By: Derek Johnson
Special Contributor/txhsfb.net
HALLSVILLE- In a game that featured six lead changes, five ties and over 1,000 yards of total offense it was Whitehouse, who outlasted Hallsville for a wild, 56-42 win in a back-and-forth shootout at Bobcat Stadium.
Hallsville fumbled away the opening kickoff and Whitehouse (6-1 overall, 2-1 district) immediately pounced on the miscue as they took just two plays to turn it into a 7-0 lead when Iven Lacy reeled off a 27-yard touchdown run.
Hallsville (5-3, 2-2) shook off the rust on their next possession and quickly marched 71 yards in just four plays to tie the score, 7-7 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Blayde Bullard
Fans hardly had a chance to catch their breath as both teams went full throttle up-and-down the field and once again Whitehouse quickly matriculated down the field with their, hurry-up offense. Quarterback Josh Green found receiver DeCarlton Wilson for a couple of passes for 47 yards then Green got loose for a 12-yard touchdown run to give the Wildcats a 14-7 lead.
Hallsville rallied with a pair of rushing touchdowns from quarterback Jace Mosely, including an electrifying 41-yard score where he eluded several tacklers on his way to the end zone to give the Bobcats a 21-14 lead late in the first quarter.
The game continued to roll along at a frantic pace as Whitehouse methodically moved the ball down the field with Green doing most of the work on the ground as he carried the ball four times for 33 yards, which led to a 2-yard touchdown run by Mikevic Hall.
Hallsville scored on each of their first three possessions, but Whitehouse finally got a defensive stop then came up with a big play when they blocked a punt deep inside Bobcat territory. Damion Anderson picked up the loose ball and returned it for a 3-yard, scoop-and-score to give Whitehouse a 28-21 lead.
The Bobcats, however, once again answered with a 3-yard touchdown run by Bullard to tie it back up, 28-28 with 2:38 left in the first half. Whitehouse had more than enough time left on the clock to try and recapture the lead before halftime. Green led the way on another quick Wildcat scoring drive as he picked up 30 yards on the ground, coupled with a 24-yard pass to Wilson to set the Wildcats up deep in Hallsville territory. The Wildcats then took a 35-28 lead just before the break when Lacy scored on a short, 1-yard run.
Hallsville had squandered away a possession by fumbling the opening kickoff and needed a big stop and got it early in the third quarter when they recovered a Whitehouse fumble at their own 16 yard-line. The Bobcats capitalized four plays later when Mosely shot through the line and sprinted past everyone for a 70-yard score to tie the game, 35-35.
Whitehouse proceeded to take control of the game after that as Wilson hauled in a pair of touchdown passes from Green on consecutive possessions to give the Wildcats a 49-35 lead with 10:51 left in the game.
The latter came on a post route where Green slipped past the secondary and made a nice leaping grab for a 25-yard touchdown, literally after having a 15-yard touchdown called back on the previous play.
Hallsville made things interesting when they trimmed the deficit, 49-42 with 9:38 left in the game on a 37-yard scoring run by Mosely, but Whitehouse put the game away for good on their next possession when Hall added his second rushing touchdown of the game on an 8-yard score around the end.
Whitehouse was led by Wilson who had nine catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns, while Lacy and Green combined for 341 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Hallsville was led by Mosely, who finished the night with 262 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Whitehouse 14 21 7 14 — 56
Hallsville 21 7 7 7 — 42
WH- Iven Lacy 27 run (Beaux Benson) kick 11:32 1Q
HV- Blayde Bullard 12 run (Zach Southard kick) 8:49 1Q
WH- Josh Green 8 run (Beaux Benson kick) 8:24 1Q
HV- Jace Mosely 1 run (Zach Southard kick) 4:20 1Q
HV- Mosely 41 run (Southard kick) 1:42 1Q
WH- Mikevic Hall 2 run (Benson kick) 8:43 2Q
WH- Damion Anderson 3 fumble return (Benson kick) 7:08 2Q
HV- Bullard 3 run (Southard kick) 2:38 2Q
WH- Lacy 1 run (Benson kick) 0:26 2Q
HV- Mosely 70 run (Southard kick) 8:35 3Q
WH- DeCarlton Wilson 25 pass from Green (Benson kick) 2:29 3Q
WH- Wilson 34 pass from Green (Benson kick) 10:51 4Q
HV- Mosely 37 run (Southard kick) 9:38 4Q
WH- Hall 8 run (Benson kick) 5:34 4Q
| Hallsville | Team Statistics | Whitehouse |
| 20 | First Downs | 21 |
| (10-15-1-97) | Passing (Comp-Att-Int-Yards) | (13-18-0-204) |
| 39-376 | Rushing Attempts-Yards | 51-368 |
| 10-97 | Receptions-Yards | 13-204 |
| 1-35 | Punts-Average | 2-37.5 |
| 3 | Penalties-Yards | 3-22 |
| 2-1 | Fumbles-Lost | 7-1 |
| 2 | Turnovers | 1 |
Passing
Hallsville- Jace Mosely (10-15-1-97). Whitehouse- Josh Green (13-18-0-204).
Rushing
Hallsville- Jace Mosely 23-262, Blayde Bullard 10-74, Kendavian Johnson 4-30, Ethan Miller 1-11, Ashton Garza 1-(-1). Whitehouse- Iven Lacy 22-178, Josh Green 23-163, Mikevic Hall 6-27. .
Receiving
Hallsville- Ashton Garza 2-33, Ethan Miller 2-31, Blayde Bullard 3-20. Whitehouse- DeCarlton Wilson 9-168, Jermod McCoy 2-34, Braylen Jackson 2-2.