Class 6A-Division I

Regional Semifinals

Friday

Katy (11-1) vs. North Shore, (12-0) 2 p.m. at NRG Stadium

Last game: North Shore 56, Katy 35 (2019 Regional Semifinal)

• After a five-year break, Katy and North Shore meet once again in the third round of the playoffs as two state powerhouses collide with a trip to the Regional Final on the line.
  Katy has gone on a tremendous run since the start of district play and in the first two weeks of the playoffs has earned blowout wins even when the Tigers have been tested. The run game is back to where it needs to be for Katy and Tremayen Hill seems to be back to full strength, coming off a game where he rushed the ball 23 times and got better as the game went on. Katy’s defense has had moments in the past two weeks where they have allowed scores but for the most part, have been stingy and the Tigers second halves have been near perfection. If there was one thing the Tigers need to shore up on heading into this round it’s the team's pass game, as it has been hit or miss at times and when it is clicking, it makes defenses have to respect a different aspect of the team.
  North Shore will be a different beast than anyone Katy has faced this year. Kaleb Bailey has been a force in his senior season and has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns to just seven interceptions while adding 543 yards on the ground and seven more touchdowns. D’andre Hardman has rushed for 755 yards and 10 touchdowns while Chris Thomas has also rushed for seven touchdowns this year. The Mustangs have five different receivers with over 250 yards on the year and they have averaged 44 points per game while giving up just 11 points per game this season.
  It's a battle that historically has been very close between the two teams. Katy leads the all-time series six games to five but lost the most recent game the two played in the playoffs back in 2019. Katy will be trying to get to the Regional Final after missing out on it last year and Katy knows that they will have to limit any mistakes and play their best game.

Class 6A-Division II

Regional Semifinals

Friday

Jordan (11-1) vs. Summer Creek (10-2), 6 p.m. at NRG Stadium

Last game: Never played

• Jordan already has made history this year by going three rounds deep and will look to add to that when they play Summer Creek in the regional semifinal round of the playoffs in what will be one of the tougher tests Jordan has faced in its short school history.
  The Warriors come off a big win over Stratford in the area round where their defense was tremendous in only allowing 10 points in the game, while the Warriors offense also came to play, scoring 31 points in an effort where they dominated on the ground and never let up. Jordan continued to find ways to win and control games and will head into the second round confident because of that.
  Summer Creek meanwhile put together a dominant display in a win over Manvel to move to 10-2 on the season as they look to be one of the strongest teams in the Division II bracket. Blake Thomas has been a force for the Bulldogs all year, throwing for 2360 yards and 28 touchdowns to just four interceptions while also leading the team in rushing, earning 458 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. The biggest weapon through the air for Summer Creek has been Benny Easter, who has caught 34 passes for 777 yards and nine touchdowns, while Holden Miller and Tre Brown both have over 500 yards receiving and seven touchdowns on the year.
  It will be a battle of strength on strength for the Warriors. The secondary for Jordan may be the strongest part of its team, while Summer Creek can put up points in a hurry and its strength is attacking teams through the air. The Warriors will try to continue to control the game on the ground and try to limit what Summer Creek does best by slowing down their pass game.