mwynn05
11-11-2006, 05:04 PM
NACOGDOCHES - Whitehouse lost its bid to finish district play unbeaten.
With pleasure, it seems.
The Wildcats pulled key starters during crunch time of their District 12-4A finale, helping result in a 21-13 loss to Nacogdoches on Friday night at Dragon Stadium.
Only one point separated Whitehouse and Nacogdoches when standouts like quarterback Brady Attaway and running back/cornerback Jimmy Kennedy - among the players the Wildcats have counted on most this season - left early in the third quarter.
From the sideline, Attaway, Kennedy and others watched the rest of a game in which a loss might have served the Wildcats better than a win would have.
That's because Whitehouse had already locked up its first district title in almost 30 yards and a win would have placed the Wildcats in the Division I postseason, where they would have faced top-ranked Texas High in the opening round.
Now, Whitehouse (8-2, 6-1) will be the district's top seed in Division II. The Wildcats will face Mount Pleasant in the first round.
The Texas High challenge now goes to Nacogdoches (6-4, 5-2), which certainly accepts it with open arms after advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 1992 with the victory and Marshall's win over Kilgore.
Whitehouse's loss came on a night when standout running back/linebacker Luke Shivers watched in street clothes. It wasn't clear why Shivers didn't play, but the senior has been fighting an injury for the past few weeks.
His absence on defense helped Nacogdoches win the total-yards battle 335-194. Most of it went to quarterback Justin McAninch (12-of-12 for 225 yards and two touchdowns passing), running back Kammeron Rhodes (31 rushes for 152 yards and a score) and receiver Mervin Dudley (eight catches for 145 yards and a score).
Whitehouse's Attaway completed nine of 18 passes for 76 yards and rushed for a touchdown in the first half - during which, defense ruled.
The teams combined for only 13 points in the half, which ended with Nacogdoches leading 7-6.
Dragons receiver Tyson Young made a spectacular catch of a McAninch pass - over the coverage of Whitehouse's Kennedy - before stepping off the necessary yards for a 42-yard touchdown with 2:14 remaining.
About five minutes earlier, Whitehouse's Attaway capped a 37-yard drive - which began after Nacogdoches punted from its own 2, due to a 20-yard loss on a fumbled snap - with a 1-yard TD run. But the PAT kick was blocked, giving Nacogdoches an opportunity to rally in front with only one score and a kick.
In the third, Nacogdoches extended its lead to 14-6 when McAninch found Dudley for a 24-yard score with 3:47 showing. It came right after the Dragon Stadium public address announcer told the crowd that Marshall was leading Kilgore with time running out, much to the delight of the Nacogdoches fans - who may have cheered the announcement just as much as the score.
Though completely by accident, Whitehouse actually had a chance to tie the game with time running out in the fourth quarter.
Backup quarterback Ace Estrella pulled the Wildcats to within 21-13 with 2:17 left on a 5-yard score following a Nacogdoches fumble. Then the Dragons fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give Whitehouse the ball at the Dragons 9 with 1:56 remaining, but a personal and false start helped push the Wildcats back.
Then an Estrella pass attempt to the end zone fell incomplete as time expired.
---
Nacogdoches 21, Whitehouse 13
At Dragon Stadium, Nacogdoches
Whitehouse 0 6 0 7 - 13
Nacogdoches 0 7 7 7 - 21
Second Quarter
WHI - Brady Attaway 1 run (kick blocked), 7:08
NAC - Tyson Young 42 pass from Justin McAninch (Daniel Camacho kick), 2:14
Third Quarter
NAC - Mervin Dudley 24 pass from McAninch (Camacho kick), 3:47
Fourth Quarter
NAC - Kammeron Rhodes 2 run (Camacho kick), 10:08
WHI - Ace Estrella 5 run (Paul Metzner kick), 2:17
WHI NAC
First Downs 9 20
Rushes-Yards 22-80 41-110
Passing Yards 114 225
Comp.-Att.-Int 12-23-0 12-21-0
Punts-Avg. 8-39.5 3-34.3
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 4-2
Penalties-Yards 6-55 5-21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING - Whitehouse, Ace Estrella 10-62, Jimmy Kennedy 5-18, Brady Attaway 1-1, Marco Hernandez 3-(minus 1). Nacogdoches, Kammeron Rhodes 31-152, Waylon Murray 6-3, Justin McAninch 4-(minus 45).
PASSING - Whitehouse, Attaway 9-18-0-76, Estrella 3-4-0-38; Nacogdoches, McAninch 12-21-0-225.
RECEIVING - Whitehouse, Alex Fleming 2-35, Asher Williams 2-14, Ryan Miner 2-14, Heath Mayo 1-26, Kennedy 1-7, Chris Caldwell 1-5, Seth Cashion 1-1, Paco Saenz 1-(minus 1); Nacogdoches, Mervin Dudley 3-145, Tyson Young 2-55, Nick Page 1-23, Logan Lanier 1-2.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17453819&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=374749&rfi=6
With pleasure, it seems.
The Wildcats pulled key starters during crunch time of their District 12-4A finale, helping result in a 21-13 loss to Nacogdoches on Friday night at Dragon Stadium.
Only one point separated Whitehouse and Nacogdoches when standouts like quarterback Brady Attaway and running back/cornerback Jimmy Kennedy - among the players the Wildcats have counted on most this season - left early in the third quarter.
From the sideline, Attaway, Kennedy and others watched the rest of a game in which a loss might have served the Wildcats better than a win would have.
That's because Whitehouse had already locked up its first district title in almost 30 yards and a win would have placed the Wildcats in the Division I postseason, where they would have faced top-ranked Texas High in the opening round.
Now, Whitehouse (8-2, 6-1) will be the district's top seed in Division II. The Wildcats will face Mount Pleasant in the first round.
The Texas High challenge now goes to Nacogdoches (6-4, 5-2), which certainly accepts it with open arms after advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 1992 with the victory and Marshall's win over Kilgore.
Whitehouse's loss came on a night when standout running back/linebacker Luke Shivers watched in street clothes. It wasn't clear why Shivers didn't play, but the senior has been fighting an injury for the past few weeks.
His absence on defense helped Nacogdoches win the total-yards battle 335-194. Most of it went to quarterback Justin McAninch (12-of-12 for 225 yards and two touchdowns passing), running back Kammeron Rhodes (31 rushes for 152 yards and a score) and receiver Mervin Dudley (eight catches for 145 yards and a score).
Whitehouse's Attaway completed nine of 18 passes for 76 yards and rushed for a touchdown in the first half - during which, defense ruled.
The teams combined for only 13 points in the half, which ended with Nacogdoches leading 7-6.
Dragons receiver Tyson Young made a spectacular catch of a McAninch pass - over the coverage of Whitehouse's Kennedy - before stepping off the necessary yards for a 42-yard touchdown with 2:14 remaining.
About five minutes earlier, Whitehouse's Attaway capped a 37-yard drive - which began after Nacogdoches punted from its own 2, due to a 20-yard loss on a fumbled snap - with a 1-yard TD run. But the PAT kick was blocked, giving Nacogdoches an opportunity to rally in front with only one score and a kick.
In the third, Nacogdoches extended its lead to 14-6 when McAninch found Dudley for a 24-yard score with 3:47 showing. It came right after the Dragon Stadium public address announcer told the crowd that Marshall was leading Kilgore with time running out, much to the delight of the Nacogdoches fans - who may have cheered the announcement just as much as the score.
Though completely by accident, Whitehouse actually had a chance to tie the game with time running out in the fourth quarter.
Backup quarterback Ace Estrella pulled the Wildcats to within 21-13 with 2:17 left on a 5-yard score following a Nacogdoches fumble. Then the Dragons fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give Whitehouse the ball at the Dragons 9 with 1:56 remaining, but a personal and false start helped push the Wildcats back.
Then an Estrella pass attempt to the end zone fell incomplete as time expired.
---
Nacogdoches 21, Whitehouse 13
At Dragon Stadium, Nacogdoches
Whitehouse 0 6 0 7 - 13
Nacogdoches 0 7 7 7 - 21
Second Quarter
WHI - Brady Attaway 1 run (kick blocked), 7:08
NAC - Tyson Young 42 pass from Justin McAninch (Daniel Camacho kick), 2:14
Third Quarter
NAC - Mervin Dudley 24 pass from McAninch (Camacho kick), 3:47
Fourth Quarter
NAC - Kammeron Rhodes 2 run (Camacho kick), 10:08
WHI - Ace Estrella 5 run (Paul Metzner kick), 2:17
WHI NAC
First Downs 9 20
Rushes-Yards 22-80 41-110
Passing Yards 114 225
Comp.-Att.-Int 12-23-0 12-21-0
Punts-Avg. 8-39.5 3-34.3
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 4-2
Penalties-Yards 6-55 5-21
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING - Whitehouse, Ace Estrella 10-62, Jimmy Kennedy 5-18, Brady Attaway 1-1, Marco Hernandez 3-(minus 1). Nacogdoches, Kammeron Rhodes 31-152, Waylon Murray 6-3, Justin McAninch 4-(minus 45).
PASSING - Whitehouse, Attaway 9-18-0-76, Estrella 3-4-0-38; Nacogdoches, McAninch 12-21-0-225.
RECEIVING - Whitehouse, Alex Fleming 2-35, Asher Williams 2-14, Ryan Miner 2-14, Heath Mayo 1-26, Kennedy 1-7, Chris Caldwell 1-5, Seth Cashion 1-1, Paco Saenz 1-(minus 1); Nacogdoches, Mervin Dudley 3-145, Tyson Young 2-55, Nick Page 1-23, Logan Lanier 1-2.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17453819&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=374749&rfi=6