Katy Taylor won their third district game in a row in 19-6A using an effective balance of run and pass, rolling over Seven Lakes 52-14 Saturday night at Rhodes Stadium.
The pairing of RB Ean Beek and QB David Perkins reached near perfect football harmony against the Spartans. Beek ran with speed and authority, collecting 247 yards on the ground and scoring two touchdowns. Perkins complimented Beek beautifully as he always seemed to strike the moment Seven Lakes would sell out to stop the run. Perkins never missed an opportunity, passing for 207 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Beek went into Saturday night averaging 6.7 yards per carry in 6 games this season. Beek increased that production with three consecutive runs totaling 10 yards or more to get the Katy Taylor offense into a rhythm. Katy Taylor head coach Trey Herrmann talked about the value of Beek as a runner to be able to blaze a trail for the passing game.
“You have to commit at least eight guys in the box in order to be able to stop him” Herrmann said on Beek. “We’re able to run into eight men boxes, which forces you to try and stem a ninth guy in there. If you do that, it’s going to open the pass up for us.”
Beek’s success on the ground would indeed open things up through the air. QB David Perkins was able to find TE Camron Horry for a 13-yard touchdown pass to get the scoring started for the Mustangs in the first quarter, 7-0.
Seven Lakes initially seemed prepared to go toe-to-toe with Katy Taylor in an apparent slugfest. The Spartans countered 23 seconds later with a 54-yard touchdown pass from QB Micheal Batton to deep threat WR Jahquan Bloomfield to even the score 7-7.
While the Spartans were hoping to hold their own in a contested dogfight, Katy Taylor’s Ean Beek had his sights set on an early round knockout. Beek floated through the Spartan defense just one play later and stung them for a 75-yard touchdown run. The Mustangs retook the lead 14-7.
Apart from their opening drive of the game, it would be tough sledding for the Seven Lakes offense in the first half. Katy Taylor’s defensive line featuring defensive ends Max Wright, Braedon Mowry and nose tackle Otito Ogbonnia proved too much to handle for the Spartan offensive front. During games like this, Coach Herrmann says his defensive lineman look forward to a scheme that allows them to move in for the kill.
“We have a ‘Cougar’ package that they look for. When we get about a 14-point lead, you can see about every play they’re over there giving me the ‘Cougar’ symbol. They love it. They chomp at the bit.”
The Mustang defense had Batton looking over his shoulder rather than down field for most of the game. The Spartan QB would be held to only 90 yards passing on the night. When DE Max Wright isn’t wreaking havoc on opposing QB’s, he sometimes makes a guest appearance on the Mustang offense. Wright came in as a full back on an early second quarter drive to lead the way for a Beek first down inside the 30-yard line. Wright’s block would put the Mustangs in a position for a field goal from their QB/K David Perkins. Katy Taylor extended their lead 17-7 with 10:39 left in the second quarter.
Following the Perkins field goal, the Mustangs caught the Spartans napping on the ensuing kickoff and stole a possession with an onside kick recovered by DB Austin St. Julien. Two plays later, Perkins would find WR Brennan Lucas 45 yards down field on one of his trusty QB rollouts. The big pass play would get the Mustangs down to the three-yard line. Max Wright would then reacquaint himself with the Mustang offense. Wright showed soft hands as a TE, hauling in a three-yard touchdown pass from Perkins to bring the Katy Taylor lead to 24-7.
Things were clicking on all cylinders for the Mustangs in the first half. On a few rare occasions when they could not seem to get the run game going, David Perkins would roll out of the pocket and connect on a huge pass play. Perkins’ third touchdown of the half was on an 86-yard bomb to WR Grant Ayers. The score came with 6:32 left in the second quarter, but the Mustangs first half dominance would not stop there. Giving his QB a run for player of the game, Beek found the end zone for his second touchdown on a 15-yard rush to give the Mustangs a 38-7 lead before halftime.
Down by 31 points, The Spartans found themselves in four-down territory to start the second half. Their first drive of the third quarter would be their longest, most sustained drive of the game. Seven Lakes converted on a decisive 4 th & 4 and would later return to the end zone on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Batton to WR Kellian Johnson. Still behind four scores, Seven Lakes trailed 38-14.
Ean Beek had been the workhorse for Katy Taylor all night long. His first and only mistake came on a third quarter goaline possession. Getting the ball at the three-yard line, Beek attempted to elude tacklers when a Seven Lakes defender punched the ball free. DL Tavian Grose was there to fall on it for Seven Lakes at the one-yard line. In the shadow of their own goal post, the Spartans were only able to muster 4 yards in three plays. A batted pass by DE Braedon Mowry on 3rd & 7 squashed any chance of a moral victory.
FB Shane Williams and second string QB Brennan Lucas would both tack on fourth quarter touchdowns, putting the Mustangs just past the half century mark 52-14 over Seven Lakes. Katy Taylor picks up their third district win in a row, improving to 5-2 overall. The Mustangs will look to carry the momentum in to next week’s matchup against the 4-3 Morton Ranch Mavericks on October 22. Struggles continue for Seven Lakes as they fall to 2-5 on the season. The road ahead does not look any easier for the Spartans. They will face a playoff hopeful 4-3 Cinco Ranch Cougars team on October 21.
