The Katy versus Cinco Ranch football game has been highly anticipated since the beginning of the season. This match up was to prove who is the No. 1 team in District 19-5A. The Tigers were undefeated coming into the game as were the Cougars, but the Katy got the best of Cinco Ranch on Saturday afternoon with a 17-3 victory.

Building up to this game, there were several people who didn’t believe the Tiger team would come out victorious.

“A lot of people completely wrote this team off,” Katy coach Gary Joseph said. “I’m just excited to see these kids win this football game. Cinco Ranch is a good team and they are well coached.”

The first half was a battle of defenses as only three points were scored in the half when Kyle Snyder kicked a 29-yard field goal late in the first quarter. The rest of the first half was filled with interceptions, punts, and turnovers on downs keeping both teams out of the end zone.

Katy running back Aundre Dean was trying to find running room the entire first half. An aggressive Cougar defense kept a pile of maroon jerseys on top of him. Dean felt he was out of his normal element in the first two quarters.

“The Cinco defense was tough, but I think I shut myself down in the first half,” Dean said. “I was not 100 percent focused. Most of the time I was trying to make the big plays instead of just getting the tough yards.”

Joseph agreed.

“We had a talk with Aundre at halftime and let him know we are still going to give him the ball,” Joseph explained. “We needed him to run with more determination and not try and do too much.”

The Cougars had an opportunity to go into halftime with a six-point lead. After a 37-yard field goal attempt failed, the ball was turned over on downs.

The Cougars went into halftime with a 3-0 lead, but the Tigers, and Dean, came out fired up in the second half.

Dean came out in the second half and took charge. The Tigers scored on one of the many third and long conversions when quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell connected with Dean on a 36-yard touchdown pass to put the Tigers up 7-3. The first score came on a third and 20 as the Cougars gave up one of many third and long conversions.

“They definitely won the battle of third down conversions,” explained Cinco Ranch coach Don Clayton. “They had so many third and long conversions and we couldn’t get any.”

The Tigers had trouble putting the ball in the end zone as did the Cougars, but Tiger kicker James Muscarella gave the Tigers a seven point lead when he put a 35-yard field goal through the uprights with eight minutes left in the third quarter.

The defenses sea-sawed back-and-forth for the remainder of the second half, but when it came down to it, the Tigers made the big plays to keep the score in their favor. One of those plays were a 21-yard reception by Katy receiver Michael Fuda on a critical third and 20.

With close to three minutes left in the game, the Cougars looked as if they might make a valiant attempt to take the ball 80-yards and tie the game. That attempt was cut short when the Tigers held the Cougars on a game deciding first down.

It was at this time, a new and improved Dean came into the game. On the prior drive, Dean left the game with an apparent hurt ankle. At this point, he felt it was time to prove his worth to the team.

“In my mind I’m thinking it’s time to play,” Dean said with passion. “My team needed me and I needed to show up and get some of this time off the clock. With the ‘D’ playing well, it takes a lot of pressure off of me.

“I went out determined to help my team earn the ‘W.’”

And Dean made it happen. Gaining the tough five, six, and seven yards a carry, Dean appeared to be unstoppable. After four or five carries, he broke on a long run that took the Tigers to the 2-yard line.

Coming out the pile hurting was Dean. He had an obvious limp and several teammates were waving to the sideline for a substitution. Dean waved it off and remained in the game. He scored on a two-yard touchdown run to seal the game for the Tigers.

“In that last drive, Dean put this team on his back,” Joseph said.

But the Cougars never gave up. On the following kickoff, defensive back Matt Harris gave Cinco Ranch a great return past mid-field. Quarterback JJ McDermott attempted passes on four straight downs, but was unsuccessful.

The Tigers pass rush, led by outside linebacker Brad Graham and Taylor Cotton, seemed to give the Cougars some trouble late in the game.

“JJ McDermott is a great football player and we could not sit back and let him sit in the pocket,” Joseph said.

McDermott finished the game 7-of-22 for 100 yards. He completed passes to Kyle Halderman (2-30), Joseph Wiesner (2-16), Thomas Cardone (1-36), Ryan Weatherford (1-11), and Garrett Forward (1-7).

Leading the ground game for the Cougars was Forward who rushed 11 times for 52 yards. Running back Frankie Lugo added 37 yards. The Cougar offense gained 194 total yards while defensively Will Morris and Harris both had interceptions.

The Tigers managed to compile 331 yards of total offense with Dean leading the way. He had 29 carries for 143 yards and a rushing touchdown. As a receiver, Dean had one reception for 36 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Mitchell was 11-of-17 for 168 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Mitchell’s primary targets were receivers Fuda and Brian Rowe. Fuda caught four passes for 67 yards and Rowe had 3 for 39 yards.

Katy will play Elsik next Saturday at 2 p.m. while Cinco Ranch battles Katy Taylor Friday at 7 p.m. Both game are scheduled at Rhodes Stadium.

Shannon Hicks and Ahmard Vital contributed to this article.  

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