By George Slaughter
Paetow defensive back Kentrell Webb (16) celebrates an interception return for a touchdown against Galveston Ball with Panther teammates C.J. Johnson (7) and Michael Jordan (12). (Terry Carter/UD Photos.com photo)
Four of five Katy-area teams this weekend advanced to the area round of the Texas high school football playoffs.
Katy, the District 19-6A champion, will next play Stratford Friday night at Tully Stadium. Tompkins, the district runner-up, will play Jersey Village Friday night at Pridgeon Stadium.
Cinco Ranch will play Memorial Saturday afternoon at Tully Stadium.
Seven Lakes, the remaining playoff qualifier from District 19-6A, lost against Ridge Point.
Paetow, the District 10-5A champion, will play Manor Friday night in College Station.
Paetow 54, Galveston Ball 0
Junior running back Damryion Phillips rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries as the Panthers defeated Galveston Ball Thursday at Legacy Stadium.
Phillips and his teammates wasted little time in getting started in the rout. On the second play from scrimmage, he scored the first of his touchdowns, a 76-yard run. His other touchdowns came on runs of 26 yards and 5 yards.
Senior quarterback C.J. Dumas threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Kole Wilson with 3:49 remaining in the first quarter, but the Paetow defense effectively ended Ball’s hopes for a win. On a third-and-10 from its 26, Ball junior quarterback Seth Williams threw an interception to Paetow senior defensive back Cantrell Webb, who returned the interception 44 yards for a touchdown.
Phillips, although the leading rusher, was not the only one who made their mark for the Panthers. Senior running back Jacob Brown had 59 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Senior running back Jalen Richardson had 24 yards on four carries and another touchdown.
Paetow is 10-1. Ball ends its season at 5-6.
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- Panther running back Damyrion Phillips scoots into the end zone against Galveston Ball. (Terry Carter/UD Photos.com photo)
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- Paetow’s defense delivered big hits all night against Galveston Ball. Here Tor receiver Brice West (24) pays the price for a catch. (Terry Carter/UD Photos.com photo)
Tompkins 49, Fort Bend Travis 21
Wyatt Young rushed for 97 yards and four touchdowns on nine carries as Tompkins defeated Travis Thursday night at Rhodes Stadium.
Falcon senior quarterback Cole Francis was 13-of-22 for 179 yards and a touchdown to senior wide receiver Chidubem Lebechi.
The Falcon defense set the tone early when senior defensive back Tyler Collins intercepted a pass and returned 16 yards for the opening score. That touchdown came at the 11:18 mark in the first quarter.
Collins’s interception was the first of four for Tompkins against the Tigers.
Tompkins is 10-1. Travis ends its season at 6-5.
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- Falcon senior defensive back Samuel Kalu (11) tackles a Travis running back for a key stop in this defensive battle among playoff qualifiers on Thursday at Rhodes Stadium. (Terry Carter/UD Photos.com photo)
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- Tompkins sophomore quarterback Wyatt Young (10) and receiver Chidubem Lebechi (88) celebrate a score by Young. (Terry Carter/UD Photos.com photo)
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- Tompkins wideout Joshua McMillan (2) pulls in a long Falcon pass against Travis defensive back Aaron Mendiola (8). (Terry Carter/UD Photos.com photo)
Fort Bend Ridge Point 35, Seven Lakes 7
Ridge Point senior quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. completed 11-of-15 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers defeated Seven Lakes Thursday at Hall Stadium.
With the game tied at 7 late in the first quarter, Emanuel and his teammates went to work. He completed the first of his three scoring passes on a 76-yard strike to senior wide receiver Wilson Batiste.
Emanuel rushed for a five-yard touchdown with 3:18 remaining in the second quarter to give the Panthers a 21-7 halftime lead.
Emanuel’s last two scoring passes came in the second half. The first of those, a 35-yard strike to senior wide receiver Marvin Session, came late in the third quarter.
The final scoring pass, a 45-yard strike to sophomore running back Mason Dossett, came early in the fourth quarter.
Senior quarterback Grayson Medford went 14-of-24 for 153 yards and one touchdown to lead Seven Lakes.
Ridge Point is 10-1. Seven Lakes ends its season at 7-4.
Katy 56, Fort Bend Clements 7
Junior running back Dallas Glass rushed for 110 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries as the Tigers defeated Clements Friday at Legacy Stadium.
Junior running back Seth Davis had 102 yards on eight carries for the Tigers. Junior quarterback Caleb Koger was 5-of-10 for 67 yards.
The Katy defense got into the scoring act when senior defensive end intercepted a pass and returned it for a 10-yard touchdown. The Tigers kept the Rangers from scoring until late in the game, when senior running back Dimas Kusuma scored on a one-yard run with just 1:05 left in the game.
The Tigers responded to that score on the ensuing kickoff, when senior kick returner Antonio Silva scored on an 81-yard return.
Katy is 11-0. Clements ends its season at 7-4.
Cinco Ranch 44, Fort Bend Bush 0
Junior quarterback Gavin Rutherford completed 10-of-12 passes 191 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Cougars past Bush Friday at Rhodes Stadium.
Junior running back Erik Eckstrom was the leading rusher. He had 95 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.
The Cinco Ranch defense played its part, both by shutting out the Broncos offense and in holding it to only 108 total yards on offense.
Cinco Ranch is 7-4. Fort Bend Bush ends its season at 5-6.
Katy-Area Area Playoff Matchups
Here are the area playoff matchups involving Katy-area teams:
- Paetow vs. Manor, 7 p.m. Friday, Cougar Field, College Station
- Tompkins vs. Jersey Village, 7 p.m. Friday, Pridgeon Stadium
- Katy vs. Stratford, 7 p.m. Friday, Tully Stadium
- Cinco Ranch vs. Memorial, 1 p.m. Saturday, Tully Stadium