The Katy Texas Blog

UIL REALIGNMENT OF HOUSTON AREA SCHOOLS - IMPACT KISD

The Unversity Interscholastic League (UIL) announced on Monday February 1, 2010 its biennial reclassification for school years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. The UIL controls all sports and academic activity between schools throughout the entire state of Texas. The classifications of 5A, 4A and 3A are supposed to be based on size of the student population and that entails large schools will play or compete against other similar sized schools. The previous reclassification was done in 2008. Seven area schools were dropped from 5A (largest ) to 4A and those were Northbrook, Spring Woods, Stratford, Baytown Lee, Galveston Ball, Humble and New Caney. Only one school Westbury moved from 4A to 5A.

All the KISD schools (Seven Lakes, Cinco Ranch, Mayde Creek, Taylor, Katy and Morton Ranch) will shift  from 17 5A to 19 5A and will be joined by Memorial and Strake Jesuit. All of these changes will be effective with the 2010 varsity football schedule.

My step son who is sophomore at Seven Lakes asked me why did they move Strake Jesuit to play/compete against all of the Katy area schools as Strake Jesuit is close to downtown Houston and nowhere near Katy.(?) This is a really good question... Anyone out there that has a reasonable answer please step forward and enlighten us. My best guess is that someone on the UIL realignment committe has a son who attends Strake and plays football. The Katy area football program has a really high profile each year mainly due to the year to year excellence of the Katy Tigers. By playing against the Katy Tigers , Cinco Ranch and the other Katy teams plus now Memorial, the Strake program will get more attention. Strake as far as I know always has an excellent team in every sport where they compete. I don't believe they needed to be moved into the Katy ISD District to get noticed but that is what I think might have happened. It will be interesting to see on both Strake and Memorial will do while playing in the revised 19 5A District the next two years...

WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT - KATY, TX

On Friday January 22 from 8 PM - Midnight and on Saturday January 30 from 8 PM - Midnight, The Barry Sea Paradox jazz band will play at the Mercury Bar in Katy, TX. The Mercury Bar is located inside The Villagio Town Center and the address is 22756 Westheimer Parkway, Suite 190 and is between Mason Road and The Grand Parkway (99). Barry Sea Paradox is one of Texas' hottest groups and they have a hit smooth jazz CD that is receiving significant radio air time. The group is comprsied of long-time Katy residents Barry and Bobbie Sea ( Siegel). For many years this group has played in several of Texas' finest clubs playing what they describe as smooth jazz with a rough edge.

The Mercury Bar is a nice place to go and grab a drink ( excellent winr menu and beer selection)and enjoy meal as they also serve food. My wife's company hosted a happy hour there last week and Mercury did a really good job of taking care of everyone. I have been told that if you like jazz you should really enjoy the Barry Sea Paradox.

For more information on the Mercury Bar Click

For more information on the The Barry Sea Paradox jazz band  Click

NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE RATINGS FOR KATY ISD HIGH SCHOOLS

We have had several inquiries for individuals looking to reloacte to this area regarding the schools and school district. We believe that the Katy ISD is one of the best in the area and one of the best in the whole state of Texas. Newsweek magazine produces a list of the top 1,600 High Schools in the entire United States which is the top 6% in the country. Newsweek of course have their own criteria as to how they evaluate each school and assign a rating. The purpose of my blog today is to report the results from their ratings for year 2009 as it applies to High Schools in the Katy area and not look at their methodology.

Katy ISD had 4 schools in the Newsweek 2009 list. The Schools making the Newsweek top ratings are as follows:

1) Seven Lakes # 413 - Please note this was the first year Seven Lakes could be rated as it was too new for a rating in the past

2) Cinco Ranch # 468 - Also note Cinco Ranch was ranked the 6 th best High School in the whole Houston Area by Children at Risk a non-profit group.

3) James E Taylor # 1,116 - Taylor has been a highly rated school for many years.

4) Katy # 1,532 - The original High School has an excellent academic program and not just a High School football machine.

While ratings by different groups are not fool proof and there are good schools that probably never get rated the Newsweek ratings go along way to show that the Katy Schools are excellent schools.

I plan to write a separate blog on each of the above Katy High Schools during 2010.

KATY SEVEN LAKES BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYS HOME GAME 1/8/10

The Katy Seven Lakes High school boys basketball team plays Conroe at Seven Lakes at 7:00 PM on Friday January 8, 2010. The Spartans are 13-5 this season so far and have an excellent overall team balance. Right now the Spartans are probably the favorite to win the 17-5A district . The leading scorer is Jake Denver who is averging approx. 16 points per game but there 4 other players who are all averging approx. 13 points per game and these guys are Ryan Syverson, Princeton Onwas, Cameron Patton and Trey Pinkey.

I wrote a blog about this team a few weeks ago when they HELD Yates to 88 points in a losing effort. Yates this season is 14-0 and beat Lee 170 - 35 this week. The total points scored by Yates set a Texas Boys Basketball High School record for the most points ever scored in one game. Yates continues to be one of the highest ranked teams in the entire US. ( Max Preps Excellent 25 ranks Yates number 2 in the US)

The Spartan's play on Monday January 11at 7:00 PM Channelview and open their district play at Katy Mayde Creek on on Friday January 15 at 7:00 PM.

We have attended seevral Seven Lakes Boys Basketball games the last few years and these games are a lot of fun and really good and cheap entertainment. If you love basketball and I do think about taking the whole family to a Spartans game.

KATY HOME AND GARDEN SHOW JAN 30-31, 2010

The Merrell Center and Robinson Pavilion will be the home to the Katy Home & Garden Show on Saturday January 30and Sunday January 31 , 2010.There will be over 300 different exhibits in both buildings on 2 floors. The show will include remodeling, decorating and landscaping themes including but not limited to items such as kitchens and baths, home threater, windows, siding, decor, various new home builders, blinds and shutters, pools & spas, flooring and numerous other items. See many new prodeucts and check out really good deals. Invest in your home now as it really pays off especially in the Katy, TX market area. Comparsion shop several different vendors all at one show. Learn from numerous experts.

The show benefits the Brookwood Community and Adopt a Soldier as $1.00 from each sull price ticket sold will be sent to these two charities.

The hours are : Saturday January 30, 10AM - 6 PM; Sunday January 31, 11 AM - 5 PM. Ticket prices are $8.00 for adults; Seniors $6.00; Military $4.00; and  Kids 12 & under FREE. Parking is FREE.

Randy Lemmon of the KTRH Gardenline will be the featured performer on Saturday January 30.

If you need additional information call 281-392-2132.

The Merrell Cenetr is easy to find as just head west on I-10 and exit at FM 1463 and turn north or right assuming you are heading west or left if heading east. The address is 6301 South Stadium Lane Katy, TX.

This should be an excellent show and the prices are family friendly... I hope to see you there!!!!

SOUND TAX ADVICE

Last night as I was watching the last Monday Football game of the season and I noticed a series of commercials already encouraging taxpayers to use to a specific tax service company. I just shake when I hear these folks try to convince everyone as to their tax expertise. Spare me please. This company is one of those large wharehouse types who mainly hires part time tax preparers after they complete the company's own 6-8 week traning course. The usual individuals who do this part time work are bus drivers, truck drivers, unemployed people, underemployed people, etc. There is nothing wrong with these folks except having this type of person preparing your personal tax return? Come on Man!!! Use your head and hire a competent professional to do your taxes this year. My suggestion find a CPA who has a large tax practice involving the preparation of individual tax returns. Spend a little extra money and you will have peace of mind that your taxes are being prepared accuratley and in a timely fashion. The CPA will assist you if your return ends up being audited and the CPA know how to properly handle the IRS.

I am a CPA and I still do a fair amount of complicated tax return work including personal, Corporate, Schedule C Corporate, Partenerships, Trusts, etc. I am not soliciting for tax work... trust me...  as I only will pick up additional returns for family, friends ( I mean real friends) and real estate clients who closed a deal using me as the realtor. Maybe this past year you bought a home and might qualify for a tax credit and it is important that you file your return properly. Unfortunately, I have heard so many realtors totally butcher any discussion of the tax credits that are available that it scares me that they are telling their clients some of this really bad information. HIRE A Professional.. A CPA who does individual tax returms... It might cost an individual a little more up front but might save your butt in the long run!!!! 

I will write another blog that discusses more than just the IRS rules surrounding the home buyers tax credit but tries to icover the practical aspects of applying these rules...The write up's I have seen and blogs mainly spit back out the IRS rules and I hope to do more than just that. Besides it is almost tax season again whether we like it or not!!!

EL RANCHO MEXICAN BAR AND GRILL - NEW RESTAURANT IN KATY

On Thursday December 22, our family was in our normal dilemma as to the eternal question in out household  being "What is for dinner tonight?" My father-in-law noticed that El Rancho restaurant in the HEB center ( Fry Road and 99) was open for business. My wife made the executive decison that we were going to try this place on opening night. Now let me explain a little before I talk about the food... My wife is hispanic and both my mother-in-law ( recently passed away  on all Saints day after a long and courageous battle with cancer) and my wife are excellent cooks... I believe I have the palete to judge good Mexican food based on my experiences. In addition, my wife is from San Antonio and there are numerous excellent Mexican food restaurants in San Antonio and we probably have eaten at most of them. 

Back to El Rancho.. The service and staff were very good, attentive and treated us very well. The chips , salsa and green sauce were all good but my wife did not necessarily like the chips. She is picky with her selection chips and sauce. Unfortunately we  ( six people) found the food to be just OK and not a do again at least for a while. The prices we thought were high based on the quality of the food. I had the carnitas which tasted pretty good that evening but were even better two days later when I eat it for lunch. No one else in our group had had positive comments about the food. There are several other Mexican Restaurnats in the Katy area where the food is far superior in my opinion...

Part of my idea as to a purpose of my blog is to inform folks about things such as local restaurants so those who read this blog have some guidance..

TEAM DIMURIA IS NOW TEAM DEVER

Team Dimuria, that I was a part of in the Katy office of Prudential Gary Greene for several years is now Team Dever as Jeff and Mona DiMuria have or will be moving to Colorado due to family reasons. All of us who know these two individuals will miss them very much and we all want to wish them the best of luck in the future. I know for a fact that the Katy Office of PGG will never be the same without Jeff's personality, wisdom, humor and overall professional excellence.  I personally will miss both of them and I already do.. They are and hopefully will continue to be really great friends of my wife and I.

Darla Dever and I are now partners in Team Dever and have taken over Jeff and Mona's business in the Katy area. Jeff will continue to be involved with Team Dever but now from Colorado. Darla Dever is an excellent realtor with many years of successful real estate experience representing numerous buyers and sellers. I will continue in my role as as mainly a buyers representative.

I encourage anyone who knows Jeff and Mona to send them messages wishing them good luck in their future endeavors...

DA VINCI ITALIAN RESTAURANT - DEFINITELY A DO AGAIN IN KATY,TX

Last night ( Sunday December 27 ) my extended family eat dinner once again at Da Vinci's Restaurant which is at the corner of Center Village Dr. and Fry Road ( at one entrance of  Grand Lakes). Their exact address is 6455 S. Fry Rd. and phone is 281-392-2115.  The food each of us had was excellent and the service was fantastic. I am writing about this restaurant once again to hopefully draw some attention to this establish  it is really need a good place to eat in Katy and Da Vinci's is in my opinion is probably the best restaurant in the area.

The owner Alex gave us a warm greeting and the whole staff treats their customers very well. Alex gave us a holiday present as we got a pizza fresh frfom the oven. Da Vinci's only serves pizza as an appetizer. However, their pizza is outstanding. I am originally from Chicago and based on that I firmly believe I know good pizza when I taste it and this Pizza was EXCELLENT.

I had spaghetti with meat balls from the daily chalk board list of specials and once again this spaghetti was one of the best I have had since my childhood buddy Mom who was from Italy would treat me to her spaghetti that she took all day to preape!!!. My wife and split a version of tomatoes caprese that was one of the specials and it was excellent just like it was the first time we visited. The spaghetti sauce was tremendous.

My family and freind all ordered something different and all raved about how good it was except our friend from Ohio who said it was good. Of course our friend thinks that the BEST food in the world is from England ( ????... Fish and chips then what???)

The owner treated us again by bring two deserts to the table that he himself prepared. The desert was outstanding to say the least.

I hope folks in Katy will discover this restaurant and support it. I believe their food is better than other well known Italian restaurants that are located throughout the Houston area.

KATY TIGERS LOSE IN STATE FOOTBALL FINALS

Last Saturday the Katy Tigers lost to the Abilene Eagles 28-17 in the State Class 5A Division II state championship football finals that was played in the Alamodome in San Antonio. My family and I were in San Antonio for family matters last weekend and we got to go the game. We really enjoyed watching the game and unfortunately the Tigers broke our hearts by losing. However, Katy still had another outstanding season and the players have no reason not to believe that this will probably happen again next year.

Abilene definitely deserved to win this game as Eagles quaterback Ronnell Sims had a great evening and ran for two touchdowns in the first quater. His couson Hershel Sims who is supposed to be the star of the team ( per folks we spoke to from Abilene ) was held in check most of the gane until he broke free for 60 yard touchdown in the 4 th quater. The Eagles gained 377 yards of total offense and almost put the game away in the first quarter. Katy held Abilene on a 4 th down attempt deep in their own territory late in the quater and Abilene was already ahead 14-0 at that point. The Tigers did fight back and had their own opportunities.

We kept pinching ourselves during the game as the Tigers were doing stupid things that we are use to seeing when watching the Seven Lakes Spartans play. Seven Lakes is another high school in the Katy ISD and plays Katy each year and Katy wins every year by a large margin. But here we all were watching the Tigers make uncharactistic errors; have untimely penalties called against them; make absolutely terrible play calls; and make stupid coaching decisions. Did you folks borrow some of the Seven Lakes coaches or play book or watch too many of our game films??? Just wondering!!!!

Abilene has an offensive line that looked big enough to play in the Big 12 conference right now. My guess is that that team will be back next year and could repeat as Champs as both the Sims cousins are back and they are excellent running backs. The Tigers I am sure will probably be playing in their 4 th staight championship game next year.

High School football is over for another year but basketball is still at the stage of playiong non district games.

If you like sports go to one one of your local high school games and support the teams. The competition is great and so is the talent of the kids who play. This is still one evening out that a normal family can still afford!!!

KATY HIGH SCHOOL HOLIDAY TRADITION - FOOTBALL

Last Saturday in the rain, fog and wind  Katy Tigers football team beat New Braunfels 14-6 to advance to the State championship game for the third year in a row. It is becoming a holiday tradition if you play football for Katy to spend your free time before and after Thanksgiving preparing for the next high school playoff game. It is truly amazing to me that year in and year out Katy always has such a great team and either wins a state tritle or gets very close.

Katy Tigers (14-1) will face Abilene ( 14-0) at 7 PM Saturday December 19, 2009 in the Alamodome in San Antonio for the Class 5A Division II state championship game.

Defense last Saturday ruled the day for the Tigers as New Braunfels was held without scoring a touchdown for the first time all this season.The Tigers offense was not up to iys usual potentcy but they put enough points on the board to win the game, Coach Joseph of the Tigers credited the win to Senior leadership that responded to breaks in the game like champions. Maybe that is why Katy is always playing football at this time of the year.. Great coaching and excellent palyers also go a long way towards building a champ.

 Go Tigers and bring home another State Football Chamionship on Saturday!!!!!!! 

Da Vinci Restorante Italiano - Excellent Food in Katy, TX

Last Friday night my family eat dinner at Da Vinci's Restaurant which is at the corner of Center Village Dr. and Fry Road ( at one entrance of  Grand Lakes). Their exact address is 6455 S. Fry Rd. and phone is 281-392-2115. There have been at least two other restuarants at this location during this past year ( if not more) and those ventures all failed. The food each of us had was excellent.

I had spaghetti from the menu with sausage added and this spaghetti was one of the best I have had since my last business trip to New York back in 2001. My wife and split a version of tomatoes caprese that was one of the specials and it was really tasty.The spaghetti sauce was really good.

My wife ordered the a veal dish from the menu and it was also very good. My Father-in-law had red fish from the daily specials and it was also excellent. The vegetables that came with the fish were not so good. My 16 years step son ( AKA eating machine #2) had the special of the day steak and the steak was excellent. He got same the vegs as my father-in-law with the same result. We completed our meal with two orders of creme brulee which we all shared and it was devoured very quickly. We told the waiter we wanted our money back as the desert did not taste good. He of course just laughed.

The service was very good and we got to meet the owner who is named Alex. He is a very nice guy. All in all this restaurant is a do again for our family and I suggest if like Italian food this is good place to try. I really hope this group makes it as we live only a few blocks away inside of Grand Lakes.

12/08/09 BOYS BASKETBALL - SEVEN LAKES GETS BEAT BY YATES

Seven Lakes boys varsity basketball team was beaten  this past Tuesday evening by Yates 88 to 74. The game was played in front of a big crowd of over 2,500 fans at the Merrill Center in Katy. Many folks reading this are saying to themselves " So What.. Seven Lakes lost by 12 points.. Big Deal!!!  However, Yates is currently ranked  the number one High School Boys team in the ENTIRE US by Maxpreps Freeman Rankings and is ranked number 4 in the nation by Max Preps Xcellent 25. Yates has been averaging 140 points per game before playing the Spartans. You did not read that incorrectly and I did not miss type those numbers .. 140 points per game.. A phenomenal average per game even for an NBA Team let alone a High School Team.

Seven Lakes played smart and hard the whole game and keep it close and was only down 63-60 late in the third quarter when Yates senior Joseph Young took over the game. Young scored 15 straight points for Yates over a span from the late third quarter to the fourth quarter. Young was quoted as saying "That ( Spartans) was a team that challenged us..." and that was why he finally took over the game. Young finsihed the game with 27 points.

Brandon Peters of Seven Lakes paced the Spartans scoring by scoring 22 points in the game. The Spartans are are now 7-5 for the season while Yates is 4-0. Both coaches said that the game had major benefits for each team. Seven Lakes had an excellent basketball team last season and made the playoffs. This past game is a good omen for the remainder of their season.

GO SPARTANS!!!!

KATY TIGERS ONCE AGAIN WIN CLASS 5A DIVISION II REGION III TITLE

One of Bob's step son's plays JV football at Seven Lakes High School and his older step-son was in the first graduating class at Seven Lakes and he played football for 3 years at Seven Lakes. Bob and family know all too well just how good the football is in the local district action where virtually all of the teams have excellent players and records. Year in and year out the football at Katy High School is outstanding and this year is no exception.

Last Saturday Katy beat Clear Springs 38-21 in the Division II Region II title game. This is 3 consecutive Division II Region III championship's for the Katy Tigers who are also gunning for their third straight State Championship.... REMARKABLE accomplishment by an excellent team and tremendous coaching staff.

Prior to last Saturday's game with Clear Springs, all the press talk was about the how good the Clear Springs spread offense was and questions abounded as to whether the Tigers could stop it!!! During the first half of of this title game it appeared that concern over the Clear Springs offense ability to move the ball and score were true. Clear Springs scored 21 points and the game was tied. However, Katy, as it has done so many times in the past, made the proper denensive adjustments at half time and very easily won the game. This was the first time all season Clear Springs was held scoreless in the second half of any game. Katy Tigers as always played an excellent all around game.

I was recently asked by a client was is from out of State as to who was the Super Star player at Katy... I told him all 22 starters are really good players and probably most of their bench would start at most other high scholl programs.

MY HAT IS OFF TO THE KATY TIGERS..  Next Saturday Katy plays New Braunfels at Rice Stadium at 2 PM in the State Division II semi-finals... Go Tigers .. Bring another State Champsionship!!! GOOD LUCK!!!! For you high school football fans out there .. Go to the game and root for the Tigers to bring home the gold once agaon...

Boy it sure would be nice if both Katy and Cinco Ranch could win State Titles in the same year!!!!

Bob and Darla

CINCO RANCH COUGARS WIN STATE DIVISION 1 REGION III FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Wow ... We have great schools in the Katy area and several of these schools have really outstanding sports programs. Last Saturday Cinco Ranch beat Brazswood 28-18 in the Division 1 Region III Championship game. This was the First TIME in school history Cinco Ranch won a Regional Champsionship and next Saturday they will meet Austin Westlake at Austin's Darrell K. Royal Stadium in the state football semifinals. Congratulations COUGARS for a job well done. Their record so far this season is 13-1 with their only loss coming at the hands of the Katy Tigers who are also fighting for another State Championship in Division II 

The Cougars gained 245 yards on the ground and won the battle at the line of scrimmage against Brazowood. Outstanding running back K.C. Niemchi lead the way by gaining 146 yards on 23 carries. The Cougar defense did its job when it had to as Cinco Ranch once again had outstanding overall team performance.

IF you have some free time and enjoy really good High School football go to Austin this Saturday and support the Cougars push for a State Championship!!!!

Bob & Darla...