The deja vu is strong this week
The Tigers meet old foes Cy Falls at Tully Stadium in the second round of the 6A state playoffs. The Eagles beat Bellaire 59-7 in the first round in a match-up they were heavily favored to win and match-up with Katy. Falls is 9-2 overall for the season. After starting the season 1-2, the Eagles have won eight games in a row. The two losses in non-district were to Klein Oak (24-21) and Clear Falls (42-22). Both of those programs made the playoffs and lost in Bi-District. Chris Brister is Falls’ head coach and has been in the program for almost two decades as an assistant and now leading the program. It took the Eagles a little bit to find themselves this season, but they are playing their best football of the season when it matters most.
The running game
Falls uses a run-based pistol/shotgun offense. They incorporate similar things to Tompkins as a style comparison to a Katy ISD opponent. The quarterback, junior Brandon Derbigny (#10), is a running threat. Passing wise, he tends to keep things to the short and medium zones. Cy Falls incorporates passes off their run action to try and catch defenders sleeping downfield. The primary running back lined up with Derbigny in the backfield is #16 Eric Manuel. Manuel has enjoyed big production games this season as a function of how the Eagles run their offense and his speed.
#2 junior Gabriel Wilson has enjoyed success in the ground game this season also. It’s a bit like defending an option in that they will exploit lack of discipline and gap integrity for chunk gains/touchdowns with multiple speed players. The most dangerous weapon in this attack is #3 Chase Ferrell. Ferrell is a lightining strike waiting to happen and is a very dynamic player as both a runner and receiver. Katy’s had a few players like him over the years, and they are true game changers. He’s the one they force you to account for every play and he also returns kicks.
Power defense
Defense is the standout strength for this Eagles team overall. They base from a three down line with two outside linebackers and one middle linebacker. Against Katy, I would expect them to show more of a Bear front where the three down linemen are guard to guard alignment wise and the two outside linebackers apply the edge pressure. Katy has seen this kind of look from basically everyone this season. Falls’ defense is not a big unit size wise, but they are extremely quick across the board and do a great job of not getting blocked or staying blocked. The secondary fills in very quickly behind the pressure applied by their front and are very good. There are college prospects at every level of this unit.
DI talent everywhere
Starting up front, #40 James Harris and #44 Kaden McCarty are two sophomores among the highest rated recruits in their class. Both guys are hitting the college visit circuit heavily and accumulating offers. Senior #13 Sterling Drake Bright (6’4) adds length and athletic ability to the edge rush. Teammate #23 Leshawn Washington (6’0, 200) is an outside linebacker with the versatility to apply extra force at the point of attack or drop into space. Senior #7 Kaleb Burns (6’1 215) is an All-State outside linebacker and the best overall player on this team along with Ferrell in my opinion.
Burns is committed to Baylor. He is the one who jumps off the film within five minutes of watching it. Senior #50 Cleveland Walker patrols the middle linebacker position to round out the Falls defensive front. The Eagles are extremely active and quick for what they lack in pounds. Falls has an impressive secondary backing up its front with players like senior #4 Shawn Battle, senior #19 Ashton Wilson, junior #6 James Henderson, and senior #5 Amonti Andrews. The Katy ISD comparison for this defense is Jordan or somewhere between Jordan and Paetow.
Motivation is a powerful thing
After Katy’s disappointing loss to Cy Fair last year, the team should be highly motivated to avoid a repeat performance. At this stage of the season, anything less than peak performance could end their season prematurely. Katy hasn’t suffered consecutive early-round playoff defeats since 1995 and 1996, when they lost to Yates and Lamar, respectively. Cy Falls previously derailed Katy’s playoff run in 2006, winning 28-21 at Tully Stadium after Katy’s miraculous comeback against them in 2005.
Match-ups make fights in the playoffs and Cy Falls’ defense versus the Katy offense holds the key for what kind of football this will be in my opinion. The Eagles have the pieces to cause Katy problems particularly with their athletic ability and quickness up front. Katy has shown vulnerability in games like Jordan, Atascocita, and Mayde Creek most prominently against more athletic and active fronts. The Tigers did a bit better against Paetow when presented with similar athletic match-ups.
Players to watch
Kaleb Burns is flat out going to be an issue for Katy. In the last few games Katy has played without Byron Nelson on the offensive line, the Tigers certainly have missed their primary enforcer and the type of player who would help neutralize someone like Burns in addition to the other talent Falls has up front. Katy is having to finesse openings in the running game more as a result, and I’m not sure that is the best look for this kind of defense. Cy Falls has a defense that thrives against physical power teams, and Katy doesn’t fit that mold this season.
Katy’s primary avenue for opening lanes in the ground game will be trying to use Cy Falls aggression against them with misdirection elements and finding direct avenues for quick hitters when Quay Jordan comes into the game for carries. The Tigers need to be dialed very quickly in this game and, perhaps most importantly, to adjust quickly. Katy has struggled to run effectively in base personnel (2 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB, 1 FB) against better defenses this season due to not having a sledgehammer profile, so a big part of the Tigers’ success this will will be finding the grouping that puts the offense in position to keep the chains moving and find success against a very good defense. Expect Cy Falls to throw numbers at the point of attack like many teams have done this season and bring one or two more than we have numbers to block.
What Katy is going to need to do
It shouldn’t be a surprise at this point, so I would expect the team to know what’s coming and have a plan. Since Katy doesn’t spread the field horizontally or have an effective shotgun offense to stretch defenses, they must quickly identify the best tight formation—whether it’s two-tight end, three-tight end, or two fullback—to overcome their numeric and talent disadvantage and effectively block the opposition. In Katy’s style of offense, it’s mostly a math game up front. If Katy gets put into obvious pass situations in this game, turnover risk will be very high in addition to a likely negative play. This Eagle defense lives for being able to pin its wings back and apply pressure.
I like the match-up of Katy’s defense against Cy Falls offense scheme wise on paper. The primary match-up challenge for Katy is going to be gap integrity and making tackles against multiple fast skill players, including the QB, for Falls. Ferrell is a legit stud and would be an important piece in any team. He is a Keith Mouton/Will Thompson style piece in this team (Deebo Samuel for NFL fans). Around Ferrell, they have several promising young players including a handful of sophomores who will be leading them next season. If the Tiger defense can keep things in front of them, set the edge and tackle well, I think it’s reasonable to expect Katy to continue playing strongly and being difficult to score against. If the Katy offense struggles to find solutions, this will take on even greater importance as we saw in the district game with Jordan.
How do we compare to last year?
Katy is a stronger favorite on paper than they were against Cy Fair last year, but this matchup still deserves serious attention. With the field now narrowed to 32 teams in Division 1, every game is a crucial elimination round.
This time of season is for the seniors and the dreams they’ve carried since they were running around in oversized helmets in KYF. Here, players write chapters and forge legacies in the rich history and tradition of the Katy Tiger program. Seniors face the constant challenge: “How do we want to be remembered?” This Katy team drives toward one goal—claiming the ultimate prize by competing in the biggest games, against the toughest competition, in the largest arenas. They are just one game away from positioning themselves to face the dominant powers of this era. I called this playoff bracket the Land of Giants.
This game against Cy Falls is where the team must prove itself worthy to step into the ring with the best and take its shot. Each season presents moments where a team has the chance to put its best foot forward and earn the opportunity to continue playing for the brothers on their right and left, surviving and advancing. Players and fans alike will feel the difference this week as soon as they breath in the air at Tully and hear the drum beats. This is big moment number one of the 2024 season. Winning earns another week and another moment. It is time.
KATY, KATY, KATY
