And still unbeaten
Powerhouses Katy and Cy-Fair roll to 6A state semifinals.
The Katy-North Shore playoff rematch proved anticlimactic. Which was fine by the Tigers. They started fast and overwhelmed the Mustangs for a 31-3 victory in Saturday’s Class 6A Division I Region III final showdown at NRG Stadium.
The outcome was a far cry from North Shore’s thrilling 20-17 win over Katy in the regional semifinals last year.
Katy’s defense, which has allowed just 10 points in its last three games, forced three turnovers.
Katy running back Deondrick Glass rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. An injured Glass missed this game last year.
Katy quarterback Austin Marshall was 5-of-10 passing for 92 yards and two scores.
The bad taste last year’s loss left was scraped away as the Tigers moved on to their 16th state semifinal appearance since 1994.
“Losing in the third round at Katy — I don’t want to sound conceited — but it’s unheard of,” Katy defensive end Michael Matus said. “We just knew we had to come back. Not only playing North Shore but being in the fourth round of the playoffs. We want to make a state championship run.
“We need to make sure we play lights out.”
Play lights out they did. All Katy really needed was an inch to pounce on a North Shore mistake.
Plays like Matus’ fumble recovery deep in North Shore territory usually leads to an avalanche of other positive plays for the Tigers and mistakes for their opponents.
It took seven plays before Marshall hit Jordan Patrick for a 6-yard touchdown, coupling it with Seth Small’s early 42-yard field goal.
North Shore then turned in its fourth punt of the day. It only took three plays this time for Marshall to throw an absolute strike to Trey Brown for a 59-yard score that gave Katy a 17-0 lead.
“We talk to our kids all the time about being unselfish,” Katy coach Gary Joseph said. “If they can be unselfish and do their job, they have a chance to make plays within the system. That is exactly what they did. They had an opportunity to make plays, and they made plays. We made a few more than they did.”
North Shore didn’t get its initial first down until the 8:45 mark in the second quarter, and that came on an offsides penalty.
Marshall threw his first interception of the season later in the first half. His pass was tipped, and North Shore’s Jordan Revels pulled it in.
North Shore picked up three first downs on that next drive. Katy remained stingy, though. The Tigers allowed only John Villalobos’ 27-yard field goal, and that was it for the Mustangs.
North Shore’s second lost fumble gave Katy great field position at the 20. It turned into Glass’ 13yard score and a 24-3 lead halfway through the third quarter.
Katy’s Kaden Gonzales later picked off North Shore quarterback Dematrius Davis. Glass scored on a 2-yard run just as the clock was about to turn to the fourth quarter.
The freshman Davis finished 10-of-23 for 153 yards. He was held to negative-4 rushing yards, a credit to Katy’s defensive front three.
Sophomore tailback Zach Evans (17 carries for 49 yards) dealt with injury in the second half. North Shore coach Jon Kay said it’s the aches that accompany a hard-hitting season.
The Mustangs were thankful for another deep playoff run and the extra practice that comes along with it.
“When you’re as young as we are, every opportunity, every second of practice that you could squeeze in is an opportunity for you to get better,” Kay said. “We’re just going to have to take advantage of this opportunity that we’ve had throughout the last month, couple it with our spring and see if we can’t get past this point.”