Coming off a big district win against Honey Grove, the Whitewright Tigers ran into a wall called the district-leading Cooper Bulldogs, falling 42-14 in District 9-2A Division I action Friday night.
Despite the loss, Whitewright head coach Charlie Roten was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I was very proud of our kids’ effort,” Roten said. “We did not execute in some areas, but the kids played hard and I’m proud of them for that.”
Drake Freeman led the Tigers’ rushing attack with three carries for 70 yards and a touchdown. Maddox Smart added five carries for 49 yards, while Nick Ulmer had four carries for 16 yards.
Ulmer also electrified the Tiger crowd by taking the second-half opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown.
Colt Parker finished with 12 carries for 36 yards and completed 3 of 9 passes for 20 yards.
Cooper’s ground game proved too much for the Tigers. Jace Meeks carried the ball 28 times for 178 yards and two touchdowns, while Brayden Williams added 85 yards and two scores on 11 carries. Williams also completed 8 of 11 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.
The loss dropped fourth-place Whitewright to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in district play, while first-place Cooper improved to 5-2 and 3-0.
Next week, the Tigers head just down the road for a battle against the Tomcats of Tom Bean.
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Tigers are looking to improve in all three phases of the game and make a push for the playoffs.
“We just need to keep working and improving,” Roten said. “If we can do that, then we will have a very good chance to win these next two games and qualify for the playoffs.”
Source: Freepik.com