Katy Crushes Cy Ranch, 55-7, in Football Playoffs

By George Slaughter

The Katy Tigers advanced in the Texas Class 6A Division I playoffs with a 55-7 win over Cy Ranch Saturday at NRG Stadium.

The Tigers improve to 10-0. Cy Ranch ends its season with an 8-3 record.

On its first possession, Katy junior running back Deondrick Lewis scored on a 44-yard run with 5:39 left in the first quarter.

After forcing a three-and-out, the Tigers went to work again, scoring on a 43-yard field goal by senior kicker Seth Small. The score came with 2:10 left in the first quarter.

Katy forced another three-and-out, and took over at its 46-yard line. Cy Ranch needed a momentum changing play. It got one from senior cornerback Sagmar Bartholomew, who stripped Katy senior running back Josh Oglesby of the ball and returned it 44 yards for a Mustang touchdown. Senior kicker Kyle Burns kicked the extra point for Cy Ranch, which now trailed 10-7.

The Tigers all but put the game out of reach with a 28-point second quarter. The onslaught began with a 43-yard pass from freshman quarterback Bronson McClelland to sophomore wide receiver Jordan Patrick with at the 7:58 mark.

On the ensuing possession, Katy senior linebacker Matt Kissamis recovered a Mustang fumble, and two plays later, senior quarterback Austin Marshall completed a 16-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Jacob Lighter.

“The play action pass is a big part of our offense,” Katy coach Gary Joseph said. “I’m proud of the way we caught the ball. He (Marshall) threw the ball well. The line did a good job of protecting.”

After an exchange of turnovers, the Mustangs found themselves with a third-and-six on their 30. Katy senior defensive back KeShon Rowe intercepted a pass at the Cy Ranch 45. He had to weave around a bit, but found a clear pathway to the Mustang end zone for another Katy touchdown.

Katy scored its last touchdown of the half on a 12-yard pass from Marshall to Lighting with eight seconds left.

“I’m glad the quarterback made the right reads and got the ball to him,” Joseph said.

Glass scored on a one-yard run at the 4:31 mark to give Katy its only score in the third quarter.

Glass scored on another one-yard run to start the fourth quarter, and senior kicker Nikola Lazic kicked a 41-yard field goal with 6:02 to finish the scoring.

Katy will face the Atascocita Eagles at 7 p.m. Friday at NRG Stadium. The Eagles, the District 21-6A champion, defeated Dickinson Friday night. The Eagles have a 10-1 record.

“We did well but we can do better, and we’ll have to be better against a fine Atascocita team,” Joseph said. “They’ve got a quarterback who’s a real focal point of their team. We’re going to have to do a great job of tackling and keeping him from making big plays against us.”