Whitney football spoils Blue Devil opening night

By Rayan Tilmatine,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

The Whitney Wildcats football team built a 20-0 advantage by the second quarter leading to a decisive 50-28 win over Davis High on Friday, Aug. 25.

Playing at home for the first game of the season before going on a three game road trip followed by a bye week, DHS students were hoping for a win before sending the team off.

Junior quarterback Shaan Nahal ran in for the Blue Devils’ first touchdown, putting them on the board. However, they were still down by double digits.

DHS fought to finish the second half 30-28, with Nahal connecting on a 27-yard touchdown pass to junior receiver Kayden Hoal, a three-yard touchdown run from sophomore Taylor Vaughn and a 70-yard touchdown run from fellow sophomore Payne Barksdale.

“In the first quarter, we were nervous and that led to a quick deficit on the scoreboard,” Nahal said after starting his first game on the Varsity squad. “I need to not make the moment bigger than it is.”

Even with the loss, senior Joe Morrison was happy to be back on the field.

“I loved being back in the high speed game amongst my guys and it’s always a lot of fun.” Morrison said. “Even though we lost, we learned a lot and will use that knowledge going forward.”

Despite their loss, the Blue Devils saw some positives come out of the game.

“Everyone played their hardest on Friday and we proved that we have a really tough team this year,” junior linebacker Dawson Schatz said. “We just need to perform better for our next game.”

Morrison says Whitney was able to attack Davis’ weakness.

“They were very well organized and they stuck to their assignments which helped them a lot,” Morrison said. “They played well as a team and were a good opponent overall.”

Schatz believes that the loss margin is not a good indication of how the team played Friday night.

“We have a really talented team with a lot of good guys. we just need to work hard in practice and be ready for our next game,” Schatz said.

With the defeat, Morrison hopes to build off the disappointing game.

“I expect us to keep learning, growing and maturing as a team,” Morrison said.

Davis plays at Woodcreek High on Friday, Sept. 1, hoping to bounce back from the loss and re-energize its season.