Katy Magazine News
August 30, 2019
By Jennifer Miko
The highly-anticipated football match-up between Katy High School and North Shore resulted in a 24-21 victory for Coach Gary Joseph’s Tigers. The game, televised by ESPNU, was held last night in Galena Park ISD Stadium in Houston.
Coach Joseph said it wasn't hard to prepare the team for this big game.
"The players have a lot of pride and tradition behind them and they knew going into the game how good North Shore was, so they worked extremely hard to defeat them," says Coach Joseph.
Katy Tigers families and fans drove to Galena Park Stadium to support the team, band, brigade and cheerleaders. This was an important game for Katy - not just because it was the season opener, but because Katy and North Shore have history.
2018 Match-ups
Katy and North Shore met last year for the week one contest at Legacy Stadium. After the first quarter, North Shore led 14-7 and the Tigers couldn’t get back on top. It was a tough loss for Katy as North Shore overpowered the home team 35-21.
Katy met North Shore again at NRG Stadium in the playoffs. The Mustangs beat the Tigers 49-38. The Tigers ended the season with an impressive 11-2 record, and both losses were delivered by North Shore. The Houston powerhouse would eventually move on to win the 2018 6A Division 1 State Championships.
Red Rivalry
At last night’s game, the Tigers ran through an impressive banner that read “The Shore Can’t Shake Our 2019 Roar” to take the field. They were ready to face North Shore, the #1 ranked team in Texas, armed with a strong offense and the #1 running back in the country, Zachary Evans.
"Running Back Zach Evans is a great player, worthy of all his accolades," says Coach Joseph. "The players of the opposing team knew they would have to play team defense to slow him down.”
Katy introduced their own star running back to the national television audience. Senior Ron Hoff averaged nearly six yards per carry and racked up more than 200 yards.
Katy also showcased a strong pairing between quarterback Bronson McClelland and wide receiver Jordan Patrick. Patrick caught seven passes for 169 yards and one touchdown, while McCleeland went 14 of 24 for 233 passing yards, finishing with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Tigers Roar in Second Half
Katy had to fight back after North Shore scored in the first and kept Katy out of the end zone. Both teams would put points on the board in the second, and North Shore sent Katy to the locker room for halftime down 21-7.
In the opening of the third quarter, Hoff made a 50-yard run and then scored on an eight-yard charge into the end zone to cut North Shore's lead to 21-14.
The Tigers defense kept North Shore from scoring in the second half, and the offense put 17 total points on the board, including a McClelland-to-Patrick completion to give Katy the lead.
The crowd of more than 10,000 fans in Galena Park Stadium, and the national television audience saw Katy upset the state champions 24-21.
“It was a team effort because offense moved the ball well enough to keep it away from the opposing team," says Coach Joseph. "My advice to players in order to turn the game around was for them to have more reassurance and confidence in themselves and among each other.”
On September 6, Katy plays Atascocita at 7:00 pm at Turner Stadium.