6A Division II State Championship: Katy 34, Lake Travis 7

Katy claimed its first Class 6A title with a 34-7 defeat of previously unbeaten Lake Travis. The win in the Class 6A DII championship game capped off the state championship weekend with an emphatic punctuation point for the Houston-area schools that reached the state title games at NRG. The win gave Katy its eighth championship in football, making it just the third program in history to reach that mark. Katy’s blueprint is no secret. The Tigers rely on a dynamic defense and a consistent running game. Gary Joseph has used that system to reach 10 state title games in this century and it paid off tonight. The Tigers lost to Cedar Hill the last two seasons in this game. This year was different. Nothing could stand in the way of Katy and the Tigers staked a claim as the best team in the state, regardless of division or classification. The defense was all-time good. Katy entered the game allowing just 55 points on the entire season. Lake Travis didn’t muster a score until the second quarter. Outside of that one drive by Lake Travis, which started thanks to an interception late in the second quarter, the front-seven for Katy dominated and the secondary was a blanket. Brewer was under constant pressure and he got no relief from the running game. Senior running back Kyle Porter carried the way for the Tigers offense. The Lake Travis defense played really well, but Porter, who has offers from nearly all the major P5 schools in the area, consistently put pressure on the Cavalier defense and popped a few runs. He finished with over 100 yards in the game. Katy scored two touchdowns in the first three quarters: One came on an interception return for a touchdown and the other one came on a four-yard drive after another Lake Travis turnover. The Cavaliers defense did enough to win, but the Katy defense made more of an impact. Katy’s pressure eventually wore out the Lake Travis defense and Porter tacked on two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Tigers added a field goal with five minutes left in the game after another Lake Travis turnover. Game BallsPaddy Fisher – Fisher was the heartbeat for the Katy defense for the past two seasons. The senior linebacker was one of the most productive defenders in the state throughout his career and he finally gets to claim a state championship after coming up short in each season since he was a freshman. The defense was the star of the game and Fisher is the linchpin. Kyle Porter – Lake Travis didn’t allow Katy much. The Tigers controlled the game throughout, but it wasn’t thanks to an explosive offense. Porter was the lone star on that side of the ball, helping the Tigers bleed clock and create field position for its defense. He made plays when he could, but it was his constant barrage of carries that wore on Lake Travis. Porter flirted with 200 yards rushing. Michael Matus – The Katy defensive line was dominant. Not only did the group stop the run, it put pressure on Lake Travis quarterback Charlie Brewer throughout the game. Matus, just a sophomore, was a huge part of that. He had a sack and scored Katy’s lone defensive touchdown.