Tigers scratch out a win, reach regional Finals

Mistakes, crucial penalties and turnovers
sends Mustangs home
Pasadena – For the second time this season state ranked Katy and North Shore met but with more at stake this time around. The much improved No. 8 ranked Mustangs gave the Tigers all they could handle.
It’s been said for years, you can’t give a good team a second chance, that’s what North Shore did.
The Tigers open the season with a 44-6 victory over the Mustangs in week zero.
The Katy Tigers got a team effort to get by the no quit North Shore Mustangs 32-27 in front of a packed house Saturday afternoon at Pasadena Veterans Memorial Stadium in the Class 5A Division 1 Region III Semifinals.
The Tigers (13-0) move on the face Pearland in the Class 5A Division 1 Region III Finals Saturday at Rice Stadium at 1 p.m.
“It was extremely tough, there a great football team (North Shore) and its hard beating a team like that twice in a year and our kids persevered, they faced some adversity and they bounced back,” said Gary Joseph Katy’s Coach. They did what they had to and I’m extremely proud of them for doing that.
The first quarter witnessed a defensive battle in which neither team could managed a first down until the Mustangs accomplished it on the last play of the first quarter.
North Shore took advantage of a blocked punt by Jyvante Williams that rolled into the end zone where Kendrix Jones fell on the loose ball to put the Mustangs up 7-0.
The second quarter was totally opposite from the first, the scoreboard begin to light up.
Bobby Thicle’s punt penned North Shore down at their two yard line. Two plays later Gipson was intercepted by Channing Pate who returned it for a touchdown to equaled the Mustangs score at 7.
Larry McDuffey’s return gave the North Shore good field position at the Tigers 44 yard line setting up a 38 yard touchdown scamper by Reggie Bryant to retake the lead 14-7.
All of sudden neither defenses had an answer once the offenses kicked in. Taylor accounted for all 59 yards on Katy’s next drive, tying the game when he took a pitch 40 yards down the right side line.
From there both teams traded scores until Jeff Johnson added a 17 yard field goal to give the Tigers a 23-21 halftime lead.
In the third quarter the Tigers pushed their lead to 6 on Johnson’s 29 yard field after forcing North Shore to punt on fourth and two.
A fake punt attempt failed on what appeared to be a bad snap to a waiting up back who never got the handle on the ball. The Tigers recovered the loose ball after a mad scramble but that gave the Mustangs possession at the Katy’s 45. North Shore (11-2) finished the drive on fourth and two with a two yard pass from Keenon Gipson to TE Chris Dever to take a one lead, 27-26.
Taylor and Young carried the Tigers into North Shore’s territory down to the 22 yard line. A play later Brooks Haack found Jordan Thompson who had beat his man on a fly pattern to the right corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown.
The Mustangs held the Tigers on fourth and one with 2:37 remaining but couldn’t get in the end zone as Gipson’s fourth down pass was incomplete intended for Larry McDuffey.
“They made their share we made some to (mistakes). We may have made a few more then they did, I don’t know. Once I look at the tape, I don’t want to look at it for a while but when I do I’ll know a lot more about it but I’m proud of our players, the fight they had in them and they never let up all way down to the end,” said North Shore’s Coach David A