Saturday was the first day of the changing of the guard at Katy.

It was time for new players to step up at key positions, and there was no better way to show it than with the first game of the season.

It led to a big win for the Tigers, as they started the season on the right foot by beating Clear Springs 34-22 behind a strong performance from Katy’s offense.

“It was a good win,” said Katy head coach Gary Joseph. “We played well for about three quarters of it, but w also had some dumb mistakes that can’t happen against better teams. It’s something they’ll learn and grow up from. This is a talented group, and we just have to make sure we continue to improve and fix some of the mistakes we made tonight.”

Two of the players that would have to step up into the biggest roles were Gunner Nelson and Romel Jordan, who took over at the quarterback and running back positions, and both had very strong games in their first varsity starts.

Jordan finished the night with 125 yards rushing on 25 carries, running in one touchdown and averaging five yards per carry while displaying a power running style that suited Katy’s stout offensive line. Nelson meanwhile, threw for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns, completing nine of 11 passes and looking in control of Katy’s offense, being accurate and executing what the coaches needed.

“Romel and Gunner both did well today, but that’s what I expect of those two guys. We needed them to come in and play up to that standard,” Joseph said. “I’m proud of the job our coaches did with the guys at those two positions in getting them ready. We got a lot of the kids in that we needed to. The biggest thing right now is continuing to grow and being conditioned the way we need to be. That’s stuff we have to work on, but it was good to see those two step up tonight.”

Katy allowed a field goal to the Chargers on the opening drive of the game, but that would be the only points Clear Springs scored in the first half. The Tiger offense answered back the next drive, with Jordan grinding to get the team down the field before Nelson hit Israel Olotu-Judah on a 35-yard touchdown pass to give Katy the lead.

Jordan helped the Tigers grow the lead in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run, making it a 13-3 lead for Katy at halftime.

“Really it was the big play by our defensive line tonight, they were amazing,” said senior linebacker Connor Johnsey. “They made it so easy for us at linebacker and for the defensive backs to make the plays. There are some things we need to work on, we have to get to the quarterback more and not bite on double moves, but I love the way our defensive line played.”

Sophomore quarterback Jackson Franklin came in for a couple drives in the second half and made an impact, throwing a 39-yard touchdown to Olver Ginn, and backup running back Tadi Zambe got a touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game to bed. But Katy did allow three fourth quarter touchdowns from Clear Springs, which is something they know they will need to clean up.

Coming into this week we knew we’d have to work hard, we did that and it paid off,” Nelson said. “The only reason I was able to make plays though was because of how great our offensive line was and how great my receivers were at getting open. I couldn’t have done it without them, they really did their part.”

Katy faces a very stern test next against Atascocita and the Tigers know they will have to raise their level of play going forward. But they are also looking forward to that challenge.

“My part is to come out and just do the job to the best of my ability and that’s the same for everybody,” Nelson said. “We’re going to work together and find a way to come out on top of every game. We just have to keep grinding, getting better and doing our jobs.

Katy 34, Clear Springs 22

First quarter

CS: Xander Fraga 20 field goal, 8:05

K: Gunner Nelson 35 pass to Israel Olotu-Judah, 4:33

Second quarter

K: Romel Jordan 2 run (Hunter Ondrush kick) 2:45

Third quarter

K: Jackson Franklin 39 pass to Oliver Ginn (Ondrush kick) 3:46

Fourth quarter

CS: Raymond Xai’Shaun Edwards 8 run (Fraga kick) 10:57

K: Tadi Zombe 2 run (Ondrush kick) 10:02

CS: Edwards 5 run, 6:46

CS: Edwards 13 run, 6:16

Team stats

Individual Statistics

Rushing – Katy: Romel Jordan, 25-125-1; Tremayne Hill, 5-23; Chase Johnsey, 5-19; Tadi Zambe, 2-3-1; Gunner Nelson, 1-(-4) Clear Springs: Raymond Xai’Shaun Edwards, 21-115-3; Kaleb Maryland, 3-18; Julian Salazar, 5-4; Adam Hawkins, 1-2;

Passing – Katy: Gunner Nelson, 9-11-208-1-0; Jackson Franklin, 2-2-50-1-0 Clear Springs: Julian Salazar, 18-29-181-0-0; Kaleb Maryland, 1-6-7-0-0;

Receiving – Katy: Oliver Ginn, 2-93;-1; Colton Sanders, 2-48; Luke Carter, 3-43; Israel Olotu-Judah, 1-35-1; Chase Johnsey, 1-28; Luis Trujillo, 1-11; Clear Springs: Daz’John Taylor, 5-71; Elijah Jackson, 3-35; Jarius Williams, 5-24; Muizz Tonkura, 5-30; Raymond Xai’Shaun Edwards, 1-18;