Katy is ranked 2nd in the state in Class 6A heading into the playoffs, the Tigers hosting Ridge Point in the first round…
But early on, it’s Ridge Point who looks like the title contender. Will Pendergrass swings it out to Keith Jackson, and Jackson has room to run down the sideline. Whoa Nelly, Jackson takes it all the way, 52 yards for the Panthers touchdown and it’s 7-0 Ridge Point after one.
In the 2nd, Pendergrass drops back and goes up top to John Paul Richardson, perfect execution for a 25-yard touchdown, and Ridge Point races out to a 14-0 lead.
It’s 14-7 when Katy’s Jalen Davis gets the handoff, breaks a tackle, and he’s off to races. He takes it all the way, 80 yards for a Katy touchdown and just like that the Tigers tie it up at 14-apiece.
Ridge Point responds just before intermission, as Jackson wiggles through a small hole, and he turns on the afterburners. Jackson sprints 62 yards for the Panthers touchdown, and Ridge Point is smelling the upset, leading 21-14 at halftime.
Katy ties it at 21 in the third, and then a strange play here, as the Pendergrass pass bounces off the helmet of his intended receiver, and DQ Dawson is there to corral it for the Katy interception, setting up the Tigers with good field position.
And Katy’s offense cashes it into points, Bronson McLelland buys himself time and eventually fires into the back of the end zone for Jordan Patrick, it’s a 19-yard scoring strike and the Tigers take their first lead of the night, 28-21.
Then it’s McLelland, airing it out deep for Patrick again, perfect pass that hits him in stride, and Patrick takes it in for the 53 yard touchdown, and 2nd-ranked Katy survives a serious scare from Ridge Point, 35-28 is the final. The Tigers will take on Cy-Fair in the next round.