NINETY SIX - Friday's season opener was just about what Whitmire Community School football coach Donald Addis feared.

His young team struggled in nearly every facet of the game in a 49-6 loss at Ninety Six.

The Wolverines had problems taking snaps from the shotgun in the rain, which led to huge losses early on, and the Wildcats took advantage.

Ninety Six's offensive line overwhelmed the smaller Wolverines and raced out to a 19-0 first quarter lead. For the game, the Wildcats gained 241 yards rushing, while Whitmire was held to -33.

“They just manhandled us up front,” Addis said. “We just couldn't stand toe-to-toe with them. Their backs did a good job of finding holes, and we missed a lot of tackles.”

Whitmire, the reigning Region II-A champions, return just a handful of impact players from last year's team, and will face a tough early schedule, including next week's showdown with in-county foe Mid-Carolina.

This year, the Wolverines could have used an extra week of preparation.

“We knew coming in that this wasn't the year to be playing week zero,” Addis said. “Our inexperience showed. That first quarter killed us. We laid the ball on the ground and they took advantage of is. If our guys can just hang in there and survive these early games and continue to get better, we believe this is kind of team that can compete in our region.”

The Wolverines avoided the shutout when quarterback Brandon Crumpton connected with Lamarcus Lindsay for an 83-yard touchdown pass. Lindsay outran the Wildcats' secondary and gave a stiff arm at the the 20-yard line that allowed him to score.