Winnsboro pumped in 31 first-half points and shut out Leonard in the Aug. 28 season opener as the Raider defense dominated from the opening kickoff.
“We did what we were supposed to do against Leonard. Donovan Rape set the tone with the tackle on opening kickoff,” said head coach and boys athletic director Josh Finney.
The Winnsboro defense forced Leonard into a quick three-and-out. Three plays later, quarterback Ky Caddell connected with Kash Noble from seven yards out with 8:57 left in the first quarter.
The junior signal caller connected on touchdown passes to three different receivers while accumulating 210 yards through the air on 13-of-16 passing.
Noble intercepted a Tiger pass on the next series to put the Raider offense back in business. A couple of handoffs later, Neree Castleberry rumbled in from 20 yards out to push Winnsboro ahead 14-0.
The first quarter closed with a 31-yard field goal by Rudy Calderon. Castleberry accumulated 100 yards rushing on seven carries in the first half.
A pair of big-yardage touchdown passes highlighted the second quarter. Caddell hit an untouched Evan Ray down the middle for a 43-yard score at the 9:40 mark. He later connected with RJ Woodfaulk for a 61-yard touchdown, with Woodfaulk picking up much of the yardage after the catch.
Marshall Bassett led the defense with 12 tackles, including two for loss, and pressured or hit the Tiger quarterback four times. Chance Arrington tallied 11 tackles, while Kainan Moss recorded seven.
Finney saw plenty of bright spots on both sides of the ball, especially with a number of new faces in the lineup. He said the Raiders are working to develop the depth they will need later in the season while correcting mistakes from the opener.
“We told the guys the season is a marathon and not a sprint. Just keep getting a little faster and better each week and then peak at the right time,” Finney said.
Calderon, a four-year starter, hit four PATs in addition to his field goal. Finney praised the entire special teams unit, including long snapper Braxton Gardenhire and holder Reed James.
Winnsboro will host White Oak Sept. 3. The Roughnecks are a familiar opponent after the two teams shared a district from 2018-20. They last met in 2019 when the Red Raiders grabbed a 37-20 victory.
An historically proud program, White Oak is far removed from the 2013 team that reached the state semifinals. The Roughnecks fell 39-34 to Class 4A Longview Spring Hill in their 2026 season opener.
White Oak has a new head coach in former Roughneck Tanner Thiel.
“They are running the old-school single-wing offense with all kinds of misdirection run plays. We will have to be very disciplined in each spot and be good tacklers,” Finney said.
Quarterback Mason Wright is one player to watch and has been described by coaches as “tough” and “old school.” White Oak also has experience on the offensive line with Connor Hodges and Kye Morris.
Other offensive threats include receivers Cal Jester and Tysen McClain and running back Cameron Vail. Caleb Watson and Jacob Watson provide experience at linebacker in the middle of the Roughneck defense.