DESTINED DOMAIN
Katy routs Clear Falls to reach state semis for 17th time since 1994.
Like a shadow that slowly advances as the sun sets, Katy surely, steadily— inexorably — eclipsed Clear Falls.
Nothing flashy. Simply inevitable.
Katy equaled expectations of most high school football observers with a 51-14 win over the upstart Knights in the Class 6A Division II Region III final Saturday at Legacy Stadium.
“We didn’t take them lightly,” said Katy running back Jalen Davis, who ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns. “We didn’t want to come in thinking they’re something they’re not because they worked hard to get here, too. They were here for a reason, so we took them like we take every team.”
The Tigers (11-1) areheading to their 17th state semifinal since 1994.
They’ll face Buda Hays at 2 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium for a place in the finals. But this is only their second semifinal in the last five years while dealing with the deeper Division I bracket.
Back in Division II this year, they rolled through the region.
Elkins forfeited their bidistrict game because of COVID-19, and the Tigers dispatched their next three opponents 160-45.
“They’ve been going at this thing a long time,” Katy coach Gary Joseph said about his players making the semifinals for the first time since 2017. “To finally get to the semifinals is a compliment to them, and what they’ve done to fight COVID, and fight the other things we had to fight through this year.”
And they did it on Joseph’s 65th birthday, his first celebrated on the field.
“Coach Joseph means a lot to us, and this community,” Davis said. “If you know Coach Joseph, you know he’s a great man, a great leader and a great role model. So we’re glad to give him this birthday gift.”
Clear Falls ended its deepest playoff run 8-4.
The Knights had only two previous appearances to their credit — both firstround losses.
This one felt out of reach after the first quarter.
Katy scored on all three of its possessions in the period. Clear Falls punted its first three possessions, and one was blocked. That play by JaKorien Haynes set up Katy’s second score on a 7-yard touchdown run by Davis for a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
Then the Tigers showed they have a kicker.
Senior Nemanja Lazic drilled a 47-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead that grew to 23-0 before halftime.
But that was about all they showed next week’s opponent.
Katy was content with 4 yards and a cloud of rubber crumbs most of the way. Even after Clear Falls tried to push the Tigers with a 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Pierson Morelli to wide receiver Luke Vidal to start the third quarter, Katy responded with a 10-play, 59yard scoring drive, all on the ground.
Katy finished with 336 yards, with 299 on 45 rushes.
Running back Seth Davis, Jalen Davis’ brother, had 170 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, and quarterback Caleb Koger rushed for two scores and threw a touchdown pass.
“We knew they were going to lay back on us on some stuff, so we wanted to be able to run the football and make first downs … and not have to rely solely on the big play,” Joseph said.
Clear Falls had five first downs and 103 yards at the break, 34 of which came on a pass that ended the first half. The first time it crossed the 50, defensive back Dalton Johnson ended the drive with an interception.
The Knights finished with 303 yards and 13 first downs.
“They’re so wellcoached and have so many great players that we knew it was going to be tough,” Clear Falls coach Zach Head said. “They’re going to make you earn everything and they’re so good in every phase. Iwas proud of how our guys settled in, adjusted a little bit to how good they are — their speed, their athleticism, and all the things they do — and found a way to keep fighting.”