Whitesboro vexes Vernon in convincing bi-district win
There were some from Vernon who objected when Whitesboro quarterback Mac Harper executed two play-action passes then threw it deep despite the Bearcats holding a 40-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Those same Lions’ fans likely called it karma when Whitesboro lost a fumble at the 1-yard line on the very next play.
But running up the score wasn’t the intention of Whitesboro coach Cody Fagan. He had just watched his Bearcats play a lackluster third quarter and wanted to send a message that two quarters of focused intensity isn’t enough in the playoffs.
The Bearcats left Memorial Stadium with a 60-6 victory against Vernon in a Region I-3A Division I bi-district matchup Thursday. Whitesboro advances to play Dalhart next week in the area round. That game is also likely to be played in the Wichita Falls area, possibly back at Memorial Stadium.
Whatever field the Bearcats play on next week, Fagan hopes to see the intensity his team started and finished with Thursday and not what they delivered in the third quarter.
“In the first half, the kids came out on fire,” Fagan said. “I really credit those guys for their preparation all week. But we’ve got to do a little better in the second half. We can’t give up an onside kick to start the third quarter. That can really take the wind out of you.
“But I’m really proud of the way we responded late and kept playing hard.”
Whitesboro scored on five of its six first-half possessions and also got a safety off a bad snap into the end zone by the Vernon offense.
Greyson Ledbetter scored Whitesboro’s first three touchdowns, spotting the Bearcats a 25-0 advantage. Ledbetter finished with 201 total yards and four TDs, including 164 rushing on 12 carries.
The senior tailback nearly outproduced Vernon (232 total yards) by himself.
“They’re a good team,” Vernon coach Kevin Sherrill said about Whitesboro. “We didn’t have our best game, and they had a lot to do with that. We had a chance at some strikes early, but we were just a little off on those opportunities.
“Then we had to put a freshman out there at quarterback, and that’s tough against a team like this. I’m really proud of this team and how far it came this season.”
Freshman Ty Scott was needed at quarterback after junior starter Kale Sherrill aggravated a turf toe injury he’s been dealing with for weeks late in the first half. Sherrill was obviously hobbled, and the Lions only scripted one running play for a quarterback with 391 rushing yards on the season.
Sherrill did lead the Lions on their lone scoring drive in the second quarter, throwing a 28-yard pass to Sebastian Garza for a spark that moved them into Whitesboro territory. Six plays later, Adarius Williams got the Lions on the board with a 5-yard run, cutting the deficit to 25-6 with 7:27 left in the first half.
The Bearcats added a 7-yard TD run by Karter Sluder and 36-yard scoring pass from Harper to Brett Donaldson in the second quarter, mounting a 39-6 halftime lead.
Vernon stunned the Bearcats with an onside kick to start the third quarter, and Williams recovered it at the Whitesboro 34. The stolen possession didn’t amount to anything, but the Lions held the ball for all for 1:05 of the third quarter.
Vernon had a 19-play drive that started at its own 4 with 8:17 left in the third and ended on the Whitesboro 35 at the 10:33 mark of the fourth quarter. The drive didn’t amount in any points, but it was a high point for the offense while being led by Scott. The freshman quarterback ended up leading the Lions with 49 rushing yards on 13 carries.
Both Sherrill and Scott are part of a strong core of position players returning for the Lions next season. And after improving from one win to six from 2021 to 2022, expectations on the Lions are only growing.
“We’re still early in this turnaround, so what these guys did this season is tremendous,” Sherrill said. “I’m really proud of this senior group because when you’re a senior and a part of a rebuild, it’s easy to get lost in the transition and not be good leaders. These guys were great leaders.
“It’s sad that it ends like this. This game is not evident of how good and how far this team has come this season.”
And that drive is part of what made Fagan turn up the intensity on his players in the fourth quarter despite having the win in hand.
The Bearcats are being touted as a Region I-3A Division I favorite alongside district mate Brock, which is responsible for Whitesboro’s lone loss, 39-35, on Oct. 14.
“Obviously, you’ve got big plans anytime you talk about going deep in the playoffs,” Fagan said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to worry about Dalhart next week. We can’t look ahead. When you look ahead, teams catch you and all of a sudden the season’s over.”
Whitesboro 60, Vernon 6
Vernon 0 6 0 0 -6
Whitesboro 18 21 0 21 -60
FIRST QUARTER
W – Greyson Ledbetter 72 run (Mac Harper run), 8:42
W – Safety, 7:40
W – Ledbetter 5 run (Harper run), 6:10
SECOND QUARTER
W – Ledbetter 20 pass from Harper (Peter Trevino kick), 11:33
V – Adarius Williams 5 run (kick failed), 7:27
W – Karter Sluder 7 run (Trevino kick), 3:36
W – Brett Donaldson 36 pass from Harper (Trevino kick), :38
FOURTH QUARTER
W – Ledbetter 23 run (Trevino kick), 8:25
W – Jace Sanders 6 pass from Harper (Trevino kick), 5:47
W – Collin Phillips 13 run (Trevino kick), 4:42
TEAM STATS
First downs: (V) 14; (W) 18
Rushing: (V) 43-135; (W) 28-299
Passing: (V) 6-15-0—97; (W) 6-15-0—78
Punting: (V) 2-44.5; (W) 2-47
Fumbles: (V) 3-1; (W) 1-1
Penalties: (V) 6-45; (W) 4-25
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING: (V) Ty Scott 13-49, TJ Thomas 16-48, CJ Johnson 4-26, Adarius Williams 7-14, Kale Sherrill 1-9, Jayden Robledo 1-2, Team 1-(-13); (W) Greyson Ledbetter 12-164, Mac Harper 7-66, Maxx Parker 4-36, Collin Phillips 3-19, Karter Sluder 2-14.
PASSING: (V) Sherrill 3-10-0—72, Scott 3-5-0—25; (W) Harper 6-15-0—78.
RECEIVING: (V) Sebastian Garza 1-28, Greg Newton 1-26, Tyrone McKinney 1-18, Thomas 1-14, Williams 1-8, Tavares Gaines 1-3; (W) Ledbetter 2-37, Sluder 1-27, Brett Donaldson 2-8, Jace Sanders 1-6.
RECORDS: Vernon 6-5, Whitesboro 10-1.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Vernon Lions at Whitesboro Bearcats 2022 high school football playoffs
