Game Balls: Katy Tigers vs. Dickinson Gators

This week 3 non-district matchup between the Tigers and the Gators provided great entertainment Friday night, and turned out to be a back and forth fight between two very talented teams. Neither team backed down, and it took almost everything for the Katy Tigers to pull out a 28-21 win over Dickinson. Dickinson showed much fight and resilience against power house Katy and proved to be a team to never over look. Katy had a few mishaps, but eventually turned it around and showed why they are a top team in the state. Katy moved to 3-0 on the year as Dickinson moves to 1-2 after some very hard fought games. Below are players from both teams who stood out and made it a point to give it their all in order to help their team win. This hard fought battle brought out the best in everybody on the field and was a great test for both teams. We will hopefully see both programs make a strong run during the season and carry on into the playoffs. &nbsp; <span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Katy Tigers</strong></span> <span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>RB [player_tooltip player_id="121974" first="Seth" last="Davis"] (2023)</strong></em></span> Davis was doing Davis things once again this game, slashing through defenses and showing excellent acceleration in between running lanes. Dickinson did not make it easy for him, but Davis managed to run for 121 yards on 19 carries behind great blocking from the Katy offensive line as well as great lead blocking from Isaiah Smith. Towards the end of the game, when his team needed a score, Davis came back into the game after a few injuries in the second half and had a crucial 3rd down conversion run and a major 18 yard scamper to put the Tigers is scoring position inside the 5 yard line. Davis showed resilience and toughness which helped push his team to a victory. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">DL [player_tooltip player_id="60694" first="Malick" last="Sylla"] (2022)</span></em></strong></span> The A&amp;M commit showed why he is considered a top talent in the state. Sylla was in the backfield many times during this game and provided many quarterback pressures causing inerrant throws. Sylla was disengaging from blocks and displayed his quickness off the snap. At one point of the game, when the Gator offense was gaining momentum, Sylla delivered and forced a fumble which Katy recovered, and changed the tide of the game. It was an all around great effort from Sylla on the night. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>RB Dallas Glass (2023)</strong></span></em></span> When Glass entered the game, the Tiger offense did not miss a beat. He looked very good hitting the hole and gave the team a nice boost after Davis left for awhile. Glass showed excellent burst and broke off a few long runs, continuously wearing out the Dickinson defense. Glass finished the night with 16 carries for 107 yards and proved to be another valuable piece for the offense. &nbsp; <span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Dickinson Gators</strong></span> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>ATH Reggie Sanders (2022)</strong></span></em></span> Sanders was an offensive superstar for the Gators. He provided many big plays for the offense and brought much energy and juice to the team. Sanders hauled in a 28 yard reception and ran for 87 yards including a huge 70 yard touchdown run early. When he touches the ball, good things follow. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>LB Tyree Woods (2022)</strong></span></em></span> It is a tough task for any defense to slow down the Katy offense, but the Gator defense led by Woods did a pretty decent job at it for majority of the night. Woods was taking on blocks the entire night but managed to free himself and make good stops. He showed no fear and great effort for the entirety of the game. Woods had some big hits and was in on almost every tackle. He is a very active player who will definitely be mentioned more as the season continues. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>LB Braedon Stafford (2022)</strong></span></em></span> Stafford was flying all over the field, from sideline to sideline doing his best to halt the Tiger offense. Stafford showed a great nose for the ball and was engaged on every play. He had a huge fumble recovery which he returned inside the Katy 10 yard line, where his team scored 4 plays later. Stafford also recorded an interception which ended a Katy possession as they were driving. Stafford will be a player to watch as well the more the season goes on.