Katy coach Gary Joseph expected North Shore to hit. The Mustangs are too talented not too, Joseph said. He knew there would be moments when North Shore would assert its will.

What he wanted to see was if his team would hit back.

The Tigers did, and more importantly, they did so when it mattered most.

Trailing by 14 at halftime to defending Class 6A, Division I, state champion and No. 2-nationally ranked North Shore, Katy put on a clinic in the second half, outscoring North Shore 14-0 and holding the Mustangs to eight total yards in the final two quarters to pull away with a 24-21 dramatic thriller on Aug. 29 at Galena Park ISD Stadium in a nationally-broadcast season-opening game on ESPNU.

It was a much-hyped contest. The Katy area hosted three watch parties: Rudy’s, the Oaks at Cane Island and Katy Vibes.

Rudy’s watch party, organized by Tigers diehard supporter Robert Willeby, had around 50 people attend to watch the game on six TVs in two large private rooms. The watch parties proved essential after the game sold out by Thursday morning, with no tickets sold at the gate.

Senior running back Ron Hoff had a dazzling debut in the Katy white and red. The transfer from South Carolina ran for 206 yards and a score on 32 carries. In typical Katy fashion, the Tigers kept the game close, wore down North Shore and let the defense dominate while the offense made opportunistic plays.

Hoff was a big reason for that. His bruising running style kept the Tigers’ offense on the field for lengthy stretches and kept the Mustangs’ offense off.

The third quarter was vital for Katy, when it ran 18 plays to North Shore’s three and outgained the Mustangs in total yards 155-1.

In setting the tone, Hoff scored on an 8-yard run on the opening drive. Then the Tigers recovered a fumble on the kickoff return. Nemanja Lazic followed with a 19-yard field goal, and in a matter of less than seven minutes, Katy turned a 21-7 deficit into 21-17.

After a sloppy first half in which a missed tackle led to an 81-yard catch-and-run score, a bad snap led to a blocked field goal attempt, and poor coverage on kickoff led to a return to Katy’s 25 that ignited another North Shore score, the Tigers cleaned everything up in the second half, ultimately disrupting the Mustangs' rhythm and momentum after a strong second quarter.

The defense was stifling. Senior North Shore running back Zach Evans, the No. 1 player in the country, per ESPN, was held to 39 yards and a score on nine carries; 25 of those yards came on his touchdown in the first half. Quarterback Dematrius Davis, arguably the top dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2021, completed 9 of 15 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns to one interception. Against tremendous pressure from Katy in the fourth quarter, sparked by defensive lineman Cohen Dearman and linebackers Jaylen Phillips and Shepherd Bowling, Davis was clearly agitated and uncomfortable.

In all, Katy outgained North Shore 458-228 in total yards, 18-9 in first downs and thrived on third down and fourth down, whereas North Shore did not.

Junior Katy quarterback Bronson McClelland overcame two early interceptions to complete 14 of 24 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, the last score the go-ahead 5-yard strike on 4th-and-goal to Samuel Dunn with 4:51 left that sealed the deal.

Also impressive for the Tigers was senior receiver Jordan Patrick. The 5-foot-8 dynamo made his biggest plays during the toughest moments, totaling 169 yards and a score on seven catches, consistently exposing the Mustangs’ secondary.

It was the fifth meeting between the two rivals in the last four years. They are the top two teams in the Houston area, with Katy winning six of eight state titles since 2000, and North Shore winning all three of its championships in the last 16 years.

It was the first time Katy played a defending state champion to open the season since it lost to Lufkin in 2002. It was the Tigers' first game broadcast on national television since 2011.