MaxPreps Texas Top 25 high school football rankings: Katy Tigers regain No. 1 ranking

Obviously, No. 2 is not good enough for the Katy Tigers.

Tradition-rich Katy earned its way back to the top spot in the MaxPreps Texas Top 25 football rankings with a 45-33 elimination of previously-unbeaten Steele (Cibolo) in a Class 5A Division II state semifinal Saturday in Waco.

Katy (15-0) was supplanted in the rankings' top spot by DeSoto for three weeks. But the Eagles fell to No. 3 after being shocked by Allen, 51-36, in a Class 5A Division I state semifinal Saturday at SMU.

Gary Joseph's Katy Tigers, 54-4 over the last four seasons, have outscored their opponents 794-182 in 2012.

Katy has six state titles to its credit: 1959, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2008. The only obstacle remaining for No. 7 is 11-4 Cedar Hill in the state final. That game is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Allen (14-1) moved up two spots to No. 2 with its defeat of DeSoto. The Eagles face 15-0 Lamar (Houston) in the other Class 5A state final. 

Here's the MaxPreps Texas Top 25 going into the state championship games at Arlington‘s Cowboys Stadium.

MaxPreps Texas Top 25 Football Rankings

1. Katy 15-0 (2)
Nebraska commit Adam Taylor overcame an early fumble to rush 40 times for 226 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-33 victory over 14-1 Steele (Cibolo) in a Class 5A Division II state semifinal Saturday at Waco's Floyd Casey Stadium. Katy squandered an early 21-0 lead, but regained control in the second half with its power running attack. Steele's defense, allowing opponents an average of 187 yards, was hit for 389, all but 72 on the ground. Rodney Anderson added 104 rushing yards. The victory earns Katy a spot in its 12th state title game. The Tigers will go for their seventh state title against 11-4 Cedar Hill.



2. Allen 14-1 (4)
Marcus Ward led the Eagles running attack with 228 yards in a 51-36 elimination of 14-1 DeSoto in a Class 5A Division I state semifinal at SMU's Ford Stadium. Mayomi Olootu returned the second half kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and linebacker Tay Evans carried an interception 39 yards for another Allen touchdown. Allen's defense limited DeSoto to a 2.9 rushing average. Up next is Allen's second state title game in five years. The Eagles, the 2008 champs, will meet Lamar (Houston) at 8 p.m. Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

3. *DeSoto 14-1 (1)
Allen (14-1) ended DeSoto's deepest playoff run, 51-36, in a Class 5A Division I state semifinal. DeSoto trailed 21-0 midway through the second quarter and played catch-up the rest of the evening, getting as close as seven points, 21-14 at halftime. Without its usual big plays from the running game, the Eagles had to depend almost exclusively on the passing of junior quarterback Desmon White (371 passing yards, three touchdowns). Allen had no trouble finding running lanes, rushing for 394 yards. DeSoto's schedule included seven opponents with 10 or more wins.

4. *Steele (Cibolo) 14-1 (3)
The Knights' bid to reach their third consecutive state title game came up short in a 45-33 loss to 15-0 Katy in a Class 5A Division II state semifinal. Steele rallied from an early 21-0 deficit by dominating the second quarter to tie the score at halftime. But the Knights could not carry the momentum into the second half. The defeat was only the second in its last 44 games. Justin Stockton rushed for 95 yards and added 72 receiving yards. Quarterback Breylann McCollum threw for 272 yards.

5. Lamar (Houston) 15-0 (10)
Cravon Rogers contributed a pair of interceptions in the Redskins' 15-7 elimination of 12-3 O'Connor (San Antonio) in a Class 5A Division I state semifinal at Austin's Burger Stadium. The Lamar defense limited O'Connor to 172 yards and no third down conversions in the first half. Levi Whiteing had a 28-yard touchdown run to cap Lamar's opening possession and Ronnie Wesley scored on a 24-yard run in the game's final five minutes. Lamar, bidding to become the first Houston ISD state champion since Yates (Houston) in 1985, will face 14-1 Allen in the state final.

6. *Carroll (Southlake) 12-2 (5)
Eliminated by DeSoto 49-45 in Class 5A Division I Region I title game.

7. *Mesquite 11-1 (14)
Eliminated by Allen 42-28 in a Class 5A Division I area playoff.

8. *Bowie (Arlington) 11-2 (14)
Eliminated by DeSoto 24-6 in a Class 5A Division I regional playoff.

9. *Skyline (Dallas) 12-2 (11)
Eliminated by Allen 37-17 in the Class 5A Division I Region II final.

10. *Westfield (Houston) 12-1 (12)
Eliminated by Skyline 38-33 in a Class 5A Division I regional playoff.

11. *Coppell 11-1 (13)
Eliminated by DeSoto 42-14 in a Class 5A Division I area playoff.

12. *Trinity (Euless) 10-3 (15)
Eliminated by Carroll (Southlake) 16-7 in a Class 5A Division I regional playoff.

13. Cedar Hill 11-4 (16)
A last-second 42-yard field goal by Brooks Ralph carried the Longhorns to a 31-28 victory over 10-5 Westlake (Austin) in a Class 5A Division II state semifinal Saturday in Waco. Bobby Jackson had touchdown runs of 77 and 31 yards to help Cedar Hill build a 28-14 lead, only to see Westlake rally to tie with 14 points in the game's final six minutes. Jackson rushed for 172 yards and Laquvionte Gonzalez had 115 and one touchdown. Cedar Hill, which won its only state championship in 2006, advances to the state final to meet 15-0 Katy. 

14. *Westlake (Austin) 10-5 (17)
The Chaps rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to tie 11-4 Cedar Hill, 28-28, with just over two minutes remaining, only to lose on a late field goal, 31-28. Jordan Severt threw for 251 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Sean Rollings with six minutes remaining to pull the Chaps within seven points. Westlake tied the score on a 2-yard run by Alex Chavez. Severt and Keith Carter scored on 1-yard runs.

15. *Midway (Waco) 13-1 (18)
Eliminated by Cedar Hill 49-34 in the Class 5A Division II Region I title game.

16. *Abilene (Abilene) 12-1 (19)
Eliminated by Midway (Waco) 34-31 in a Class 5A Division II regional playoff.

17. Georgetown 15-0 (23)
The Eagles showed offensive balance, rushing for 247 yards and passing for 253 in a 42-14 rout of 10-5 Rouse (Leander) in a Class 4A Division I state semifinal in Cedar Park's Gupton Stadium. Tyler Moody led the Eagles' rushing attack with 119 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Jake Hubenak had a 53-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Bedford in the second quarter. In a title game of two teams that dropped from Class 5A this season, Georgetown will face 13-2 Guyer (Denton) at noon Saturday for the state title.

18. Guyer (Denton) 13-2 (24)
Richard Whitaker's 18-yard touchdown run with just over a minute remaining finally settled a wild 57-53 victory over John Tyler (Tyler) in a Class 4A Division I state semifinal. In the fourth quarter alone, 63 points were scored. Tyler scored three touchdowns in just over two minutes with the help of two onside kicks to take a lead. Guyer quarterback Jerrod Heard rushed for 318 yards and four touchdowns. In the state final, Guyer will meet 15-0 Georgetown.

19. Lancaster 14-1 (22)
Demarcus Ayers threw for two touchdowns and ran three yards for the game-winner in the second overtime of a 26-19 triumph over 12-3 Rider (Wichita Falls) in a Class 4A Division II state semifinal. Ayers' 18-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with under two minutes to go and an extra point by Brent Griffin sent the game into overtime. The Lancaster defense, led by Washington commit Daeshon Hall, held Rider scoreless in both overtimes. The Tigers face13-2 Cedar Park in the state title game set for 8 p.m. Friday at Arlington's Cowboys Stadium.

20. *Tyler 13-2 (12)
Despite a heroic comeback in the fourth quarter, the Lions were eliminated by Guyer (Denton) 57-53 in a Class 4A Division I state semifinal. Two successful onside kicks in the fourth quarter helped the Lions overcome a 50-31 deficit with just six minutes left to take a 53-50 lead. Guyer drove for the winning score in the final two minutes. Lions quarterback Greg Ward threw for 552 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 110 yards and one score.

21. *O'Connor (Helotes) 12-3 (20)
The Panthers offense, proficient most of the season, hit a stone wall in a 15-7 loss to Lamar (Houston) in a Class 5A Division I state semifinal Saturday at Austin's Burger Stadium. Quarterback Zach Galindo, in the face of heavy pressure, completed 6 of 34 passes for 75 yards and running back Tre Johnson was held to 51 yards on 13 carries. A fumble on a handoff exchange inside the Lamar 10 cost the Panthers an excellent scoring chance in the second quarter. The only score for O'Connor came midway in the third quarter on Galindo's 25-yard touchdown pass to Alan Wright.

22. *North Shore (Houston) 12-2 (21)
Eliminated by Lamar (Houston) 28-7 in the Class 5A Division I Region III title game.

23. *Brandeis (San Antonio) 12-2 (22)
Eliminated by Steele (Cibolo) 28-12 in the Class 5A Division II Region IV final.

24. Cedar Park 13-2 (NR)
The Timberwolves' defense plucked off four interceptions and two fumbles in a 40-14 rout of 11-4 Manor in a Class 4A Division II state semifinal in Georgetown. Samuel Brock hauled in a pair of touchdown passes for Cedar Park. In the previous two seasons, the Timberwolves were knocked out of the playoffs in the fourth round by Lake Travis (Austin). Cedar Park will face 14-1 Lancaster in the state title game set for 8 p.m. Friday at Arlington's Cowboys Stadium.

25. *Stephenville 14-1 (NR)
Quarterback Tyler Jones threw for 425 yards and five touchdowns and added 125 rushing yards and four scores in a 70-35 thumping of the 14-1 El Campo Ricebirds in the Class 3A Division I state title game before over 17,000 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The 70 points is the most ever scored in a UIL 11-man state final. The state title is the fifth for Stephenville and its first since 1999. Receiver Brice Gunter, like Jones a Texas State commit, had nine catches for 151 yards and three touchdowns.

*Indicates season ended

Dropped out: No. 24 Smithson Valley (Spring Branch), No. 25 Rider (Wichita Falls)

On the bubble
Cameron Yoe (Cameron) 14-0
Daingerfield 12-3
East Bernard 14-0
Gilmer 14-1
Mildred (Corsicana) 13-1
Navasota 15-0