High School Football

Bi-District previews: Playoffs kick off with big matchups

By Tyler Tyre, Sports Editor
Posted 11/9/22

Bi-District previews: Playoffs kick off with big matchups

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High School Football

Bi-District previews: Playoffs kick off with big matchups

Posted

Thursday

Class 6A-Divison I

Tompkins (8-2) vs. Ridge Point (8-2), 7 p.m. at Mercer Stadium

  • Tompkins has been on a tear. The Falcons have won six straight and have gotten better each and every week throughout their District 19-6A campaign.
    That has led the Falcons to where they are today, in their most important game of the season as they face off against District 20-6A champion Ridge Point in the Bi-District round of the playoffs, with everything on the line.
    Tompkins has been led by their run game offensively, and comes off yet another strong performance on the ground last week. The Falcons ran for 261 yards, with their trio of Caleb Blocker, Caleb Komolafe and Wyatt Young each rushed for a touchdown, with Blocker leading the way with 140 yards rushing against Paetow
    But it wasn’t just the run game that was strong last week, as Young continued to prove himself as a thrower as well, passing for 197 yards and three touchdowns, each career highs.
    Defensively, Tompkins has been one of the best in the area at forcing turnovers and continued that by intercepting Tompkins three times and turning those turnovers into points, while also limiting the pass and run game.
    All of that will be tested against Ridge Point, as the Panthers have put together a very strong season and have a number of talented players. Austin Carlisle leads the offense at quarterback and has thrown for 1295 yards and 15 touchdowns while only tossing two interceptions on the year.
    Ezell Jolly is the leader in the backfield and has rushed for 904 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Ashton Bethel-Roman and Mason Dossett provide a good one-two punch at wide receiver. Defensively the Panthers are only giving up 11.6 points per game and the team has gained confidence, winning eight straight since the start of their district play and only giving up 58 points in total through those eight games.
    Tompkins will again need a balanced offensive attack, and will hope that the Falcons defense can do enough to disrupt and take advantage of facing a sophomore quarterback on defense. It will be a big game and one of the more intriguing matchups in the first round in Class 6A Region III.

Friday

Class 6A-Divison II

Katy (10-0) vs. Fort Bend Clements (5-5), 6 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

  • Katy has dominated this season. The Tigers have continued to improve all year and wrapped up a district title two weeks ago before securing an unbeaten regular season.
    The Tigers are doing what they do offensively, dominating teams on the ground. Seth Davis is rested and ready to go heading into the postseason, he has 137 carries on the year for 1238 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Dallas Glass has been a strong backup, carrying he ball 97 times for 973 yards and 18 touchdowns, with duo averaging more than 230 yards per game on the ground.
    That run game has led to success for senior quarterback Caleb Koger as well. Koger has completed 56% of his passes this year, throwing for 1086 yards and 16 touchdowns to four interceptions while averaging 17 yards per completion, and the trio of Adam Jackson, Oliver Ginn and Micah Koenig all have had good seasons receiving, with Koenig leading the team in yards and touchdowns while both Ginn and Jackson also have over 200 yards receiving.
    Defensively, the Tigers have gotten better throughout the year, the pass rush is gaining consistent pressure, they are defending the rush well and the secondary has done what’s needed to force turnovers and get stifle offenses passing attacks.
    The Tigers reward for their successful regular season is facing off against Fort Bend Clements, who needed a win in the last week to lock down a playoff spot and comes in as a huge underdog in this matchup.
    Clements is led by Gunner Chenier on offense, as the junior has thrown for 1397 yards and 11 touchdowns, but has also tossed up 10 interceptions. JR Mirelles and John Lewis both get lots of touches in the backfield and have combined for over 1200 yards of offense and 17 touchdowns this year, and the team has six different receivers who have over 100 yards on the season.
    Katy will hope to force Clements into turnovers and continue their stifling defensive play while pounding the rock on offense on their way to another win.

Morton Ranch (7-3) vs. Hightower (8-2), 7 p.m. at Traylor Stadium

  • Morton Ranch had believed this moment could come all season. For the first time in six years, the Mavericks are heading to the playoffs, and there’s a real chance at them finding a way to get a playoff win.
    Morton Ranch took a big step halfway through the season and finished district play very strong, winning five of their last six games.
    Santana Scott has been one of the biggest weapns in the entire district this year, and the Morton Ranch offense goes as he goes. Scott has had a terrific senior year, rushing for 1444 yards and 14 touchdowns, while also having 210 yards receiving and three touchdowns receiving. Josh Johnson does a great job playing off that run game and has thrown for 1531 yards and 13 touchdowns to just two interceptions and also rushing for 601 yards and 11 touchdowns. Mike Gerald and Cameron Hudson both provide a good source of offense through he air with Scott as the Morton Ranch offense has had a great balance this year.
    Defensively, Morton Ranch has struggled at times with big, physical offensive lines, but they have been timely with forcing turnovers and finding ways to get the opposing team off the field when needed.
    Hightower has had an explosive offense this year with Joseph Stewart Jr. at the helm. Stewart has been excellent in his sophomore season, he’s thrown for 2047 yards passing and 17 touchdowns while throwing three interceptions, passing for 227.4 yards per game and 15 yards per completion as he has led the Hurricanes throughout the year. Running the ball, Jeremy Payne has been the top man on the ground, rushing for 591 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Khaleb Davis has been the big threat in the receiving game, with 40 receptions for 708 yards and five touchdowns, while Zion Kearney has also been a strong presence catching the ball, with 28 receptions for 287 yards and five touchdowns.
    The key for the Mavericks will be to be strong defensively against the pass game, an area they have struggled with at times this year, while continuing to have a good, balanced offense where Scott and Johnson are able to feed off each other.

Class 6A-Division I

Cinco Ranch (7-3) vs. George Ranch (6-4), 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium

  • Cinco Ranch comes into the playoffs rested and ready to go, trying to get to the area round for the second straight season. The Cougars once again have been strong offensively, and its been on the back of a historic season from senior quarterback Gavin Rutherford. Rutherford has far and away been the top passer in the district, and has thrown for 2815 yards and 27 touchdowns this year while throwing just six interceptions. Overall, Rutherford has thrown for 281 yards per game and has completed 62% of his passes.
    Sam McKnight has been the teams leading rusher, with Rutherford barely behind him, and the duo has combined for just under 1200 yards rushing to go with 26 touchdowns on the year. Receiving wise, Seth Salverino has had a terrific season in becoming the Katy ISD record holder for career record holder for receiving yards. Salverino has caught 42 passes this season for 1011 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging over 24 yards per catch this year. But as good as he has been, he isn’t the leader in receptions or touchdowns for Cinco this season, as that belongs to Noah Abboud. Abboud has 45 catches this year for 807 yards and 12 touchdowns.
    The Cinco defense has been up and down through the year, there have been games where they look exceptional, and times where they haven’t been able to stop teams.
    George Ranch has been a balanced offense this year that has been decent both running and passing the ball but has been exceptional at neither.
    Deion Drinkard has been the leader under center, as he has thrown for 1190 yards this year and eight touchdowns, but has also turned it over 12 times on interceptions, something Cinco Ranch’s secondary will surely be salivating at.
    Jaden Shelton leads the team in rushing with 993 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry, while Jackson Muckelroy leads the team with 355 receiving yards on 18 receptions to go with two touchdowns, while Gregor Jones has 302 yards on 14 receptions and five touchdowns.
    Cinco Ranch will be looking to continue their impressive performances on offense, especially against a susceptible secondary and will try to take advantage of a quarterback that is turnover prone to create more scoring opportunities for the Cougars.
Katy ISD, Katy, Cinco Ranch, Tompkins, Morton Ranch, sports, football