by an average of 26.5 points.
Wildcat senior Cameron Cantrell is committed to play for Texas Tech next fall, the same school his brother Dylan, now a receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers, played.
Melissa quarterback Brendon Lewis already had more than 600 total yards this season (439 passing and 237 rushing).
Melissa advanced to the regional final game in 4A Division-II a season ago.
The Cardinals scored a combined 105 points in their first two games.
Wildcat receiver Kendrion Johnson's 296 yards account for 54.6 percent of quarterback Flint Herrington's passing yardage.

Key matchup: Whitehouse defense against the Melissa offense. The Cardinals offense has shown the fireworks early. They boast dual-threat quarterback Brendon Lewis, whose speed makes him difficult to defend. Michael Raabe has been Whitehouse's best bet at getting in the backfield thus far, with four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. His ability to slow down Lewis will have a great impact on the Wildcats' success in slowing this offense.

Whitehouse will also need to stop Ja'Bray Young, who has rushed for more than 300 yards and also proven himself a viable receiver. Kennedy Lewis' 6-foot-4 frame also makes him a threat in the red zone, and he has two touchdowns so far. It's clear the Whitehouse defense faces a challenge, but if it can get a few stops in this game, it will have a shot at victory.

Don't be surprised if: Kendrion Johnson and Flint Herrington have a connection. Johnson has been Herrington's favorite target through the first two games, though Cameron Cantrell did not play against Chapel Hill. Only Kendahl Fry's 17 receptions are more than Johnson's 11. Johnson has also accounted for more than 50 percent of Herrington's passing yards. Although these numbers are likely to go down as the season goes on, a it's clear there is a chemistry between these two.