KATY MAGAZINE l OCTOBER 2019
By Jennifer Miko
Generations of Katy Tigers' fans wear red, attend games and cheer for their favorite football team. A sea of red fills the stands with future Tigers, while former athletes watch their legacy take the field. The tradition of excellence remains strong. Meet some special fans who share their dedication and embody the true spirit of the Katy Tigers.
Most Spirited Sweetheart
Wendy Sizemore-Sidwell
Katy High School Class of of 1992, "Football Sweetheart & Most Spirited"
"No matter how old you are or how long you may have been away from Katy, you know that coming home to a Katy High School football game will bring back lots of cherished memories. I always tell each young man that when they put on that Katy uniform, they not only play for themselves and their families...that they play for the community as well."
Like Father Like Son
Justin Crawford
Outside Linebacker Coach at Katy HS
KNOX Crawford
Age: 3
Class of 2033
Justin Crawford: "The community of Katy is what makes Katy football so special. Being a coaching family we love the support of the community and the passion the boys bring to the field everyday. Knox has grown up on the sidelines of Katy football and can't wait for the day he can wear the Tiger uniform."
"Knox was four-months old when he attended his first Katy football game, where he was cheering on his daddy from the sidelines. Now that Knox his three, he truly loves going to warm-ups with the players, watching practice and doing the school song after the game."
Tiniest Tiger Fan
AVERY BROCKMAN
Age: 4 months old
Class of 2037
Sweet Avery already has a favorite team! Her parents, Brooke Brockman (KHS class of 2012) and Don Brockman (KHS class of 1999) plan to take their title cub to her first game this season.
Brooke Brockman: "Don and I both grew up in Katy. Showing the pride of Katy High School is easy when you’re so proud and fond of the community you grew up in. It’s important for us to have Avery know where her parents went to school and share in the pride that we have for our community. No matter what age you are, you can show pride in your team. It excites us to see Avery in our old school colors!"
Family of Fans
Alyssa Sidwell
Age: 17
Head Trainer
Katy High School Class of 2020
Larry Sizemore and Wanda Sizemore
Alyssa's grandparents and Katy fans since 1985
Wanda Sizemore: "Each week my husband and I look forward to attending the games. We get to see long time friends who we met at the games and consider them family. We come together for a common goal in cheering for the boys on the field. Even though we may not know the boys playing, we feel like we do."
"We proudly now watch our granddaughter Alyssa Sidwell on the field while she takes care of the athletes and we look forward to our great-grandson Logan Hilliard (class of 2024) putting on the same red uniform his father, Randy Hilliard (Class of ‘01) did while he won the State game in 2000. Logan's mother was also in the Katy Bengal Brigade, Sara Hilliard (Class of ‘03)."
Top Tiger Fan
LEXI SKILLERN
Age: 17
Cheer Captain
Katy High School Class of 2020
Lexi Skillern was chosen as Katy Magazine's cover girl for October. Photo: by Margaret Chapman
Lexi Skillern: "When attending my first Katy High School football game I had a feeling of such amazement. I remember driving to Dallas for the State Championship game and experiencing all the greatness of watching a high school football game at AT&T Stadium. It was truly unforgettable."
"There is great camaraderie among everyone involved in a Katy High School football game. It takes a team effort from the fans, cheerleaders, brigade, band, coaches, and the players."
Daddy's Little Tiger
Dale Fremin
Katy High School Assistant Band Director
Lola Fremin
Age: 4
Class of 2033
Dale Fremin: "Lola was about 5 months when she came to her first game. The cheerleaders are so sweet with her and she likes to dance when the band plays. I was shocked about how hard core the fans were. The stadium was full of fans all wearing red. The band played almost non stop through the whole game. At my last school, the band didn’t even play in the third quarter."
Mayor Pro Tem Tiger Fan
Chris Harris
Wendy Sizemore-Sidwell "holds" Chris Harris back from getting a sneak peek at Katy's opening game at Legacy Stadium in 2017.
Katy Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris remembers attending his first Katy High School football game - the 2003 State Championships at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Today, Chris is teased about being first in line at the games, arriving at the gates three hours before kickoff.
Chris Harris: "I was impressed and wanted to be part of this. I was 24, with my future wife, a Katy native, Danielle and her family. This was our second date...I asked her to marry me three weeks later."
Grandpa's Girl
AUSTIN NAGHAVI
Age: 3, Katy HS Football Coach Gary Joseph's Granddaughter
Class of 2033
Photo: Ken Ullrich
Austin has been attending games since she was an infant and attends with her family. She loves dancing with the cheerleaders and being able to hug the players after a win.
Austin Naghavi: "I love football games because I get to cheer for my Bear! (a.k.a. her grandfather Coach Joseph)
"The Voice"
BILL HASKETT (left, pictured with Chris Harris)
Voice of the Katy Tigers PA Announcer
Katy High School Class of 1961
Bill Haskett, a lifelong Katy resident, attended Katy High School and participated in the band. Two decades after graduation, he became the school's principal and held the post from 1981-1996. His father Floyd Haskett, also attended KHS, and was the quarterback on the school's first football team in 1939.
Tiger Girls
Olivia Imhoff (pictured left)
Age: 17
Class of 2020
Elizabeth Hines
Age: 8
Class of 2030
Olivia Imhoff: "I attended my first Katy Football game in fifth grade when I was 10. There was a crazy amount of people at the game and they were all so excited to be there. I remember watching the cheerleaders, hoping one day I could be just like them. The tradition and spirit of Katy High School and their fans gives football games an atmosphere like no other, you really cant find a Friday night football game like it anywhere else."
Elizabeth Hines says she wants to cheer for KHS "because she’s loves KHS and they have so much spirit and she likes tigers!"
Katy Magazine loves to showcase fan pictures and share the remarkable community spirit behind the town’s teams. One Facebook group, the Katy Train, stands out as source for
bringing together supporters of the different Katy High School organizations.
“Katy Tiger fans are known throughout the country as diehards, ‘the best fans in the nation,’ and the Katy Train is a vehicle to show that support,” says Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris.
Members of the Facebook group can see posts for volunteer needs, fundraising and even ticket trading!
“With 6,000 plus members, it is a one-stop shop for booster clubs to sell and provide information," says Harris. “Basically, we want to help the local kids at KHS and preserve that hometown feel Katy proper is known for.”