KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Cinco Ranch started strong, but Katy finished stronger, as the Tigers rolled to a 56-28 District 19-6A win Thursday night at Legacy Stadium.
Katy improves to 2-2 overall, 2-0 in district. Cinco Ranch falls to 1-3 overall, 1-1 in district.
The Cougars quickly asserted themselves as senior Daniel Scarabino returned the opening kickoff 95 yards, setting up a 5-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Davis Roup to Jacob Chevez.
The Tigers responded with a touchdown drive of their own, capped by a 47-yard run by senior running back Tremayne Hill, who was the game's leading rusher with 290 yards on 22 carries.
"My blocking is great," Hill said. "We lost a couple of starters due to injuries, but that doesn't mean anything because Coach Joseph always says, there's always next man up and I got to trust whoever's in front of me blocking for me."
Cinco Ranch needed only one play to retake the lead, scoring on a 78-yard pass from Roup to sophomore Max Williams.
Katy, in turn, needed only one play to tie the game, scoring on a 71-yard run by sophomore C.J. Watts.
"Coach (Joseph) Longacre and Coach (Josef) Fisher, they do a good job with those kids," Katy coach Gary Joseph said. "Coach (Ty) Carter, the tight ends coach — all did good. I was proud of them and what they did up front."
Cinco Ranch scored again on a 7-yard scoring pass from Roup to Chavez with 2:37 remaining in the first quarter. Senior Jose De Cunha's extra point put the Cougars up 21-14.
The Tigers again tied the game with a 27-yard pass from senior quarterback Jaxson Franklin to senior wide receiver Drake Hopkins with 11:16 left in the second quarter.
Katy forced a Cougar punt on the ensuing possession, and the Tigers took the lead with a 59-yard run by Hill. Katy forced a Cinco Ranch fumble on its next possession, setting up a 14-yard run by Hill to give the Tigers a 35-21 halftime lead.
Katy coach Gary Joseph said the Tigers expected the back-and-forth from Cinco Ranch.
"We made a few adjustments at halftime, and it was a good game, a good contest," Joseph said. "I really respect them and what they have done with their kids. They did a good job against us."
The adjustments obviously helped the Tigers, who scored on a 21-yard run by junior Tony Manuel. The score put the Tigers up by 21 and effectively settled the game.
"It was just good to come out at halftime," Joseph said. "We got the football, we scored at the end of the half, then get the football to start the next half. And that was kind of relaxing because now it wasn't just a two-score game. We had a three-score game and being able to put the ball in the end zone to start with was really good. The kids did a good job as far as just recouping at halftime, and just getting them settled down was the big thing."
Joseph described Katy's Week 1 loss to Dickinson as "kind of a hiccup," but things have improved, particularly as the Tigers were missing two starters Thursday.
"It just tells you that we have a little depth," Joseph said. "I'm proud of that, and I'm proud of the kids for stepping up when they had to."
Katy forced a Cougar punt on the ensuing possession, and the Tigers took the lead with a 59-yard run by Hill. Katy forced a Cinco Ranch fumble on the its next possession, setting up a 14-yard run by Hill to give the Tigers took the 35-21 halftime lead.
Katy coach Gary Joseph said the Tigers expected the back-and-forth from Cinco Ranch.
“We made a few adjustments at halftime, and it was it was a good game, a good contest,” Joseph said. “I really respect them and what they have done with their kids. They did a good job against us.”
The adjustments obviously helped the Tigers, who scored on a 21-yard run by junior Tony Manuel. The score put the Tigers up by 21 and effectively settled the game.
“It was just good to come out at halftime,” Joseph said. “We got the football, we scored the end of the half, then get the football to start the next half. And that was kind of relaxing because now it wasn’t just a two-score game. We had a three-score game and being able to put the ball in the end zone to start with was really good. The kids did a good job as far as just recouping at halftime, and just getting them settled down was the big thing.”
Joseph described Katy’s Week 1 loss to Dickinson as “kind of a hiccup,” but things have improved, particularly as the Tigers were missing two starters Thursday.
“It just tells you that we have a little depth,” Joseph said. “I’m proud of that, and I’m proud of the kids for stepping up when they had to.”
Katy will next play Seven Lakes at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at Rhodes Stadium. Cinco Ranch will play Taylor at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Legacy Stadium.