WHITEHOUSE — With two games left, Whitehouse is undefeated and getting state-wide attention. In this week's AP rankings, the Wildcats received 24 votes and are ranked No. 12 in Class 4A.
Tonight, Whitehouse (8-0, 3-0) will try to keep the unbeaten streak going when the Wildcats take on Corsicana (3-5, 2-1) at Wildcat Stadium. The matchup is set for 7:30 p.m.
If Whitehouse beats the Tigers, there's a good chance next week will present one of the biggest showdowns of the season. That's because the Wildcats complete the regular season against second-ranked John Tyler, which carries a 3-0 mark into tonight's game against winless Nacogdoches.
It would be a winner-take-all scenario for the District 16-4A title.
But before that dream matchup, Whitehouse will have to take care of business against a Corsicana squad that reached the state semifinals a year ago. The Tigers have struggled at times this season, but have won back-to-back contests against Nacogdoches (28-7) and Lindale (40-22), and are third in the district standings.
Regardless of the outcome, Whitehouse has already locked up the top seed in the 4A Division II postseason and Corsicana appears to be the league's second seed in the Division I bracket.
Leading the way for Whitehouse has been junior Patrick Mahomes, who has excelled in his first season as the starting quarterback. The junior, a three-sport standout, has completed 143 of 250 passes for 2,239 yards and 27 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Mahomes' favorite targets have been senior Dylan Cantrell (a Texas Tech pledge) and junior Jake Parker, who've caught 43 passes for 864 yards and 11 TDs and 41 passes for 589 yards and five TDs, respectively. Junior receiver Coleman Patterson has 33 receptions for 533 yards and eight scores.
All told, Whitehouse averages 323.8 yards in the air and 129.6 yards on the ground per game, and scored 31 points in the second half to pull away from Nacogdoches last week, 52-31.
Corsicana, meanwhile, is a run-oriented team that's carried the ball for 236.7 yards a game in 2012.
Tigers running back Donovan Fields has carried the ball 88 times for a team-high 622 yards and five touchdowns, having rushed for 178 yards and two touchdowns against Lindale. Fellow running back Ronnie Devereaux supplied 84 yards and two TDs against Lindale, which pushed his season numbers to 47 carries for 325 yards.
Quarterback DeVontay Bell, who helped lead the Tigers to the 4A Division II semifinals last season, has been out with an injury. His replacement behind center has been Zachary Rash, who has completed 28 of 69 passes for 456 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions.