After falling one round short a season ago, Katy is back on the big stage against current Region 3 and Greater Houston area kings North Shore. The Mustangs are on a run of six consecutive Region 3 championships and five state championship appearances in that same time. North Shore lost 24-21 against state champions Westlake in 2020 in the one season they didn’t get to the final game. The Mustangs have added three state championship trophies to the cabinet during this golden age. They’ve played Duncanville a remarkable five times at state, and are on a mission to reclaim the top spot having lost the last two battles against the Panthers. North Shore has won at least 15 games in every season since 2018 and sit at 12-0 currently in 2024.
About the Mustangs
Willie Gaston, a former North Shore football captain (2000-2001) as a quarterback and long time assistant coach, took over for Jon Kay as head coach of the program in 2023 after Kay left for the college ranks at Rice University.
Gaston inherited an elite class of juniors in his first season last year and had the off-season to mold his first senior class as North Shore coach. The program had to address controversy over the off-season when a former assistant was found to have illegally attempted to recruit a player over social media. Spring Dekaney’s coaching staff turned North Shore in essentially, and this forced Gaston and GPISD to act quickly to resolve the situation and defend themselves in a UIL hearing that I watched live.
The investigation determined the individual coach acted on his own accord and North Shore provided very detailed information on its football program to the UIL to prove it wasn’t systemically recruiting. The program itself was given a slap on the wrist ultimately, but obviously they are under tremendous scrutiny as a result. There is increasing statewide attention on the issue of recruiting/athletic purposes transfers to try and reign things back in. High school has started to copy the college portal.
North Shore’s performance so far
North Shore has outscored its opponents 44.3 to 10.9 this season (compared to 41.4 to 12.5 for Katy). The offense is led by senior QB Kaleb Bailey #15. Bailey started as a freshman and won a state championship. His sophomore season ended abruptly in non-district to a knee injury, and he spent most of his junior season trying to get back to where he was before. During his senior year, he has looked completely recovered from his injuries. Junior QB Kaleb Maryland #7 has rotated in more this season. Katy actually played against Maryland when he was at Clear Springs as a sophomore. Against Ridge Point, North Shore put RB-WR Chris Thomas (#2) in as a wildcat quarterback. Bailey and Maryland can run. Maryland is faster and quicker and has more of the Dematrius Davis style elusive qualities. Thomas probably is the fastest straight-line speed player on the team.
Senior De’Andre Hardeman is a three-year starter at running back, and has a compact build with lateral quickness and burst. Thomas will get carries also and is a home run waiting to happen. The most talented part of the offense is the receiving corps. Senior Quanell Farrakhan #9 (Quanell X’s son) transfered to North Shore from The Woodlands during the off-season, and has set single season receiving records. He was a freshman starter at Grand Oaks before moving to The Woodlands his sophomore and junior seasons. Senior Deion Deblanc (#3) lines up in the slot.
What about their defense?
His brother Kendrick Deblanc (#4) lines up as an outside receiver. Senior Cameron Smith (#8) lines up in the slot opposite Deion and is the flex player in the offense who will motion and shift as the H-back. Every one of these guys has exceptional ball skills (elite tracking and catching ability). Farrakhan and Deblanc are yards after catch monsters in particular. If they are allowed to catch and turn, they often make big plays. The offensive line is typical North Shore (yuge).
Defensively, North Shore is the highest graded/rated unit in the state this season ahead of Duncanville in adjusted scoring defense. Coordinator Garrett Cross has the Mustangs playing classic North Shore defense this season.
North Shore plays with their typical four down alignment up front. Senior Kylan Darville (#47) and junior Xavier Waters (#97) are the interior starters. Darville is 6’3/6’4 and Waters is the two-gapper junkyard dog. On the edge, Cedric Henderson (#19) and #44 Brandon Jones are most often bringing pressure. Henderson and Jones will stand and act as OLBs also. North Shore has depth in #94 Jayden Curry (JR) and #99 John Nealey.
Talent everywhere
The middle linebacker is Charles Ross (6’2 210, LSU commit). Ross is one of the better overall athletes in the program, and he’s new to the MLB position this season. He likes to play on the front foot and apply pressure almost like he’s an extra defensive lineman much of the time. You can see he’s still learning the position and feeling where he’s going as opposed to acting more on instinct, but he’s got all of the physical tools. Junior #24 Dezmon Christian acts as an auxiliary outside backer and plays up compared to the secondary counterparts. #37 Elijah Holland (6’0 210) flanks Ross as well.
The secondary is led by senior All-American #6 Devin Sanchez. Sanchez is the best player North Shore has produced at the cornerback position since Chykie Brown (2004-2005). He is 6’3 with all-around elite skills athletically and instinct wise in how he tracks balls. Elite hands. He has obvious Sunday potential. #22 junior free safety Chace Calicut (6’4 195) is a very talented and rangy safety who is next in line as the big time recruit. Morris Taylor #21 (6’1 180) and #5 Nigel Pringle (6’1 180) round out a very talented secondary.
West side vs. East side
In 12 of the last 13 seasons, either Katy or North Shore has won Region 3. 2016 was the only season in that time period where neither program won the region and they played each other in Round 3. Atascocita beat North Shore in the quarterfinals before losing to Lake Travis in the semifinals.
Katy and North Shore form one of the premier rivalries in Greater Houston and Texas history, thanks to their combined 14 state championships and the consistently close head-to-head matchups. The average score between Katy and North Shore over 11 meetings has been 32.0 to 31.6!!! The regular season series is tied at 3-3. North Shore leads the playoff series 3-2 over five match-ups.
I will make a separate post tomorrow on keys to this game from Katy’s perspective. Katy is not a 2021 Westlake level underdog, but the Tigers probably are the biggest underdog they’ve ever been against the Mustangs including the 2018 and 2019 encounters. As a competitor, these are the moments you dream of when you have an opportunity to test yourselves against the best on the biggest stage possible in the state playoffs.
