Whitney looks to return to postseason despite tough SFL

Whitney High School football was the lone Sierra Foothill League team to miss the postseason last year, but it wasn't by much. The Wildcats entered the final regular season game of 2022 with a chance to win the fourth game that would have surely qualified them for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, but fell to the eventual Division II runner-up Granite Bay. The young Wildcats may have missed out on the playoffs last year, but they gained plenty of experience and are ready to make a run at the postseason in 2023. "Getting back to the playoffs and going on a run is our number one goal and to do that, we have to win big games," said Whitney coach Zac McNally, who is entering his sixth season. "We've got a pretty strong non-league schedule with some really good local teams and some out of the area to help prepare us for the SFL." McNally says the key to getting back to the postseason is to get off to a winning start and to stay strong through adversity. The good news for Whitney is that there is a strong senior class to help lead the Wildcats through that adversity, led by senior Phoenix Rose, who has plenty of Division I suitors entering the season. Rose reeled in 350 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, but made his biggest impact at cornerback where he snagged two interceptions and had 17 pass deflections. With offers to Arizona, Cal, San Diego State, Washington State, and more, Rose looks like he will be one of the top defensive backs in the section which will be needed in a pass-heavy SFL. While Rose may receive a lot of the attention from the opposition, he is far from the only senior leader on the roster. The Wildcats also return leading tackler Cole McCracken and strong receiving targets in Dai'Torian Brown-Law and Ryan McFarlin. McNally spoke about the senior leadership on the team, pointing out how it has helped get the juniors up to speed and shows them what to expect as they prepare to play at the varsity level. "It takes a lot of pressure off of our young guys that are having to come in and play immediately," said McNally of the senior leadership. "That's huge because we are pretty excited about this junior class coming from JV and we expect them to compete right away. That staff did a great job developing the group and they definitely finished strong last year." McNally also touched on the importance of having a strong JV squad and how he feels it has prepared Whitney for the bumps and bruises that always come during the season. "This is the most depth I've had, since I've been here at this school," said McNally. The energy around this team has been great and I can't thank my coaching staff enough for getting us off to a great start of this fall camp." The Wildcats have tough tests coming out of the gate, as they take on top Division II talents Antelope and Woodcreek in their first two games. Whitney will host Clovis and Brentwood-Heritage before hitting the road to face Chico in their final non-league contest. While Whitney's schedule is greuling, you will not catch the Wildcats overlooking anyone as McNally is focused on taking things one day at a time. "It's kind of cliche, but we only care about the next game. To us, that's the most important game of the year," said McNally. "We try to take care of business and get to the next opponent. Right now, we are falling in love with the process and not looking too far ahead. We just want to see how much better we can get each day."