Three weeks remain in the Texas high school regular season, but playoff prospects for Katy ISD’s teams are beginning to sharpen.
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Three weeks remain in the Texas high school regular season, but playoff prospects for Katy ISD’s teams are beginning to sharpen.
After securing its 70th consecutive district win last week, Katy is in line for its 11th straight undefeated district title. Tompkins can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Taylor this week and is likely to join the Tigers in the heated Class 6A, Division I playoff bracket.
Mayde Creek, the feel-good story of the season, can inch closer to securing its first playoff berth since 2008 with a win over Seven Lakes this week. Taylor, meanwhile, suffered its first district loss last week to the Rams, but can still clinch a playoff berth with a win over Tompkins this week.
Paetow can secure a playoff spot in just its second year of varsity ball by winning any one of its next three games. That can come as early as Saturday when the Panthers host Huntsville.
Here’s what’s going on in Week 9.
Seven Lakes (3-4, 0-3 19-6A) at Mayde Creek (6-1, 2-1)
Thursday, Oct. 24, at Legacy Stadium, 6 p.m.
Seven Lakes fell to Katy, 47-0, last week, dropping its third straight game. Mayde Creek beat Taylor, 14-10, in a nail-biter. … The Rams have their first two-win district season since 2010 and their first six-win season since 2008. … With a loss, Seven Lakes is out of the playoff picture. … Seven Lakes mustered just 17 total yards and four first downs last week against Katy, while giving up 458 total yards. … The Spartans did have three takeaways against the Tigers: an interception and two fumble recoveries. … Seven Lakes has not been the same since two of its top playmakers, senior WR Jaden Embra and senior LB Parker Jones, went down with season-ending injuries during its district opener on Sept. 27. … Junior RB Milton Jones is the anchor of Seven Lakes’ offense with 556 rushing yards and eight TDs, averaging seven yards per carry. … Mayde Creek trailed Taylor 10-0 with 6:21 left last week, but two Donte Jones touchdowns and a big defensive stop as time expired inspired a rally. … Jones, a junior QB/WR, rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and caught four passes for 84 yards and another TD. … Jones’ performance helped make up for the absence of senior Daniel Huery, the Rams’ top playmaker who was out with a hamstring injury. … Mayde Creek boasts the second-best defense in the district, statistically, and showed how against Taylor. The Rams held the district’s second-best rushing attack to 57 yards on 34 carries. Overall, Mayde Creek is allowing just 215.7 yards per game. … Junior safety Joseph Kinyock had 11 total tackles last week with three passes defensed.
Katy (7-0, 3-0) at Cinco Ranch (0-7, 0-3)
Friday, Oct. 25, at Legacy Stadium, 6:30 p.m.
Katy beat Seven Lakes, 47-0, last week for its 70th consecutive district win. Cinco Ranch is coming off a bye week. … The Tigers could welcome back starting junior quarterback Bronson McClelland, who missed the last two games because of disciplinary reasons. … Senior RB Ron Hoff is 71 yards shy of the 1,000-rushing mark. Hoff is the top rusher in 19-6A with 929 yards and 11 TDs. … Katy had two takeaways against Seven Lakes to push its season total to 15. … Two recent concerns of Katy’s of late: the Tigers had three giveaways last week, an interception and two lost fumbles, and the punt return game had issues taking care of the ball. … Aside from Hoff, Katy junior RB Jalen Davis has been a consistent playmaker in the backfield. He has 419 yards and seven TDs on 50 carries this season, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. … Junior LB Shepherd Bowling had a fumble recovery in the end zone last week. Bowling has been a standout all season for the Tigers. He also had a sack. … Cinco Ranch is fielding its youngest and most inexperienced team since its first year of varsity in 2000. The Cougars start six sophomores. Fifteen sophomores and 11 juniors help make up the roster. … Cinco Ranch is last in the district in offense and defense, averaging just 165.4 yards per game and giving up 476.6 per game. … The Cougars are averaging just 7.1 points per game.
Tompkins (7-1, 3-1) at Taylor (5-3, 3-1)
Friday, Oct. 25, at Rhodes Stadium, 7:30 p.m.
Tompkins beat Morton Ranch, 29-16, last week. Taylor fell to Mayde Creek, 14-10, for its first district loss of the season. … Tompkins can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Taylor. … The Falcons’ offense sputtered against the Mavericks last week, producing just two touchdowns and turning the ball over twice. … While the offense has not been as prolific of late as it typically is, Tompkins has stepped up defensively. Over the last two games, wins against Mayde Creek and Morton Ranch, the Falcons are holding opponents to eight points per game on 142.5 yards per game. … Tompkins star senior RB R.J. Smith has not had a 100-yard rushing game since Sept. 27 against Seven Lakes. Over the last three games, Smith is averaging 72 yards per game with three TDs, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. … Senior Taurean Muhammad, Tompkins’ No. 1 receiver, made his return to the field last week after missing four games with a strained hamstring. He had a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown and caught two passes for 38 yards. … Junior QB and Texas commit Jalen Milroe has completed 80 of 120 passes for 1,724 yards and 19 TDs to two INTs. … Taylor can clinch its fifth playoff berth in the last six years with a win over Tompkins. … The Mustangs are coming off a disappointing outing last week against Mayde Creek, when they let a late 10-0 lead slip and their vaunted running attack produced just 57 yards on 34 carries. … Junior RB Casey Shorter, the district’s top rusher entering last week, was held to 58 yards on 25 carries. … Senior WR Griffin Dougherty had 81 yards on eight catches last week for Taylor. … Junior kicker Renan Baeta leads the district in kicking with 61 points. He has made nine field goals to go with 28 extra-point makes. … Over the last four games, Taylor’s defense is only allowing 14.5 points per game.
Huntsville (5-2, 3-1 District 10-5A, D2) at Paetow (6-1, 3-1)
Saturday, Oct. 26, at Rhodes Stadium, Noon
Paetow lost its first game of the season last week, falling to undefeated A&M Consolidated, 55-17. Huntsville beat Lamar Consolidated, 35-21. … In a battle of the top two offenses and defenses in the district, A&M Consolidated’s defense proved to be too much to handle for Paetow. Averaging a district-best 343 rushing yards per game to go with 24 touchdowns on the ground, the Panthers managed just 118 yards on 40 carries with no touchdowns against A&M Consolidated. … Paetow can clinch a playoff spot in its second year of varsity ball with a win over Huntsville. … Senior RB Jonathan Jolly is 29 yards away from the 1,000-yard rushing mark. He has 971 yards and nine TDs on 96 carries this season, averaging 10.1 yards per carry. … Junior RB Damon Bankston has 1,166 all-purpose yards this season, averaging 166.6 yards per game. He has six rushing TDs, two receiving TDs and a kick return for a TD. … Senior LB DJ Mourning and junior DL Andrew Rutherford each had nine tackles and 2.0 sacks last week for the Panthers. Mourning also had a fumble caused. … Huntsville averages 32.5 points per game and surrenders 15.1 points per game. … This will be a game between two of the best defenses in the district. … Huntsville is a heavy passing team, with 64.6 percent of its total yards coming through the air. … Senior QB Matthew Southern is Huntsville’s go-to guy. He has completed 77 of 122 passes for 914 yards and nine TDs to six INTs. … Senior Jaden Schroeder is a dynamic punt returner. He has returned a district-best 13 punts for 230 yards, averaging 17.7 yards per return. … Huntsville ranks third in the district in defense, allowing 281.8 yards per game, but next-to-last in offense, with 329 yards per game.