By Brian Gosset
X – @gosset41
GRAND PRAIRIE – It was an intriguing match-up to start the playoffs for Whitesboro on Thursday night as the Bearcats opened against Grandview, which played in the Class 3A D1 state championship at AT&T Stadium last season.
The Zebras were looking to begin another deep playoff run, but Whitesboro wasn’t having any of it as 23 unanswered points helped the Bearcats pull away to a 44-27 victory in the bi-district championship at Gopher-Warrior Bowl.
Grandview (6-5) took the opening possession and drove downfield to grab the game’s first lead. QB Mason Landers tossed it to Kason Sanders on the reverse and Sanders barreled his way into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
Whitesboro (8-3) answered on its first drive when Wyatt Winchester won a jump ball off the throw by QB Colt Fagan that tied the game at 7-7 midway through the first quarter.
The Zebras regained the lead 14-7 when Landers and Sanders connected on a 50-yard touchdown pass and catch with just over three minutes left in the opening period.
Scout Regelean got the hand-off for the Bearcats and rumbled inside the 5 to end the first quarter and scored on the first play in the second quarter that tied it at 14.
Landers found Briggs Jentsch for a 16-yard gain to the 2-yard line and Landers rolled out before finding Cash Harris for the touchdown and 21-14 lead with 2:49 to go before halftime.
The Bearcats scored quick again off a 73-yard bomb by Fagan to Ian Bruce, who beat his defender 1 on 1 and broke the tackle to walk into the end zone. But the try failed and Whitesboro still trailed 21-20.
However, Whitesboro took a 23-21 lead into the intermission.
Camron Howard intercepted a Grandview pass attempt and the Bearcats managed to get into the red zone before settling for a 32-yard field goal by Victor Chavez.
Howard then made a big play on offense in the third quarter.
Whitesboro received the second half kick and Howard got past the Grandview secondary to catch a touchdown pass from Fagan that extended the lead to 30-21.
Fagan added a TD run to give Whitesboro a 37-21 cushion with 4:13 to play in the third quarter.
Landers completed a pass to Sanders on fourth down to get the Zebras inside the 10 and Landers scored on a run to make it 37-27 after a failed two-point conversion late in the period.
The Bearcats scored one more touchdown in the fourth quarter and made some stops to end any chance of a Grandview comeback. The Zebras also hurt themselves in the second half with costly penalties.
Grandview stopped Whitesboro on third-and-goal, but had 12 players on the field. The Bearcats got the TD run from Fagan on the next play that made it 37-21.
After the Zebras pulled within 37-27, they recovered an onside kick, but were flagged for off-sides. They tried another onside kick, but the ball went out of bounds.
Whitesboro will play Atlanta in the area round.
Atlanta beat Mount Vernon to open its playoff run on Thursday.
