HAYNESVILLE – It was getting late in Haynesville, and the momentum had just swung to the Golden Tornado following a blocked punt recovered in the end zone to cut North Webster’s lead to six points at 19-13.
Conroe McMullan, the North Webster punter, gave his good buddy Devin White a message before leaving the field.
“Conroe told me to pick him up,” White said. “He told me to go make a play for him. The return was supposed to go to the right but it took a hard bounce. When I came down with it I saw a little room to my left and I only had one man to beat. It was a foot race I knew I was going to win.”
Moments later White stood in the end zone, an 86-yard return that served as a knockout punch to Haynesville’s hopes as the Knights earned an impressive 34-13 victory at Red Franklin Memorial Stadium.
For good measure, White capped the night with another touchdown, a 46-yard scamper down the left sideline. His final tally was 168 yards on 24 carries with 4 touchdowns.
“That was the best game Devin has played,” Knights head coach John Ware said. “His will to win was on another level tonight.”
White got plenty of help on the night from defensive teammates Keuntra Gipson, Rico Gonzalez and Blake Atchley.
The Knights defense was smothering all night, forcing Haynesville into punt after punt and seven fumbles.
Wide receiver Wesley Franklin had a huge game, pulling down three big time catches for the Knights. One was a 16-yard
touchdown pass from Cameron Huff to tie the game right before halftime. The other, a leaping grab to move the chains and keep a drive alive in the fourth quarter.
“Our kids were tired of being on the other end of this game,” Ware said. “When you get tired of something, eventually you find a way to do something about it. I’m proud of these kids, but we have a lot of things we can still improve on.”