By George Slaughter
The Katy Tigers begin 2021 hoping to continue what they did at the end of 2020—winning in the playoffs. They return to action against Clear Falls in the Class 6A, Division II quarterfinals this weekend.
Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Saturday at Legacy Stadium.
The Tigers, 10-1, defeated Shadow Creek 49-24 last week in the regional round. In that game, sophomore quarterback Caleb Koger completed 8 of 15 passes for 193 yards and five touchdowns. But Koger had help, as he has had all season, from a strong running game. Sophomore running back Seth Davis had 19 carries for 114 yards, and senior running back Jalen Davis had 19 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown.
For the season, Jalen Davis has 118 carries for 824 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Seth Davis has 95 carries for 647 yards and four touchdowns. Koger has completed 52 of 92 passes for 957 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Tigers previously defeated Lamar. Katy received a bye week when its first playoff opponent, Fort Bend Elkins, had to cancel that matchup due to coronavirus cases on that squad.
Clear Falls, 8-3, used a late field goal to defeat Taylor 10-9 last week. The Knights previously defeated Beaumont West Brook and Strake Jesuit.
Senior quarterback Pierson Morelli, who has completed 62 of 111 passes for 888 yards and nine touchdowns with six interceptions, leads the Clear Falls offense.
Senior Quinn Bowen, who has 93 carries for 553 yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore David Smith, who has 83 carries for 506 yards and seven touchdowns, lead the rushing attack.
The Knights’ top receiver, Luke Vidal, has 27 catches for 411 yards and six touchdowns.
Saturday’s winner will play the winner of the Vandegrift-Hays game in the semifinal round.