High School Football

Week 8 Katy ISD previews: Cinco Ranch moves into second in district standings

By Tyler Tyre, Sports Editor
Posted 10/12/22

Week 8 Katy ISD previews

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High School Football

Week 8 Katy ISD previews: Cinco Ranch moves into second in district standings

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All Games District 19-6A

Thursday

Taylor (2-4, 1-3) vs. Mayde Creek (2-5, 0-5), 6 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

Last year: Taylor 39, Mayde Creek 22

Taylor is in a must win situation for the rest of the season.

The Mustangs lost a tough, close game against Morton Ranch last week, 45-31 and now sit at 1-3 in District 19-6A play, tied for seventh place in district but only a game back from fourth place and being tied for a playoff spot.
The Taylor offense did what they could to keep the Mustangs in the game against Morton Ranch. Joe Jefferson threw for 167 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 47 more and a touchdown and junior running back Dante Archie was huge for the team, rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns along with having 21 receiving yards, while Alei Sabek led the team with 82 receiving yards on five catches and a score.

But the Taylor defense wasn’t able to keep the Morton Ranch offense in check, as the Mavericks offense was able to make the different in the game. Taylor gave up 266 yards through the air and couldn’t stop the Mavericks ground game either as they couldn’t stop either part of the Morton Ranch offense all day.

The backbreaker for the Taylor defense was third downs, as Morton Ranch went seven for 11 on those plays and were able to keep drives going consistently.

The loss puts Taylor in a big bind, as they are in a tough spot to stay in the playoff picture. The Mustangs have to at least win this game and two more if they hope to stay in contention for a top four spot.

Mayde Creek meanwhile is just hoping for any kind of win.

The Rams lost their fifth straight game and remain winless in district play this year after their loss to Seven Lakes, but Mayde Creek was able to put up a fight, which wasn’t the case wit their last few games.

The Mayde Creek defense was able to hold Seven Lakes to just seven points in the first half, but struggled to contain the run game in the second half, as the Spartans were able to ground and pound their way to 326 rushing yards and three second half touchdowns, pulling away in the end.

But there were positive signs for the Rams.

Mayde Creek garnered over 250 yards of total offense and passed for over 200 with Carldell Beard having an improved day passing the ball going 10-25 with 207 yards and two touchdowns, but also throwing two interceptions in the process.

Beau Bankston had 68 receiving yards and Eric Nelson showed what he can do, rushing for 33 yards and catching four passes for 44 yards and a score.

But Mayde Creek is still searching for a way to play a complete game, and they’ll need to do that if they want to stay in the game against a Taylor team that has a very good run offense and run defense.
The key to this game will be up front, as both teams lineman will look to gain an advantage and wear each other down.

Tompkins (4-2, 2-2) vs. Morton Ranch (5-2, 3-2), 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium

Last year: Tompkins 47, Morton Ranch 0

Tompkins knows what they have to do the rest o the season and knows if they take care of business they will lock up a playoff spot.

This game will be especially important for both teams in the district standings and especially for Tompkins, which sits in a three way tie currently for fourth place in district and half a game back of Morton Ranch for third place in district.

After a struggling start to the district schedule, with tough losses to Katy and Cinco Ranch, the Falcons seem to have figured things out, going 2-0 in their last two games and outscoring their opponents 98 to 28 over the course of the two games.

But this will be the most important matchup they’ve had thus far, as a win would put the Falcons in great position the rest of the way to lock up a playoff spot, while a loss would put Tompkins in a position where they might need to win out the rest of the way and battle for a playoff spot.

Tompkins comes into the game fresh off its bye week and was sharp last time out against Taylor, allowing less than 150 yards of total offense in a 49-14 win.

The defense was especially impressive, and has stepped things up to a different level since the loss to Cinco Ranch in the second week of district play. And they will look to keep things going and continue to show improvement against Morton Ranch.

The Mavericks though, have no interest in slowing down when they play Tompkins, as they have won three straight, including a win over Cinco Ranch, who had dominantly beaten Tompkins earlier this season.

The Mavericks offense has been clicking on all cylinders and was again last week when they played Taylor and won 45-31.
While the defense struggled to contain the Taylor run, the Morton Ranch offense was great. Santana Scott did his thing on the ground once again, to the tune of 79 yards and a touchdown. But it was Josh Johnson who really carried the load, as the senior quarterback threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 40 yards and three touchdowns as well as he was a huge force for the Mavericks. And Carson Hudson was just as big in the receiving game, catching six passes for 168 yards and a score.

But the Mavericks will need to be better than last week on defense and especially against the run game against a strong Tompkins offense line and their talented running backs.

Tompkins meanwhile will have to be just as stout against a great Morton Ranch run game and be prepared for the play action in a huge game for both teams as they look to cement themselves in a good position as both fight for a playoff spot.

Friday

Seven Lakes (1-5, 1-3) vs. Jordan (3-3, 2-2), 6 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

Last year: Did not play

Seven Lakes finally got over the hump last week.

The Spartans got their first win of the season last week over Mayde Creek after finally putting together a four quarter game, which they had been unable to do so far this season.

The Spartans had been good in first halves, but not in second halves and the offense fixed that against Mayde Creek, putting up 17 second half points to lead them to a win.

It was the run game that led the way for Seven Lakes, the Spartans rushed for over 300 yards and had three backs do very well. Barrett Hudson led the way, rushing for 128 yards and two scores while Jake Farris rushed for 111 yards and a score and Marcel Davis had 85 yards on 11 carries. The Spartans offensive line and running backs wore down the Mayde Creek defense and gave the Spartans the win and proved that they can compete for a full four quarters.
Now, Seven Lakes has to turn the page to a Jordan that has already blown most outsiders expectations out of the water this season and the Seven Lakes offense and defense will be challenged by a very talented Warriors team.

Jordan though, will have to find a way to bounce back after facing a disappointment that they haven’t faced before in their young history.

After starting district 2-0, Jordan has lost two in a row and will need to rebound this week to stay on pace in the playoff hunt.

Despite the loss, Jordan found success with its pass game against Cinco Ranch. Colin Willetts 287 yards on the night with three touchdowns while Andrew Marsh had 140 receiving yards and two scores and Zechariah Sample had 147 yards and a score through the air.

But the Jordan run game struggled, Chad Gasper had just 45 yards and Ifeanyi Monye had 37 yards on the ground, and the Jordan defense had no answer for the Cinco Ranch offense, as they gave up 448 yards through the air and 125 yards on the ground.

That will be the area that Jordan focuses on shoring up this week and the key for the Warriors will be stopping the Seven Lakes run game while attacking the Spartans secondary. Meanwhile, Seven Lakes will look to establish things on the ground and wear down the Jordan defense, while hoping to have another good performance on defense themselves.

Paetow (3-3, 2-2) vs. Cinco Ranch (5-2, 4-1), 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium

Last year: Did not play

Paetow has faltered over the course of their last two games.

The Panthers, who started district play with two wins, have lost all momentum in losses to Jordan and Katy, as they have been outscored 95 to 13 over the two weeks and even with a bye week were unable to do anything against a strong Katy squad, losing 54-0.

It was a rough game in all phases for Paetow. Sophomore Brock Nichols was thrown into the fire in his first start and completed 12 of 21 passes for 59 yards while also throwing an interception, and KJ Truehill completed four of nine passes for 16 yards while also throwing an interception. And the Paetow run game wasn’t able to get anything either, as they finished with negative six yards on 21 carries. And the Paetow defense struggled as well. Dallas Glass ran for 119 yards and two scores while Seth Davis rushed for two scores as well. Caleb Koger had an excellent game as well, throwing for 199 yards and two touchdowns on eight of 14 passing with Micah Koenig and Oliver Ginn each gaining over 70 yards receiving and Luke Carter adding a touchdown reception along with Koenig.

Paetow will need to get that out of their heads this week and work towards a better performance both offensively and defensively under new interim head coach David Hicks Sr., as they face one of the best offenses they will see all season in Cinco Ranch.

The Cougars on the other hand have looked very good over the course of their last two games. They come off a big win over Jordan and sit alone in second place in district heading into the home stretch of the regular season schedule.

Gavin Rutherford had another insane night as he continues to be elite in his senior season, the quarterback threw for 448 yards on just 16 completions, as he averaged 28 yards per completion on the night and also rushed for 59 yards and a score.

And Rutherford’s receivers looked just as good, Seth Salverino had 194 yards and a touchdown on just three receptions, while Noah Abboud had 95 yards and three scores, Fischer Reed had 75 yards receiving and Sam McKnight had 65 yards while he also had 66 yards and two touchdowns rushing.

The Cinco defense also did what they needed to do, making stops in the second half and forcing a turnover.

But the Cougars will need to be better against the pass this week after giving up 358 yards against the Warriors while they look to continue to be strong against the run and look to continue doing the same things offensively.

Paetow meanwhile will need to have a great day in the secondary to limit Cinco Ranch and will need to pick things up offensively if they are to remain in a top four spot in district and not have to claw their way back into the playoff race down the stretch.

Katy ISD, previews, Katy, Cinco Ranch, sports, football, District 19-6A