The Cooldown: Week Two
Cover Photo via @DickinsonISD on Twitter
Katy followed up its impressive week one win with a dominant week two performance, Dickinson was marred by penalties in its week two road test and North Shore gets back on track. Check out our week two roundup.
1. Katy Establishes State-Wide Dominance
It’s tough to go on the road and beat the No. 2 team in the nation and somehow follow it up with an even more impressive win. That’s exactly what Katy did after boat-racing Atascocita 56-14 on Friday night. Atascocita is one of the best teams in the Houston area and the Eagles were absolutely embarrassed by the Tigers, who built a 35-point lead at halftime. Allow Greg Tepper to explain.
After beginning the season unranked, Katy is now up to No. 9 nationally, according to USA Today’s Super 25 poll. Ron Hoff took over the game once again, running 19 times for 128 yards and two scores. If the Tigers can continue to get that production from their senior running back for the rest of the season, a return trip to Arlington the weekend before Christmas is in the cards.
2. Dickinson Falls in DFW
The story of the game was penalties. The Gators started fast, scoring from 75 yards out on the first play, but ultimately lost 38-24.
Allen doesn’t typically lose at home: The Eagles are undefeated at Eagle Stadium since it opened in 2012. Ranked No. 3 in the state according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, the deck was stacked against Dickinson from the beginning. But the Gators may have had a chance if they had played a cleaner game. In total, Dickinson amassed 15 penalties for 128 yards, including a few penalties that killed drives.
On one occasion, a pass that gave Dickinson a first down inside the Allen 20-yard line was negated due to penalty. The Gators wound up with a third-and-long that eventually turned into a punt. That one penalty alone could have turned a 14-point game into a seven-point game at the end of the night. If Dickinson were able to keep the penalties to a minimum – say maybe five – they could have had a shot to win the game.
Nonetheless, Dickinson showed it can be a power in Houston. It was an encouraging showing to hang with Allen, who has been to at least the state semifinals in each of the last seven seasons, on the road four-and-a-half hours away. They would normally be a pick to make a deep playoff run if not for likely having to face North Shore in round two.
3. North Shore Bounces Back
Speaking of North Shore, the Mustangs bounced back nicely with a 38-7 win over a good Ridge Point squad.
The most impressive part of the win was that the Mustangs did it without two of their “big three” on offense. Wide receiver Shadrach Banks missed his second straight game with an injury and Zach Evans sat out the contest for unknown reasons. It was reported that Evans is not injured and that he is still on the team.
With Evans and Banks out, it was the Dematrius Davis show, and the junior quarterback didn’t disappoint. He finished with nearly identical totals of 191 yards on the ground with another 194 through the air against a usually good Panther defense.
Getting Banks and Evans back will be key for the Mustangs, but until then, Davis has shown he can hold down the fort. Even without two of their biggest stars, the Mustangs are still one of the most talented teams in the state. It may only be week two, but a potential third round playoff rematch with Katy is on everyone’s minds.