North Shore escapes Katy Tompkins with 26-20 win, moves onto 6A D1 Quarterfinals

Photo Credit: VYPE Houston

HOUSTON, TEXAS— Since the North Shore Mustangs lost in the 6A D1 Semifinals last season to defending state champion, Westlake, the Mustangs looked to return to the semifinals. This time, however, they hope to go further. They knew it wouldn’t be easy, as the Mustangs are dealing with significant injuries on both sides of the ball. But the competition they were set to face in the Round 3 matchup would make things even harder.

The Katy Tompkins Falcons were playing their best football of the year. The one-loss Falcons, whose only loss came to an undefeated Katy team, steamrolled through the first two round of the 6A D1 playoffs. North Shore knocked off Tompkins last year in the quarterfinals, and the Mustangs looked to end their playoff run once again. Not everything was in North Shore’s favor, but experience was, and it paid off for the Mustangs in Round 3.

Tompkins started the game off with a huge break, as cornerback, Caleb Komolafe, intercepted a pass, and gave the Falcons the ball at their own 39. The Mustangs forced a punt, however, and made up for their mistakes on their opening drive. The variety of North Shore running backs got the offense going, and the Mustangs drove down the field inside the Tompkins 10-yard line.

The Mustangs capped off the drive at the start of the second quarter. Kaleb Bailey completed a 5-yard pass to Nessiah Dunham for a touchdown, giving North Shore a 7-0 lead (PAT good). The Mustang defense forced another punt for Tompkins, and the offense got going again. Kaleb Bailey found his brother, Jhalyn Bailey, for a 31-yard touchdown to give North Shore a two score lead (PAT good). North Shore continued to control Tompkins, forcing yet another punt, and the offense advanced down the field. This time, however, North Shore faced a fourth down.

Safety, Evan Jackson, was lined up to punt for the Mustangs, but instead he ran for a fake punt, and converted for a first down to the Tompkins 22-yard line. This lined up Kaleb Bailey to find wide receiver, David Amador, for a 22-yard touchdown, extending the Mustangs’ lead to 20-0 going into halftime (PAT blocked).

Tompkins found the momentum they needed at the start of the second half. On 4th and 1 for the Falcons, wide receiver, Wyatt Young, took the snap in wildcat formation, and ran for a 51-yard touchdown to put Tompkins on the board (PAT good). Kaleb Bailey fired right back, however, as he brought the Mustangs to the Tompkins 20-yard line. He then found his brother, Jhalyn Bailey, once again for a 22-yard touchdown, making the score 26-7 (PAT blocked).

The Tompkins offense went down the field once again, but North Shore kept them out of the end zone. The Falcons attempted a 37-yard field goal, but it came up short. The Falcon defense then came up with a big break, recovering a fumble by North Shore, and the offense took over at their own 43-yard line. Wyatt Young took another snap from wildcat and continued to dominate. The sophomore receiver ran in for a 32-yard touchdown to make the score 26-13 (2-point conversion intercepted by North Shore linebacker, Kent Battle). The Tompkins defense then made another impactful play. North Shore attempted another fake punt, but fumbled, and the Falcons were there to recover at the North Shore 37-yard line to end the third quarter.

The Falcons couldn’t take advantage from here, as Wyatt Young’s pass was intercepted in the end zone, and North Shore took over at their own 20-yard line. The Tompkins defense controlled them and forced a punt, giving the offense the ball at their own 33-yard line. Wyatt Young made up for the interception with a 25-yard touchdown to bring Tompkins with 6 points (PAT good).

Tompkins forced a crucial punt from North Shore, and the offense took over at their own 22. This was Tompkins’ last chance to take the lead and potentially win the game. The Falcons were brought to 4th down three times throughout the drive, and converted all three times. That was until they were brought to 4th down for a 4th time, and a completed pass to Wyatt Young fell short of the first down. It took everything they had, but North Shore walked away from there with a 26-20 win.

North Shore improves their record to 12-1, and moves onto the quarterfinals of the 6A D1 State Playoffs. The Mustangs will face the winner of Ridge Point and Atascocita next week at a date and time to be determined. Katy Tompkins suffers their second loss of the season, and they end their season with a record of 11-2.