Just two games into the season, Whitehouse coach Randy McFarlin didn’t like the complacency he was seeing from some of his players.
So after the Wildcats couldn’t quite rally past Sulphur Springs last week, McFarlin decided to move quarterback Brady Attaway and receivers Seth Cashion and Asher Williams from the junior varsity into the starting lineup Friday to shake things up a little.
The gamble paid off as all three sophomores for Whitehouse (2-1) showed promise for the future in the Wildcats’ 24-3 drubbing of Mabank (0-3) at Wildcat Stadium.
After a rocky start, Attaway completed 29-of-43 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns, including a beautiful fade to the back corner of the end zone to Williams from a yard out to put the Wildcats ahead 17-3 midway through the fourth quarter.
Williams finished with four catches for 24 yards and the score. But Cashion, aside from Attaway, was the newcomer who raised eyebrows.
Attaway hit the new receiver numerous times on swing passes to the flat and a couple more times on slants as Cashion caught nine balls for 56 yards.
“We didn’t think some of our kids were playing as hard as they should and so we brought a little competition after the loss last week,” McFarlin said.
“I think everyone saw Attaway get stronger as the night went on and that last touchdown he threw was right on the money.”
On that throw, Attaway hit Lesley Perdue in stride as he headed for the sideline. Perdue then cut up and streaked into the end zone to complete the 21-yard play and give the Wildcats the eventual 24-3 final.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats defense grew stronger as the night progressed. With several of the former offensive stars now playing full time on defense, the Wildcats tallied four sacks - two by Luke Shivers, one by Cody Brown and one by Zach Hill.
In total, Whitehouse allowed only 112 yards of offense by the Panthers, their best defensive showing of the year.
“Chad Emmons moved from quarterback to cornerback and played a great game on defense, but he is still going to play QB some,” McFarlin said. “We have two weeks to get ready for Kilgore and we are going to put the best guys on the field out there.”
Whitehouse 24, Mabank 3
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