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North Shore (13-0) weathered the storm up, 35-31 when Dematrius Davis suffered his first interception of the game in its territory. But the undoing of the Tigers, failing to come away with points on the drive was a sure sign of North Shore’s defense stepping up when it needed it most.
“We talked about how would we react if we got punched in the face and we knew it was going to happen tonight,” North Shore coach Jon Kay spoke. “I was really proud of how our offense reacted and defense. I don’t think our kids panicked. They came out and played.”
Big play after another, North Shore’s defense took advantage of stops at the opportune times to move past the Katy Tigers, 49-38 in a wild Class 6A Division I Region III Semifinal game at NRG Stadium on Friday night.
It’s the second defeat of Katy this season. North Shore open the season on the road, winning 35-21.
North Shore’s defense came up with two key stops to dwarf Katy possessions. Katy trailed, 35-31 with 7:08 left to play when cornerback Jianni Angulo intercepted Davis and returned the ball 33 yards to the Mustangs 34. However, the critical moment failed when North Shore’s defensive linemen Tony Bradford, Darius Fitzpatrick, and John Revels bull rushed Tigers offense and forced a four and out. Katy’s one chance to move the ball came when McClelland’s second-down pass over the middle to Patrick, grazed off his fingertips at the 23. It would have given the Tigers a fresh set of downs.
“We had an opportunity, down 35-31,” says Katy coach Gary Joseph. “We got the ball at 34-yard line. The only mistake they really made was the turnover. We just couldn’t convert.”
Right after, junior running back Zach Evans iced the game with a 59-yard scoring run and junior defensive back Upton Stout added the cushion with a 51-yard pick six with 4:12 to play.
“The one that broke our back when they came back and stop us,” coach Joseph explained. “The Evans kid broke a long touchdown run. Their very talented, you can’t mistake against them. You can’t miss tackles and we did both. We didn’t do it on purpose.”
A thrilling first half left fans eager for the second half to come. A rash of big plays highlighted the second quarter. Mustang’s defensive back Dorian Hewitt closed the quarter on a 42-yard interception return to the Katy’s 18-yard line.
“The turnover was disappointing at the end of the first half,” coach Joseph said.
Trailing 14-7, with 8:39 left in the second quarter, Katy (11-2) force a turnover when the Mustangs John Gentry ran a fake out of punt formation to the 42, a yard shy of a first down. The Momentum shifted to Katy as McClelland followed with an accurate 43-yard strike to receiver Jordan Patrick, who broke a tackle and raced for the end zone, tying the game at 14 after Nemanja Lazic’s extra point kick.
Then, like a contagious cold, the big plays became the expectation for both teams.
On the ensuing possession, Mustangs Davis dumped a short pass to receiver Chance Pillar, who turned the play into a 78-yard score. The drive covered 80-yards in two plays.
Demetrius Davis led North Shore completing 12-of-18 attempts with 340 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. Evans had 16 carries for 133 yards, and a score and Pillar caught three passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Katy battled back to knot the score at 21. However, it had to overcome a pair of obstacles — the first, Dylan George’s mad-scramble-recovery of a swift kick at the Katy 31. Glass picked up six yards on first down. Standout junior receiver Patrick was nail by Mustangs defensive back Keeyon Stewart after making a catch at the 40, a yard shy of the first down. That was no problem for the Tigers. On the next play, facing fourth and a yard, McClelland rolled out to his left and found junior tight end Samuel Dunn at the Mustangs 36-yard line with 3:14 left in the second quarter.
That followed another big play when McClelland stunned North fans with a reverse flea-flicker, resulting in Patrick’s catch at the eight-yard line. Three plays later, Glass, who has offers from Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M, to name a few, rushed in from the two.
McClelland threw for 300 yards on 14-of-26 attempts, two touchdowns, and an interception. Patrick grabbed six passes for 165 yards and a score. Deondrick Glass rushed for 107 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.
North Shore deliver two final blows before halftime. Receiver Shadrach Banks, who finished the game with a whopping 192 yards on four receptions, three touchdowns, turned another one of Davis short completions into a highlight reel, dancing and spinning off defenders before racing to the end zone to cap a one-play, 75-yard shocker, pushing the Mustangs back in front, 28-21.
“It was a dogfight,” Mustangs running back Zach Evans said. “It was a battle of the trenches. Offensive line vs their defensive line. The big hogs up front. It all started up front.”
Cornerback Dorian Hewitt’s interception preserved Mustangs’ lead and stopped yet another Tiger opportunity before intermission.
