Cedar Hill – 1st 6A Champion in History
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Updated: December 20, 2014
The Cedar Hill Longhorns got a last second field goal to beat the Katy Tigers 23-20 in the Class 6A Division II Championship game at AT&T. It was Cedar Hill's 3rd championship having won last year and in 2006. They lost to Katy in 2012. Katy was playing in their state record 13th state championship game. They are now 7-6 in the big game. Their last win was in 2012 against Cedar Hill.
After Cedar Hill punted on their first possession, Katy quarterback Garrett Doiron was sacked in the end zone on their 1st play from the line of scrimmage for a safety and Cedar Hill led 2-0. Once, the Longhorns got the ball back they drove to the Katy 22 but missed a 39 yard field goal. The teams went on to trade punts and Katy took over at their 47 with 2 seconds left in the 1st quarter.
Tiger running back Rodney Anderson took it 53 yards for a score on the first play bringing the score to 7-2 at the end of the first quarter. The Longhorns were stopped on 4th down conversion attempts on two consecutive possessions. The Tigers took the final of those two and turned it into a 39 yard field goal to make the score 10-2. Katy intercepted a pass in Cedar Hill territory and the Tigers turned it into a 22 yard field goal to take a 13-2 lead into halftime.
Katy punted on their first possession of the 2nd half while Cedar Hill drove to the Katy 26. From there, they went for it on 4th & 3 and QB Justin McMillan hit WR Damarkus Lodge for a touchdown. The 2 point conversion was good bringing the score to 13-10.
Katy drove deep into Cedar Hill territory on the next possession but Rodney Anderson fumbled at the Longhorn 15 ending the drive. Cedar Hill then drove 85 yards on 4 plays capped by another Lodge touchdown catch - this one for 61 yards. Cedar Hill took the lead 17-13.
Katy got a big return on the ensuing kickoff down to the Cedar Hill 12. Two quick running plays by Anderson ended when he scored from 3 yards out to put Katy ahead 20-17. In the last two meetings, the team that lead at the start of the fourth quarter went on to lose the game. Cedar Hill had the ball entering the 4th quarter trailing by 3.
Again Cedar Hill converted on a 4th & 1 from their own 44 and drove to down the Katy 27. Their kicker Brooks Ralph nailed a 44 yard field goal tying the score 20 all. Katy was forced to punt on the next drive and Cedar Hill took over at their own 20 with 1:42 left to play in the game.
On the first play, quarterback Avery Davis went 52 yards on a busted play. With seconds left on the clock, Ralph lined up for a 25 yard field goal and he nailed it and the Longhorns won 23-20.
Katy Junior linebacker Paddy Fisher (11 tackles 1 sack) was the Defensive Player Of The Game. Cedar Hill Senior wide receiver Damarkus Lodge was the Offensive Player Of The Game (4 catches, 101 yards and 2 touchdowns). Rodney Anderson finished with 180 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns for Katy. Cedar Hill quarterback Avery Davis ran for 126 yards. The Longhorns held the ball for 29:10 in the game. They had 412 total yard against Katy's 216.
The attendance for the game was 46,289 which ranks 5th all-time.
Katy Head Coach Gary Joseph praised the effort of his Tigers as well as the Longhorns, "You can't fault our kids. Our kids played hard. They didn't give up or lose focus, they (Cedar Hill) have a great team. At the end, they made plays. They were as good as anyone we've played in 38 years."
When asked about being down 13-2 at halftime, Cedar Hill Head Coach Joey McGuire said, "We've been here before - you're gonna have to beat us - you're gonna have to play us four quarters to beat us." He later added, "Nobody wants to play Katy three straight years unless its in the state game. Since 2006 we said we wanted to be mentioned in the same breath with Katy, Euless Trinity etc. That is real now."
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