Tigers snakebit on final play
Vandegrift tops Katy on last-second field goal to reach state final despite Davis’ 257-yard effort
SAN ANTONIO — As Gary Joseph emerged from the Katy locker room at the Alamodome, he put on a smile and greeted two of his granddaughters, who proudly wore red t-shirts with “In Joseph We Trust” printed in white letters across the front.
It was a sweet moment for the Tigers’ head coach, who saw his team suffer a bitter defeat just 20 minutes earlier. But, amid the agony of defeat, the girls were excited to see their grandpa.
Katy’s valiant quest for a record 10th state championship will have to wait another year.
The Tigers lost 38-35 against Vandegrift in the Class 6A Division II semifinals Saturday afternoon as Vipers kicker Hayden Arnold hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired.
“I’m very, very proud of them,” Joseph said of his players. “This senior group was 42-3, so that’s not a bad deal. I’m just disappointed in the way we played at times, but I’m not disappointed in the kids and their effort and stuff. It’s a heck of a deal to sit there and be in this position.”
Katy (14-1) was making its third consecutive state semifinals appearance and was seeking the 16th championship game berth in program history. But the Vipers (14-1) had designs on making history of their own.
Vandegrift will face DeSoto (13-2) at 3 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington after the Eagles beat previously unbeaten Denton Guyer (14-1) 47-28 on Saturday in Division II’s other semifinal.
The Vipers are enjoying their deepest playoff run since the school opened in 2009. The program had only reached the state semifinals once before this year, back in 2014 when the team was competing in Class 5A.
Katy, meanwhile, remains one state crown short of tying Aledo for the most in UIL history.
The silver lining for Katy was once again the play of running back Seth Davis, who piled up 257 yards and two touchdowns on 30 attempts. His 64-yard scamper with 1:59 remaining tied the game at 35 before Vandegrift drove down the field and collected the winning points.
“I felt like some of those kids played well enough to be in the state finals,” Joseph said. “I can’t say nothing but great things about Seth Davis and the efforts that he put in and the efforts that the offensive line put in.”
Davis became the program’s all-time leading rusher on his 49-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the third quarter, surpassing 2015 graduate Rodney Anderson. Davis, a Mississippi State commit, finished his prolific high school career with 6,691 yards, besting Anderson’s mark of 6,533.
“It’s good,” Davis said of the record. “I couldn’t have done it without my linemen and all the blockers who helped me.”
Aside Davis’ efforts, the Tigers also received some explosive plays in the passing game from quarterback Caleb Koger and receiver Micah Koenig, who had touchdown catches of 74 and 92 yards, respectively. The latter gave Katy its first lead of the game with just under eight minutes remaining. Koenig, a senior, finished with 173 yards on just three catches.
Koger, a three-year starter who helped lead the Tigers to their 2020 state championship, finished with 185 yards.
Katy was stout on defense against the Vipers’ running game, allowing just 31 yards on 22 carries. But, for the second straight week, the Tigers’ pass defense struggled. Vandegrift quarterback Brayden Buchanan completed 20-of-31 passes for 455 yards and two touchdowns just one week after C.E. King signal-caller Denim Johnson passed for a career-high 476.
Buchanan, a Baylor baseball signee, also rushed for a score.
Receiver Miles Coleman was a problem for Katy all afternoon, finishing with six catches for 184 yards, including a 75yard score. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes to Charlie Oliver and Alex Witt on double pass trick plays in the red zone.
Jase Skoglund had a 7-yard touchdown catch for Vandegrift right before halftime, and Chase Johnsey rushed up the middle for an 11-yard score to get Katy on the board in the first quarter.
“We had opportunities, and we just missed tackles,” Joseph said. “We didn’t do a good job tackling, and we let people run by us. That’s on us and myself as a coach to make sure that kind of stuff doesn’t happen.”