Competitive Nature
'God-given talent' help Katy WR Patrick defy defenses
Dennis Silva II
Nov 15, 2018, 5:00 am
If Katy is to win a state-record ninth state championship this year, Jordan Patrick will have a say in it all. Vype
Originally appeared on Vype
Jordan Patrick says it’s natural. The way he can dodge, duck, dip, dive, and, yes, dodge again if necessary, to catch almost any ball thrown his way.
Katy coach Gary Joseph says it’s because of a little bit more than that, something more ingrained in his standout receiver. It’s his competitiveness.
Whatever it is, it works. The 5-foot-7, 150-pound junior wideout continues to defy gravity and defenses with his pass-catching ability. Patrick was the top receiver in District 19-6A this season with 802 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 23.9 yards on 34 catches.
He has become an irrepressible playmaker for the 9-1 Tigers as they venture into the Class 6A, Division I postseason, starting with Friday’s bi-district tout against Fort Bend Travis in Katy.
“I honestly don’t know,” Patrick said when asked to explain his penchant for leaping high into the air and doing whatever it takes, including bending and twisting his body in unimaginable ways, to get the ball. “It’s natural, I guess? God-given talent. If a specific route is called, most of my stuff depends on where the guy is, whether to take him outside or stem him up and then break off. It just depends on where the defender is.”
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.