Carver leads Whitehaven back to playoffs with shutout
William H Carver took the snap at about the 10 and sprinted out toward the right sideline. The sophomore quarterback hit Austin Peay commitment Jaquez Bradley with a perfectly timed pitch for a touchdown.
The final score of the night put an exclamation point on a 34-0 win for Whitehaven over Bartlett in the regularseason finale on Friday.
“He’s a football player, man. I think that’s the best compliment you can give a kid, saying that he’s a football player,” Whitehaven coach Rodney Saulsberry said. “He plays quarterback because he’s a leader. But he can play running back, he can play receiver, he can play safety. We’re so encouraged by the growth and development he’s showed over this year.”
Saulsberry said he could see that Carver was going to be special since the eighth grade. Carver is known for making plays on the run but has the arm strength and decision-making ability that’s gotten him some attention from college coaches. He has an offer from Arkansas State.
“We knew he needed that ninth grade year to get some seasoning, but we expected for him to become our starting quarterback,” Saulsberry said. “So he’s still learning and getting that ninth grade year during his 10th grade year. But we knew he had that it factor. We knew he was going to develop into a good football player, it just took a little time.”
Since Whitehaven missed last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carver’s most recent game experience before this season was in eighth grade.
“From middle school to high school, that’s a big jump,” Carver said. “Everyone is bigger and faster. You think you can make it to the outside but you can’t. My team has been doing everything they can to help me adjust and become the best player I can be.”
Whitehaven’s Joe Williams, a sophomore athlete who has offers from Tennessee and Memphis among others, said he grew up playing little league football with Carver and that the pair are close like brothers. He said they hope to attend college together one day.
“He can do everything, every sport.” Williams said. “He can bowl, play baseball, basketball, football, basketball, he can swim, he can do everything just like me. And he’s mighty fast too. A long jumper. You’ll see him a track this year. Watch out for him.”
The Tigers finished the regular season in third place in Region 8-6A and has made the playoffs every year since 2007. The win marks the fourth shutout of the season for Whitehaven, including three in the final four games.
“Those guys are flying around, but most importantly they’re buying into what our defensive coordinator Derrick Bobo is pushing,” Saulsberry said. “I’m just excited about our offensive line play and the way our defense played. If we can match up the running game with great defense that’s how you win football games in this weather as it gets cold. So we’re excited about what we’re building.”