Tompkins upends Katy's 75-game district win streak
Tompkins upends Katy HS 24-19

Katy ISD is a new shade of red.

Tompkins ended Katy’s 75-game win streak in district play with Thursday’s 24-19 win over the Tigers in a meeting of 5-0 teams at Legacy Stadium. Katy nearly made it 12 exact years without a district loss, the last coming against Cinco Ranch on Nov. 8, 2008. It was the state’s second-longest active streak of district wins.

Tompkins sent a shot across the state it is a contender in Class 6A Division I, and it has the quarterback-receiver duo of Jalen Milroe and Josh McMillan to thank.

The pair connected for three touchdowns in the win. Milroe, a University of Alabama commitment, completed 15 of 21 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns. McMillan caught eight passes for 146 yards and three scores.

The magnitude of what the Falcons accomplished won’t be realized until later. Many claim they want to end Katy’s reign, Milroe said, but his team was serious about doing so. Tompkins lost to Katy 35-30 last season. On Thursday, Milroe said he saw something few opponents ever see on Katy’s sideline in the fourth quarter.

“We feed off of energy, and one of our core values that we have on our wrist is high energy,” Milroe said. “We’re always going to play with high energy. No matter what it is. When we saw their heads drop, that was key for us to keep pushing.”

Milroe and McMillan’s third touchdown of the night was the biggest. It came on a fourth-and-17, went for 30 yards and Tompkins took a 24-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Before that, the first score between the two went for 20 yards with McMillan bobbling the ball in the air before coming down with it for the score. The other was the result of Tompkins running its two-minute offense to perfection before the break. The 18-yard score came off a seven-play drive taking 1:02 off the clock, and Tompkins led 14-10 at halftime.

Tompkins’ defense had its say, too, especially in the first half. The unit held Katy to Nemanja Lazic’s 39-yard field goal after Jalen Davis cut through for a 34-yard run into Falcons territory on the game’s first play.

Tompkins defenders Colby Huerter and Dru Polidore each pulled down an interception in the first half, too. Polidore’s interception ended Katy’s attempt at responding to Milroe and McMillan’s second touchdown.

Before Tompkins’ touchdown on fourth-and-17, the teams spent most of the third quarter trading field goals. The Falcons didn’t settle when opportunity arose.

“Put it in Jalen’s hands, and let’s go,” Tompkins coach Todd McVey said of the decision on fourth-and-17. “Take a shot. That’s our quarterback, and we trust him. He did a great job of making that play happen, and the offense got it going, so it was good.”

For those unaware, McMillan announced his arrival Thursday. The junior is a transfer from Cypress Lakes. Milroe said McMillan brings energy, speed and smarts to the program. McMillan feels fortunate to be in the position he’s in.

“It’s a blessing to be here because not everybody can be in this position,” McMillan said. “So it’s a blessing from God. That’s who you have to trust.”

Davis’ 86-yard touchdown run was coup for Katy in the second quarter. He also finished with 19 carries for 228 yards, but the Tigers wouldn’t see the end zone again until 4:41 left in the game. Quarterback Caleb Koger found Taylor Saulsberry for a 17-yard touchdown. Even though a two-point conversion failed, Katy cut the deficit to 24-19.

The door for a comeback was left open with Tompkins’ offense pinned at its own 5-yard line on the ensuing kickoff and Katy’s defense subsequently forcing a three-and-out.

Hunter Huckaby’s 55-yard punt, however, pushed Katy to its own 38 with 3:49 remaining and no timeouts.

Tompkins’ defense forced a stop, converging on top of Koger on a fourth-and-13 for a sack.

Milroe was a Texas commit that switched to BAMA