Underclassmen Earn Several 19-6A All-District Awards

By Terry Carter

Katy junior running back Seth Davis may not have surprised anyone by capturing the 19-6A Football MVP honors after rushing for a prodigious 2,460 yards and 28 touchdowns as the defending state champion Tigers finished 14-1 in 2021.

Davis may have ended his junior season limping slightly, but he is expected to lead the chase for another state championship with his Tiger teammates. And he was the standout in the Tigers’ state championship run in 2020. Davis will be on track in the fall to pursue the all-time rushing yardage mark for a Katy Tiger.

But Cinco Ranch junior quarterback Gavin Rutherford, who threw for 2,752 yards and 29 scores, made the voting close for the overall district MVP. Rutherford earned Offensive Player of the Year instead, completing 186-of-293 passes and rushed for 401 yards. Runner-up for Offensive Player of the year was another junior standout, Morton Ranch’s elusive Santa Scott. Scott ran for 1,247 yards, 12 touchdowns; he has also proven reliable as a receiver with 23 receptions for 369 yards. Both standouts return for senior campaigns in 2022.

“Gavin takes such pride in the details of the position, and he combines that with a competitive fire that few can match. He can make every throw on the field and has tremendous pocket presence and toughness,” Cinco Ranch head coach Chris Dudley said of his returning quarterback.

Dudley himself earned 19-6A Coach of the Year recognition after guiding a balanced Cougar squad to a solid 8-5 record, 3-3 in district play. The Cougars squeaked into postseason play and advanced to the Region III semifinals before falling to Summer Creek. 2021 was a huge step-up after Cinco Ranch finished 1-7 in 2020.

“I am very humbled, but also proud of our entire coaching staff. It is a credit to them; they are instrumental in our program, taking the next step like we did this year,” Dudley said. “We have made steady progress… the program is on solid footing now, and while we had a great run to the regional semifinals, our players want to raise the bar even higher.”

Katy’s leading tackler Ty Kana, a 6-2, 210-pound senior linebacker, won the 19-6A Defensive Player of the Year. He registered 124 tackles, 70 unassisted and 11 for loss to lead the state-ranked Tigers. Cinco Ranch senior Fordham Parks finished second with 89 tackles, five interceptions and three caused fumbles.

Seven Lakes’ senior Keegan Sneedon won the Special Teams Player of the Year award in near-unanimous fashion. The Spartan senior punter/kicker connected on 9-of-14 field goal attempts, including a 46-yard conversion. Sneedon converted 25-of-27 PAT attempts and showed power in kickoffs in 11 games with 27 touchbacks on kickoffs. Katy senior Axel Robertson converted 91-of-94 PATs and 8-of-11 field goals, to finish second for this award.

“Keegan had a really good year. He was consistent all year and really became a weapon for us in our kicking game,” Seven Lakes head coach Jimmy Hamonn said.

Tompkins sophomore Wyatt Young Newcomer of the Year after a breakout season running the pigskin and catching passes. Young’s biggest game may have been in the Region III semifinal against eventual 6A-D1 state champion North Shore. The sophomore ran for three touchdowns and 131 yards against the high-octane Mustang defense; he also caught five passes for 56 yards. For the season, Young finished with 602 receiving yards and 402 rushing with 10 rushing touchdowns and four as a receiver.

Here are the remaining 2021 District 19-6A All-District Selections

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

First Team:

Tompkins senior Ethan Vasquez

Taylor senior Nolan Hay

Katy senior Terrence Ochai

First Team:

Tompkins senior Eti-ini Bassey

Katy senior Malik Sylla

Tompkins senior Sean Dubose Jr.

Seven Lakes senior Shashwat Singh

Katy senior Dylan Bennett

Second Team:

Morton Ranch junior Jamall Lindsey

Katy senior Cayde Robertson

Taylor sophomore Ashton Coker

Cinco Ranch senior Zach Dycus

Cinco Ranch senior Rhett Rodabaugh

LINEBACKERS

First Team:

Tompkins senior Bryce Shaink

Katy senior Ty Kana

Seven Lakes senior Scott Stanford

Cinco Ranch senior Kasey Murry

Second Team:

Katy junior Damian Neveaux

Tompkins senior Caden Welsh

Morton Ranch senior Alexis Lima

Seven Lakes sophomore Dakyus Brinkley

SECONDARY

First Team:

Cinco Ranch senior Fordham Parks

Tompkins junior Caleb Komolafe

Katy senior Hamilton McMartin

Katy junior Johnathan Hall

Katy junior Arian Parish

Second Team:

Katy junior Brady Englett

Taylor senior Hollis Robinson

Mayde Creek junior Tay’Shawn Wilson

Seven Lakes junior Bryce Turner

Cinco Ranch senior Jackson Pursley

ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER DEFENSE

First Team:

Katy senior Carson Marshall

Second Team:

Tompkins senior Cole Binkley

HONORABLE MENTION

Katy junior WR JR Ceyanes

Katy senior WR Ronnie Schneider

Katy sophomore TE Luke Carter

: Katy senior linebacker Ty Kana (42) delivered stopping power all season for the Tigers. He finished the year with team-high numbers in tackles.

: Katy junior running back Seth Davis (23) earned the District 19-6A’s top honor, District Most Valuable Player this fall. He set Katy apart from many opponents as the Tiger offensive line opened lanes allowing Davis to rush for 2,460 yards, 28 touchdowns. Davis averaged a hefty 10.21 yards per carry for the season.

: Cinco Ranch quarterback Gavin Rutherford (12) earned Offensive Player of the Year honors in District 19-6A, and Tompkins defender Sean Dubose Jr. (81), earned All-District honors on the defensive line for disrupting play like this.

: Katy receiver Nic Anderson (4, on left) and fullback Isaiah Smith (26) both earned All-District recognition for their efforts on the 2021 Tiger offense.