Taylor’s five touchdown evening and Atwood’s interception part of a big day for Tigers
Arlington – Senior running back Adam Taylor’s game bursting 56-yard touchdown run with 6:46 left, electrified Tigers fans and helped Katy take home it’s seventh state title by overcoming Cedar Hill’s fourth quarter rally, 35-24 in the 5A Division II Final Saturday evening at Cowboy Stadium.
Katy’s victory represents its seventh state title in the school’s history and caps another memorable season.
From a torn ACL a year ago, to this season’s state champion MVP, Adam Taylor, a Nebraska commit answered many questions with legs in front of 42,621 screaming fans. Taylor was well and willing to carry the load for injury QB Huddleston and a pair of injured linemen. But receiving a team effort only added to his great evening.
“Adam Taylor is a great football player, he made our whole team better. Huddleston is a warrior. He played with a broken leg but we got clearance for him to play. He said, nothing was going to stop me from going out and playing tonight. He got injury in the Steele game,” Katy’s coach Gary Joseph said.
“He’s really special (RB Adam Taylor). We’ve been apart of some great backs. DeSoto’s back, you’ll see a couple of backs in this next game (Allen vs. Lamar). We played against a special sophomore Mansfield who’s going to make a name for himself. The quarterback was banged up and they had a couple of offensive lineman that didn’t play. They put it on his shoulders and he answered the call,” Cedar Hill coach Joey McGuire said.
Trailing 24-21 with 9:22 left was unfamiliar territory for the Tigers, who are usually up two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter. But a heavy dose of power running answered the call.
“That was our fourth nationally ranked opponent. We’ve played four teams that have been ranked in the top 10 and Katy’s did a great job. I thought that we played well and we got ahead of them at a point that they hadn’t seen all year long,” said McQuire. I love my players and I’m so proud of them. I thought they fought their tales off all the way to the end, but Katy did a great job today and their the state champs.”
Cedar Hill begin an impressive 4-play, 68-yard drive from it’s 32. On first down, shifty running back Laquvionte Gonzales executed a flawless screen play, juking and shedding defenders down to the Tigers’ 14 yard line, but a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 23. Three plays later, quarterback Damion Hobbs faked a handoff and took off up the middle of the field to the end zone.
“There a great explosive offensive team (Cedar Hill). We expected something like that to happen,” says Joseph.
The Tigers (16-0) answered Cedar Hill’s scoring drive in a similar fashion. Taylor carried twice, picking up five tough yards before bolting through the right side of the line and out-ran the defense to the end zone, giving Katy a 28-24 lead that would stand following Manny Mendoza’s extra point kick.
Taylor added another scoring run (42-yards) to cushion the Tigers’ lead and closed out his evening rushing for a game high 277 yards on 30 carries and five touchdowns.
“He’s special, he reminds me of the throw back Nebraska running backs,” says Cedar Hill coach Joey McGuire.
The Tigers gave nothing less than its usual team effort. Things started upfront with the guys who have provided protection the entire season. The offensive line. Defense was led by defensive end Matt Dimon, Cody Gessler and Tim Wilkerson. Mendoza was exceptional in the kicking game, though special teams suffered a pair of breakdowns.
“Cody did a great job today. I thought Tim and Cody did a great job all season,” Katy’s defensive end Matt Dimon said.
Cedar Hill (11-5) gave the Tigers all it could handle, but had no answer for Taylor, just as no other team this season. The Longhorns turned around its season after a 1-3 start that could of easily went south. Credit it’s tough preseason schedule which helped it through region II the DFW Metro Area, which feature some of the nation’s strongest teams.
Both teams shared drives of missed opportunities. On Katy’s first possession, facing third and two, junior quarterback Kiley Huddleston over threw junior receiver Logan Otte, who was all alone in the back of the end zone. Following, a snap sail through the hands of the holder, while attempting a 24 yard field goal, was foiled and snuffed out, giving the Longhorns possession at the 17.
Quincy Adeboyejo dropped a TD pass. However, Longhorns’ kicker Brooks Ralph connected on a 36-yard field goal, taking the early lead, 3-0 with 1:45 left in the first quarter.
Quarterback Damion Hobbs led Cedar Hill on 10-of-22 passing with 196 yards, 2-TDs and a interception. He added 70 ground yards on 22 carries and a TD.
A swivel kick that Tigers special teams fell on at the 47 yard line gave Katy a short field to work with. Huddleston who played through pain with a broken leg and a banged up shoulder, hooked up with junior receiver Andy Coonrod twice on the drive, the second gave Katy a first down at the Cedar Hill’s one yard line. Taylor finished the drive with his first of five touchdowns.
Taylor’s second touchdown was a result of a 17-yard run to give Katy a 14-3 lead.
That lead wouldn’t stand long, as Cedar Hill battled the Tigers at every corner of the game, mostly with big plays. The Longhorns responded, marching 65 yards in five plays. Gonzales grabbed a short screen pass and used his crafty running ability to escape Tiger defenders, down to the Katy six yard line. A few plays later, Hobbs found senior receiver Brandon Harris for the nine yard score, cutting the lead, 14-10 with 1:57 left in the second quarter.
After, Cedar Hill recovered the ensuing kickoff at the Katy 19 yard line. With the chance to trim the lead, Ralph’s field goal attempt was wide right, spoiling a golden opportunity.
Katy’s defense played exceptionally well in the first half, holding Cedar Hill’s explosive offense to 10 points.
Taylor’s 10-yard TD run with 4:28 to go in the third quarter, gave the Tigers a cushion,21-10. With a banged up Huddleston, the load laid heavy on its run blocking linemen which opened holes for Taylor, Alex Fisher and Anderson.
Not to be out-done, the Longhorns struck back with two fourth quarter touchdowns to hold a 24-21 lead.
Hobbs directed a drive that watched Cedar Hill convert two fourth downs. Facing fourth and three from the 45, running back Bobby Jackson rushed the ball to the 48 and staring at fourth and seven at the 24 yard line, Hobbs’ read option run found an open seem in the Tigers’ defense, as he turned up and ran for the end zone, trimming the lead 21-17.
Cedar Hill forced a three and out before Hobbs steered the Longhorns to it’s final touchdown of the game, when he fired a strike to Harris, capping a 21-yard TD and to give the Horns its first lead of the evening, 24-21 with 9:22 left.
Taylor finished a 65-yard drive with a 56-yard TD run. Following, defensive back Quinn Atwood intercepted Hobbs to ice the game.
