Tiger defense held Manvel’s high powered offense in check
Katy’s defense held the Mavericks high powered offense to 17 points.
“If you hold a great team like this to 17 points you’ve done a great job,” Katy’s coach Gary Joseph explained. “It’s not just one or two players, its a team effort and that’s what we had to have.”
But Manvel made it interesting. Needless to say, the final results were the same as the previous two seasons.
For the third consecutive season, Katy took down the Mavericks 35-17 in the Class 6A Division II Region III Finals on Friday night at NRG Stadium.
Katy stood in battle, taking Manvel’s best punches. Including two Maverick interceptions in the fourth quarter.
Leading 28-17, The Tigers defense held off the surging Mavericks, who gained momentum after cornerback Deontay Anderson’s 55-yard interception return to the Katy 26.
The interception never panned out as the Tigers defense held and dashed the hopes of any Manvel comeback. On fourth and three from the seven, Katy’s lineman Greg Boyd rushed in from the right side and blocked Enis Sefa’s field goal attempt with 4:21 left.
At times, things were great for Manvel but other times, things were a total disaster. If it wasn’t a setback from penalties, turnover, then it was the tackles behind the line of scrimmage that held the Mavericks.
The beginning of the game resembled the Tigers last outing when it jumped out to a 28 point first quarter lead against Friendswood in regional semifinals.
Kyle Porter scored three first-half touchdowns to help Katy build a 21-0 lead.
From the opening kickoff, Kris Perez pooch kick found the hands of Manvel’s sophomore up back Cam Scott, who could not cradle the ball. He fumbled it at the Manvel 26 where Tigers Colton Walker recovered the loose ball.
Katy’s first two plays of the drive totaled four yards and on third down, receiver Tony Mullins was unable to come up with a pass out of reach. It would have been fourth down. But instead Manvel’s defensive back Deontae Anderson was accessed with a personal foul. That gave Katy a first down at the 11-yard line.
Two plays later, Porter cashed in his first of three first-quarter touchdowns with 10:14 left.
Meanwhile, Katy ’s defense showed why it has nine shutouts on the season by surrendering one yard on the Mavericks first series. A punt followed which pinned the Tigers at its 20-yard line.
That was temporary, as quarterback Garrett Dorion threw a strike to Jaxon Borowski at the 50 and Katy used the rushing of Porter to finish off the drive with a 30-yard scoring run. Katy led 14-0 after Perez extra point kick.
Manvel’s offense continued to snowball with penalties, mistakes, and the Tiger pride. Once again, it was three plays and punt.
“I tried to do everything I could to change the outcome, “says Manvel’s running back D’Vaughn Pennamon. “Sometimes the dice don’t roll your way.”
Walker turned the punt into a 42-yard return to the Manvel 15. Porter scored his third touchdown from two yards out as Katy increased its lead 21-0 after Perez kick.
With its back against the wall, Manvel didn’t go quietly as it boarded ten unanswered points.
Quarterback Deriq King directed a 75-yard drive that watched tailback D’Vaughn Pennamon slash up the middle 11 yards to the end zone.
After, the Mavericks defense came up with an effort it would have needed the entire night to be victorious when its defense shut the door on the Tigers on its following series.
“They (Manvel) are a lot more fundamentally sound than a year ago,” Tigers tail back Kyle Porter said. “They play really hard.”
Freshman running back Deondrick Glass who backed up Kyle Porter the month he was injured was stopped for no gain and Garrett Dorion was sacked by linebacker Depreiest Taylor to force Katy into a fourth and 15 punting situation.
Punt returner Uryan Hudson gave Manvel great field position at the Katy 35 after a 16-yard return. King penetrated the 11-yard line before Sefa booted a 27-yard field goal with 9:58 left in the second quarter. The score, 21-10 in favor of Katy.
Katy would score twice more to preserve the win.
“We can’t get anymore support than what our athletic department have giving us all year long,” Joseph said.
