Baldwin, trick plays too much for Tigers
SAN ANTONIO — Cold and rainy is supposed to be kryptonite for a high-powered passing attack.
A versatile Lake Travis team made it look like a day in the park in the Class 6A Division I state semifinal against Katy.
They bested the Tigers in a 28-14 win Saturday at Alamo Stadium.
Katy will have to wait on its 15th all-time appearance in a state championship game and a shot at a record ninth state title. Katy had won its last nine state semifinals before Saturday.
“We’re going to be back,” Katy coach Gary Joseph said. “I’m not going to sit there and tell you that we’re going to be back in the state semifinal, but we’re going to be back. That’s the nature of our program. I don’t expect nothing less.”
Lake Travis quarterback and Ohio State commitment Matt Baldwin — who entered the day with 3,600-plus yards and 43 touchdowns through the air — was on point despite wet conditions in the mid-40s. He was 21 of 31 passing for 213 yards with a touchdown. Equally acclaimed Lake Travis receiver Garrett Wilson had seven catches for 113 yards and a score with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown.
Baldwin was 8-of-12 for 95 yards at the time of Wilson’s 2-yard touchdown run with a minute left in the first quarter.
Joseph wasn’t surprised the rain didn’t slow Baldwin’s passing.
“I was surprised how well they ran the football,” Joseph said. “I was surprised from the very start of the game, we looked like we were very timid and I don’t know why. That may have had something to do with it but had nothing to do with coming up and tackling. We were very timid.” Glass rushes for 214
Katy (12-1) found its way eventually thanks to junior running back Deondrick Glass, who finished with 214 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. His 15-yard score tied the game early in the second quarter.
But Joseph pointed out the trick plays from Lake Travis (13-2) as backbreakers.
Hudson Card’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Wilson put Lake Travis ahead 14-7 with 1:54 left in the second. The two Lake Travis stars switched roles off a double pass for a 32-yard touchdown in the fourth.
Katy also saw a sequence of mishaps uncharacteristic of the Tigers, who had five fumbles with two lost.
Katy quarterback Austin Marshall had an open Trey Brown in the end zone for what would have been a 15-yard touchdown but the pass was dropped. What could have been a 14-7 lead for Katy instead turned into a field goal attempt.
The usually accurate Seth Small lined up for a 32-yarder in the inclement weather. The kick missed. Fumbles cost Katy
Baldwin hit Wilson for 40 yards on the next play. Later came the first of Card and Wilson’s pair of trick plays.
Marshall was unable to handle a high snap on the Katy’s next drive and Lake Travis’ Reid Bacon recovered.
Just enough time was left before the half for Baldwin to scramble and hit Kyle Wakefield for a 26-yard touchdown — a 14-point swing. Joseph noted the lack of consistent pressure Baldwin saw from Katy’s defensive front.
“He’s a smart quarterback,” Katy defensive end Michael Matus said of Baldwin. “He knows how to scan the field. He knows how to find the open receiver. There’s a reason he’s going to Ohio State.”
More doses of Glass had the Tigers with a fourthand-2 from the Lake Travis 3 in the third. Marshall flipped a TD pass to Jacob Lighter to cap a Katy-esque 91-yard drive that milked most of the quarter.
Then, Lake Travis saw some adversity when Baldwin suffered an injury and had to be helped off the field. It didn’t matter. Wilson and Card had the second trick play up their sleeve with 9:15 left in the game. Katy subsequently lost its second fumble.
The Cavaliers get Allen in the title game next Saturday at AT&T Stadium. adam.coleman@chron.com twitter.com/chroncoleman