Finally at full strength, Katy’s receivers making a difference

By Tyler Tyre, Sports Editor
Posted 12/2/21

“The best part about the ‘rec squad’ is that we bring everything,” Ceyanes said. “We can block if you want us to block, we can catch if you want us to catch. We probably will catch a few balls that maybe we weren’t supposed to. That’s just what gives the ‘rec squad’ its name.”

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Finally at full strength, Katy’s receivers making a difference

Posted

Katy has rarely had its full array of receivers available this season.

The Tigers wide receivers have faced an array of injuries which has limited who is on the field and healthy. But that finally changed in the bi-district round, as Nic Anderson, Antonio Silva, Ronnnie Schneider and JR Ceyanes all saw game action and caught passes in the same game for one of the first times all season.

“Getting all our receivers back is such a big thing for us,” said Katy head coach Gary Joseph. “Now we have all of them and it helps. It keeps them fresh. Antonio (Silva) is really good at what he does, Nic (Anderson) getting back helps us so much because of his length and they also play in our return game. It’s big having those kids back and having them all out there.”

Anderson was limited to only five games in the regular season only played in six games this year while Schnider has played in four, Silva has also missed time due to injury during the district schedule.

Having the entire receiving core back and fully healthy has Katy quarterback Caleb Koger extremely excited.

“They’re just all so good and do so much,” Koger said. “I feel bad when one of them has a big game and the other doesn’t because I want to get all of them the ball and be proud of themselves. They’re huge for this team and extremely important to our success.”

Anderson is the big name in the group, as he is committed to play at the University of Oklahoma, but it was Silva who that carried the group in the regular season, leading the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns going into the postseason.

But Anderson is fully healthy and making an impact in the playoffs, over the three playoff  games, Anderson has 237 receiving yards, 40 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

“I feel really good right now,” Anderson said. “I’m almost at 100% and I really don’t feel the ankle or the hamstring. It’s just good to back out here with my brothers and be able to play 100% with them.”

But playoff teams have yet to be able to key in on Anderson, because it would leave the Tigers other options in the pass and run game open.

“We’re all great receivers,” Anderson said. The defense is wrong with whoever they double or whoever they cover. If they double or key in on me then one of the other guys is going to be wide open. They do it to them then I’ll be wide open. We really just work off each other.”

That type of talk is spread throughout the receivers room, person success doesn’t matter to the Katy receiving core, or the “rec squad” as they call themselves, it’s about what’s best for the team.

“We take the blocking part of our jobs really seriously,” Silva said. “I know everyone thinks receivers are all about catching the ball, but at Katy, the run game is really important. We have to get our blocks in and we take pride in that and it opens up our routes when we do that as well.”

The Tigers have pounded the ball on the ground all season which is the Katy way, but Anderson, Silva, Schneider and Ceyanes and the rest of the receivers and tight ends are making their own mark as the Tigers push further into the postseason.

“The best part about the ‘rec squad’ is that we bring everything,” Ceyanes said. “We can block if you want us to block, we can catch if you want us to catch. We probably will catch a few balls that maybe we weren’t supposed to. That’s just what gives the ‘rec squad’ its name.”

Katy, Nic Anderson, Antonio Silva, JR Ceyanes, Ronnie Schneider, football, high school, Texas