Katy Taylor scored 22 unanswered second half points to defeat Strake Jesuit 29-17 and finishes the regular on a six game winning streak. This was Taylor’s first win of the season in which District 19-6A’s leading rusher Ean Beek did not run for at least 100 yards. Beek was held to just 78 yards on 24 carries after averaging 197 yards in the previous nine games. He finishes the regular season just shy of the 2,000-yard mark with 1,850 yards on the year.
The Crusader’s fought valiantly, but ultimately came up short as their 2016 season comes to an end. Crusaders running back Michael Purvey managed to upstage Beek with 124 yards rushing on 24 attempts. Wide receiver Colin Groves caught three passes for 80 yards, 69 of which came on a wide receiver double-pass for touchdown from Aidan Skipper.
If you had not seen either side in action this year, you might have thought that Strake Jesuit was the hot team on their way to the playoffs while Taylor was going through the motions in a meaningless game. That’s what it looked like after the first two quarters. The unexpected start was the result of Strake Jesuit shutting down Mustangs running back Ean Beek. It was quite clear that the Crusaders top priority on defense was to stop Beek at all costs. The Mustangs ball carrier scratched and clawed his way to just 46 yards on 15 first half carries. Beek’s two-yard touchdown run was the source of the Mustangs only points in the first half. Special teams collapses also contributed significantly to Taylor’s slow start. Ineffective and nearly disastrous punt returning for the Mustangs lead to horrible starting field position. Four of Taylor’s first half drives began inside their own 15-yard line. The Mustangs punt team did not fair much better as a blocked punt led to a safety and two Crusaders points. Rigid Crusaders defense and Mustangs miscues gave Strake Jesuit a 10-7 lead at halftime.
Strake Jesuit was pulling out all the stops in their final act of the season. This was no more evident than on the opening play of the second half. Starting from their own 31-yard line, Crusaders quarter back Felix Read dumped off what looked to be another check-down in the flats to receiver Aidan Skipper. But Skipper wasn’t looking to run. Instead, he found Colin Groves all alone deep down field and let the double-pass rip for a 69-yard touchdown. The trick play gave the Crusaders a 17-7 lead along with all the momentum. But momentum has a funny way of changing hands randomly and haphazardly in high school football. That touchdown would be Strake Jesuit’s last of the season as the Mustangs responded with 22 unanswered points to close out the game. The apex of Taylor’s great second half run came when two Mustangs lineman were allowed a chance to carry the ball and did not disappoint. The first was defensive end Max Wright, whom fans have seen handle the ball before. Big Max Wright lumbered his way into the end zone from four yards out to give the Mustangs a 27-17 lead with 1:20 remaining in the game. The cherry on top was senior offensive guard Conner Hay finally getting some much deserved recognition on a toss play for a successful two-point-conversion to put the final score at 29-17.
After the game, Katy Taylor head coach Trey Herrmann reflected on the 2016 regular season and identified his team as one without a true, consistent identity.
“It was a team that found a way to win” Herrmann said. “Every situation that could have been presented was presented. We won a game 43-41 against (Ft. Bend) Travis where it was a shootout. We won a game 12-10 against Cinco Ranch where it was a defensive struggle. We’ve had two games these last two weeks where we haven’t started out very well and then finished the game strong. They’re just a bunch of winners. At the end of the day, it’s not an offensive team. It’s not a defensive team. It’s just a bunch of winners.”
Katy Taylor will head into the postseason with a six game winning streak and an 8-2 overall record. The Mustangs will play the second seeded Division II team from District 20-6A next week. The 20-6A standings will not be final until after the Fort Bend Bush (5-4 overall, 3-3 in district) vs. Fort Bend Austin (3-6 Overall, 2-4 in district) game on Saturday at 1:00 pm. The Strake Jesuit Crusaders season comes to an admirable close. They finish the year at 5-5.
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