Cedar Hill turns table on Katy to earn first title

Same place, same teams, a new champion

 
Arlington – Both schools met for the Division II title at AT&T Stadium a year ago with the same intention.  Ironically, the score of last year’s outcome nearly matched this year.  But the difference, a new champion.
The last time Katy suffered three or more critical turnovers in a championship game, it lost to Garland 37-25 in the Astrodome, in 1999.  Much like Cedar Hill, Garland turned a pair of turnovers into second-half touchdowns to erase a five-point halftime deficit.
Competing for an eighth state title was in the making for the Tigers; however four second-half turnovers, three which resulted in points, cost Katy a chance to lay grasp on a record-tying title, as a physical Cedar Hill team rallied for a 34-24 victory in the Class 5A Division II Championship Game on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.
“Turnovers were big for them and big for us,” explained Tigers coach Gary Joseph.   “You can’t turn the ball over and we did. It’s part of the game, but we have to handle it a little better when the game starts going away from us.”

Katy opened the third quarter with a 75-yard scoring drive to put a firm hold on a 24-10 lead before watching a third quarter meltdown.
“We came out, we knew we needed to score,” Cedar Hill’s receiver Demarkas Lodge said.  “We killed ourselves in the first half by putting the ball on the ground.  I think we had five turnovers.  When we went to halftime we knew we had to fix those mistakes. I wasn’t surprised at all by being down 21-10.  We’ve been in this position before.  In the first round we down 28-0 in the third quarter.”
Before Cedar Hill received its early Christmas gifts, it responded with a 79-yard drive of its own.  Facing fourth and three from the Tigers’ 39,  junior receiver Demarkas Lodge lined up in the wildcat offense, took the direct snap from center and raced to the house, trimming the lead 24-16, followed by a missed extra point kick.
Running back Aca’Cedric Ware carried 16 times for 123 yards and a touchdown. receiver Demarkas Lodge rushed three times for 103 yards with a touchdown and caught five receptions for 52 yards and a score.
With 4:02 left in the third quarter, the unraveling of the Tigers began as Cedar Hill gained momentum and the lead; stemming from four late second-half turnovers.
It all started when Katy faced a fourth and two from the 50 -ard line.  Junior running back Rodney Anderson took the handoff from the tailback position, but was tackled two yards shy of the line of scrimmage, resulting in a turnover.
The Tigers (15-1) dodged a bullet following sophomore defensive back Travis Whillock’s interception at the Katy 34-yard line.  Unfortunately for the Tigers, the turnover didn’t bear any points.
The Longhorns (13-3) then capitalized on a blocked punt and two fumbles which accumulated 17 unanswered points to lock down a 34-24 lead, finalizing the score.
In the first half, kicker Ralph Brooks booted a 38-yard field goal and junior running back Denvre Daniels scored on a bizarre play after Junior receiver Demarkas Lodge took a handoff running right side.  He sprinted down the side line, turned inside where sophomore corner back Collin Wilder stripped the ball away. Daniels happened to be in  the right place at the right time, grabbing the loose ball and out-running a defender to the corner of the end zone to give the Longhorns a 10-0 lead with 4:06 left in the second quarter.
A slow start gated the Tigers before scoring 21 unanswered points within a 3:00 minute period.  Trailing 10-0, Anderson ripped off a 66-yard touchdown run, outrunning Longhorn defenders to the end zone. Following Manny Mendoza’s extra point kick, Katy drew within 10-7.
Anderson led the Tigers in rushing with 144 yards on 23 attempts and a touchdown while Doiron completed 8-of-12 for 112 yards and one touchdown.
The Tigers added two more touchdowns before the half.
After Jake Blomstrom recovered a fumble at the Cedar Hill 44, quarterback Garrett Doiron spotted tight end Sloan Spiller wide open up top to complete a one-play scoring drive.
An unfortunate fumble by Peter Lewis landed in the hands of sophomore cornerback Jo Vanni Stewart who returned it 77 yards for a touchdown which gave Katy a 21-10 lead with 44 seconds before intermission.
Katy’s last two possessions resulted in turnovers as time became a factor.