Hall seeks redemption in state semifinals
KATY — When Johnathan Hall first made his way out of the locker room Wednesday afternoon, he was sporting a pair of Katy red Crocs on his feet.
The senior safety likes to be comfortable, whether that’s with his footwear fashion or his play on the football field. But he has the opposite effect on opposing receivers.
Hall has played a key role in helping Katy reach the state semifinals for a third consecutive season. He is the back-end anchor for a defense that will need to have a strong performance against Austin Vandegrift on Saturday in San Antonio.
The Tigers (14-0) and Vipers (13-1) will clash at 1 p.m. at the Alamodome for a spot in the Class 6A Division II state championship game in Arlington.
Hall, a three-star recruit and Utah commit, is excited for another challenge.
“I really like how we play as a team,” Hall said. “I feel like last year was more individuals. This year, we’re playing as a team, rallying to the ball. We still have some stuff we need to work on, but I really like this team, I really like this defense.”
Hall was a first-team all-district selection as a junior for the Tigers last season. He’s had an even bigger impact this time around, collecting 80 tackles, 51 solo stops, nine pass breakups and two interceptions. His pick with under two minutes remaining sealed a 56-34 victory for Katy over C.E. King in the regional semifinals last Friday.
“I really like to be free,” Hall said. “I like to look at the quarterback and just try to be a ball hawk, try to do what Coach (Gary) Joseph asks me to do.”
Joseph, a former defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator, praised Hall for his leadership and willingness to take younger players under his wing.
“He’s a senior in the system, and he’s more comfortable in what he’s doing, much more comfortable in helping the other kids making adjustments,” Joseph said. “Coming from him and the player he is, it just reassures them as much as anything else. Like I said, leadership for him, it’s just that. He’s not a beat-mychest kid. He’s one of those kids who leads by example. But it’s been great to see him this year take on a more active role as far as dialogue with the other players.”
Vandegrift has some offensive weapons and a senior quarterback in Brayden Buchanan — a Baylor baseball signee — who has passed for nearly 3,000 yards.
The Vipers average 216 passing yards per game and only collected 150 through the air during their 27-24 regional semifinal victory over Dripping Springs.
Katy, on the other hand, surrendered 472 passing yards against C.E. King and quarterback Denim Johnson, who posted career highs in completions and yards.
Despite some struggles, the Katy defense surrendered just seven points in the second half of that game and pitched a shutout from the 11:50 mark of the third quarter on.
Hall and the Tigers will need to build on that performance against Vandegrift. Katy has been solid on defense all season, allowing only 264 total yards per outing.
“With the way (Vandegrift) can throw the ball and the number of receivers they have and the quarterback they have, he’s going to have to do a good job in coverage,” Joseph said of Hall. “Hopefully, we can get a matchup where they don’t get us in a bunch of 1-on-1s. That’s what C.E. King was able to do last week by going with all the empty formations. They got us singled up on a lot of things, and we’ve got to do a better job of covering people over the top and giving those kids some help.”
Hall has played in plenty of big games for Katy, including last year’s semifinal blowout loss to Austin Westlake. This time around, he and the Tigers are looking to break through and earn the program’s 16th state championship game appearance.
“I’m ready,” said Hall, who posted 11 tackles against C.E. King. “I feel like we need redemption.
Last year, I felt like we were embarrassed, to be honest. This year, we need to come back hard, and I really feel like we’re going to do that.”