GAMES
RANKINGS
Katy senior running back Dallas Glass had a career night Thursday against Katy Jordan, rushing for 193 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries to lead the Tigers to a 70-21 win at Rhodes Stadium.
Glass, Katy dominate Jordan to stay undefeated
KATY—Katy left no doubt, as is often the case when the Tigers take the football field.
In a clash of the last two remaining undefeated District 19-6A teams Thursday, as well as Katy ISD’s oldest school and its newest, the Tigers dominated from start to finish, wiping out Katy Jordan, 70-21, at Rhodes Stadium to go to 6-0 overall, 3-0 in district.
Katy scored on its first eight drives, scored twice on special teams and humbled a Warriors team (3-2, 2-1 19-6A) that has been impressive in its inaugural year of varsity ball.
“Coach tells us all week to just do our best,” said senior running back Dallas Glass, who stepped in for the injured Seth Davis to rush for a career-high 193 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries. “That’s all they ask for. We did that. It was great preparation studying our opponent and we were able to come out on top.”
With the Mississippi State commit Davis sidelined after surpassing the 5,000-yard career rushing mark during last week’s win over Mayde Creek, Glass excelled.
His second carry went for a 51-yard touchdown run three minutes into the game. He added scoring runs of 47, 4 and 1 yard, respectively, before sitting out the second half.
“Dallas had 1,300 yards rushing last year, so it’s not like he hasn’t done this before,” coach Gary Joseph said. “It was good he could step in and be the man. He’s been banged up, too, and for him to come back and play the way he did, it’s going to help us down the road.”
Joseph said Davis, who was dressed in full uniform and hung around coaches during the game, is a “little banged up” and is hopeful he’ll be back to full health for next week’s game against Paetow.
Joseph said it is an upper and lower body issue for his star tailback.
“We were going to play him if we needed him, but thankful we were able to keep him out,” Joseph said. “Giving him an extra week is going to help him. Glass, it was time for him to step up and he did. I’m proud of Dallas and his efforts tonight.”
Glass said he was focused and locked-in during a hard week of preparation. He was hungry for his turn.
“I knew I had to step up,” said Glass, younger brother of former Katy running back great Deondrick Glass. “Coach told me throughout the week it was about preparation and come ready to play tonight. I had great blockers. I saw them blocking in, hip read. I was able to get outside and make things happen to the second level.”
The Tigers' first punt didn’t come until 3:49 was left in the third quarter. They averaged 6.9 yards per play.
Even when the offense didn’t have the ball, Katy still put up points, thanks to the electric play of senior Micah Koenig.
Koenig had a 75-yard punt return midway through the first quarter in which he burst down the home sideline. On the opening kick of the second half, he returned the ball 96 yards for another touchdown.
“On the punt return, when I caught it, it had a big bounce,” Koenig said. “When I got it, I thought I’d end up going back inside. But our defense blocked like they do in practice, I saw it and just followed them. They led the way.
“On the kick return, I got it, saw the hole and hit it. It worked out. All glory to my blockers, man. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.”
Joseph said the plays were huge.
“He’s very big for us,” Joseph said of Koenig. “That’s going to give our kids on the kicking team a great load of confidence because those kids did a great job blocking for him. Same thing for the punt return. It’s great that they feel they really contributed to a win.”
Katy outgained Jordan 368-230 in total yards. Of the Warriors’ 230, 126 came in the second half after Katy built a 49-7 lead.
It was arguably Katy’s cleanest game of the season. The Tigers did not turn the ball over (while forcing two takeaways) and committed only two penalties for 25 yards.
They did this without the best running back in the Greater Houston area and a couple of key starters on the offensive line due to injury.
“The intensity has gone up since we got through the first couple of weeks,” Joseph said. “We’ve quit turning the ball over. The kids were ready to play, and they had to be. They (Jordan) jumped on Paetow last week and we weren’t going to go down without a fight. Our kids did a really good job.”
It wasn’t necessarily a statement win but the Tigers’ play did say a lot.
“The mindset was to get at it,” Koenig said. “We don’t do a lot of talking. We do a lot of doing. That’s what sets us apart.”
Katy junior running back Seth Davis.
Davis, O-line spark another dominant effort for Katy
KATY—Seth Davis is not a young man of many words. He speaks quietly and briefly. He is thoughtful, but succinct.
Katy High's star junior running back is comfortable letting his play speak for him, and Saturday against Cinco Ranch it wouldn't stop talking. Davis totaled 176 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries in leading the Tigers to a ho-hum 49-3 demolition of the Cougars at Legacy Stadium.
Davis's four touchdowns are a single-game best for him, coming just four games after he established a career-best in single-game yards with 224 against The Woodlands.
"I'm just trying to get better each day in practice, trying to help my team," Davis said. "I'm reading my blocks more. Trying to lead more. I just want to win state again."
Though he was named Offensive Most Valuable Player of the Class 6A-Division II state championship game last season, Davis feels he has so much more to show. He is never one to rest on success.
Coach Gary Joseph sees it every day in practice with Davis's persistent work ethic.
"He's stronger," Joseph said. "He's matured. He works at it. He doesn't complain and does a great job of always moving on to the next play. He's a great kid."
Davis has 1,333 yards and 15 touchdowns on 139 carries this season. He'll tell you how he's doing it. It has everything to do with the offensive line.
"They've improved a lot," Davis said. "From the start of spring ball, they're way more physical and they're better on their blocks. It's everything."
Katy's offensive front of senior Terrence Ochai, junior Jacob Egg, senior Dylan Erickson, senior Caleb Webb, and junior Isaiah Ybarra continues to get better and better. They're not as big as last year's O-line—none is taller than 6-foot-2—but they make up for it with toughness and technique.
"We're maintaining good aggression recently," Erickson said. "We're not the biggest line, but we want to be the most physical. We pride ourselves on our footwork and physicality.
"Every week, we're challenging ourselves to get better, and each week we're always hoping to be just a little bit better than the last. Hopefully it builds up until the end goal."
Joseph said the offensive linemen have made considerable strides in being physical and understanding what they're being coached to do.
Joseph commended the leadership of Webb and Erickson. He was effusive in his praise of Ochai, who has stepped in admirably in place of the injured Jace Butler. The selflessness of Ybarra, a defensive lineman and tight end last year, to do whatever the team needs is typical of what a Katy High football player is all about, Joseph said.
"The little things our offensive line coaches are teaching them in practice, they're finally understanding the why," Joseph said. "It's important for us to be physical, as far as the offense we run, and those kids are trying their best to be physical."
It's made for yet another dominant start for the Tigers, who are 8-0 overall, 4-0 in District 19-6A, heading into their bye week.
Despite missing as many as nine players out for multiple games this season due to injury—including highly-touted Class of 2022 recruits Nic Anderson, Malick Sylla and Bobby Taylor, the emerging and versatile Ronnie Schneider, and the veteran Butler—Katy has hardly skipped a beat, beating opponents by an average of 32.9 points per game.
"We look good, but of course we want to improve," Erickson said. "Our goal is still state."
EXTRA POINTS
>> GLASS SETTLING IN: The No. 2 running back has always been key for Katy, as Joseph likes to use a tandem to prevent wear and tear on the lead back. Junior Dallas Glass, brother of former Tigers star Deondrick, is settling into that No. 2 role this year. Glass had 133 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries against Cinco Ranch. Overall, this season, he ranks third in 19-6A in rushing with 662 yards and eight touchdowns. "They're different strength-wise between Seth and him, and that's obvious," Joseph said of Glass. "Dallas was one of the kids who did a lot of virtual (learning) stuff last year and missed a lot of offseason and a lot of training and summer strength stuff. He gets by because he works. He's quick, but he's going to have to get stronger if he's going to be that dynamic back he can be."
>> TAKEAWAY TIGERS: Katy entered the Cinco Ranch game with just eight takeaways in seven games but got three takeaways (an interception, two fumble recoveries) against the Cougars. "It was awesome to see that," said Joseph, whose team is a minus-3 in turnover differential this season. "It has a way of balancing itself out. It's disappointing to have been minus, but I'm proud for the kids. They work. You get turnovers by hustling, and they've been hustling. They've been trying."
>> CEYANES STEPS UP: With Anderson and Schneider unavailable because of injury, junior receiver JR Ceyanes helped steady the Tigers' passing game with 46 yards on four catches.