Wildcats take advantage of Timberwolves mistakes to move to 2-0 for second straight season

The Whitney Wildcats football team took down the Woodcreek Timberwolves 21-10 last Thursday night to move to 2-0 behind an impressive performance from the offensive line and a solid run game. Woodcreek High got the first points of the game from a 40-yard field goal by Ethan Downie and controlled the momentum for most of the first half defensively. Everything changed when a seven-and-a-half minute drive resulted in a missed field goal for the Timberwolves. With just 94 seconds left in the first half, Whitney High quarterback Trevor Hargis led the Wildcats down the field with a big run and a long throw to junior Phoenix Rose. This set up a seven-yard touchdown pass to junior Dai'torian Brown-Law, giving the Wildcats a 7-3 halftime lead. This was Hargis' first start of the season as he filled in for the injured Jacob Smiley during last week's game against Antelope High. "Our offensive line had great blocking, good protection in the pocket and they were finishing plays," Hargis said. "That touchdown pass was a run-pass option and I got hit in the leg but still delivered the ball. Going forward, I need to stay in the pocket a little more, but other than that, just come out and start stronger." The Wildcats were able to take advantage of multiple Woodcreek mistakes in the second half. Cole Mccracken recovered a fumble on the opening second-half kickoff that led to a one-yard touchdown run by Lorenzo Young, making it a two-score game. Woodcreek responded by putting together an eight-minute 63-yard drive but turned it over on downs at the Whitney 3-yard-line. They would turn it over on downs again in the red zone to start the fourth quarter and Whitney made them pay as running back Isaiah Bickham took it 39 yards into the end zone to put the game out of reach. Bickham had two touchdowns last week against Antelope. "Whenever you give Isaiah a seam, he is definitely going to be able to bust a big run," Whitney coach Zac McNally said. "Trevor is a field general out there and made some big throws with some sprint out passes. He definitely keeps our offense balanced." The Timberwolves punched it into the end zone late in the game as junior quarterback Austin Katapodis connected with Joey Nielsen for a 30-yard score. Woodcreek's offensive and defensive lines played very well along with their linebackers but their loss ultimately came down to missed opportunities. "We talked about learning how to finish before the season started and that's what champion level teams do is finish drives and get out of situations where it's third and long," Woodcreek coach Bradley Hunkins said. "I thought we did a good job moving the ball from 10-yard-line to the other 10-yard-line but then stalled out. It's just about the mental part of the game when it's in those big moments and that's why we play a team like Whitney who are a well-coached, good football team. Our line went toe to toe with a Sierra Foothill League line on both sides of the ball and they held their own." Another player who had a big night was Whitney junior Phoenix Rose. who had an interception to end the first half along with multiple big plays offensively. Rose already has multiple PAC-12 Division I college offers from teams such as the University of Arizona, the University of Colorado and the University of Washington. "He's one of the better athletes in the area and has been on varsity for two years since he was a freshman, so he is someone that we are starting to lean on," McNally said. "He is a guy that you simply can't replace being a defensive lockdown corner but also an offensive weapon extending drives." For Woodcreek High, they drop to 1-1 and will travel to Nevada Union High next Friday before going on a bye week. Whitney High is 2-0 for the second season in a row and will be away for two straight games, the first being against Clovis next Friday which they lost to 27-7 last season. The Wildcats won their first two games in 2021 before losing three straight. "We just need to get better at the fundamental things such as blocking and tackling along with making heads-up plays," McNally said. "It's weird going back to school tomorrow after a game but it's good to be able to put that thing to bed tomorrow, give them Saturday off and get ready for two long road trips." Woodcreek 3&emsp;0 0 7 Whitney &emsp;&emsp;0&emsp;7&emsp;7&emsp;7 Woodcreek - Downie 40-yard FG Whitney - Dai'torian Brown-law 7-yard pass from Trevor Hargis Whitney- Lorenzo Young 1-yard run Whitney- Isaiah Bickham 39-yard run Woodcreek- Joey Nielsen 30-yard pass from Austin Katapodis.