Football: Katy gets Cy-Fair next

Making it to four consecutive state championship games can never be easy, but Katy sure is making it look that way this season.

The Tigers rolled through the regular season and through their first opponent in the Class 5A Division I Region III bracket, where they're really supposed to be tested after three straight seasons in Division II.

They've only allowed nine total points the last two weeks and now face a Cy-Fair team that's in the playoffs for the first time in the three years, which certainly doesn't bode well for its chances.

ABOUT THE GAME

• Matchup: Katy (11-0) vs. Cy-Fair (9-2)

• When: 1 p.m., Saturday

• Where: Berry Center

• What's at stake: A berth in the Class 5A Division I Region III semifinals against North Shore or Hightower.

• Katy players to watch: QB Brooks Haack, RB Donovonn Young, RB Adam Taylor, LB Grant Clifton

• Cy-Fair players to watch: QB Chris Mangram, RB John Jacob, DB Jalen Champagne

TEAM HIGHLIGHTS

• Katy: The Katy Tigers are on a mission, cruising through the regular season and into the area playoffs as easily as they have in any of their previous three runs to the state championship game, perhaps because last season's didn't go as planned. They lost 28-17 to Abilene in the 5A Division II title game, but they haven't lost since. They haven't even come close, outscoring the state-ranked teams they've played so far this season (North Shore, West Brook and Cinco) 145-30. They also beat Alief Taylor, which is in the second round of the 5A Division II bracket, 45-20. No win was more impressive than the 56-3 whipping they put on previously undefeated Cinco Ranch in the regular-season finale. The Cougars bounced back to eliminate a very good Lamar team, illustrating just how impressive that victory was. Katy opened the playoffs with a 41-6 throttling of Bellaire that not only saw its running game continue to dominate but also featured perhaps the best performance of the season so far by Haack, who completed 7 of 13 passes for 138 yards and two TDs and rushed for two TDs.

• Cy-Fair: The Bobcats were rolling three years ago, when they made the third of three consecutive postseason appearances. They went 12-2, won a co-district title and went to the regional finals in 2006. Then Cy Woods opened – and Cy-Fair faltered. The Wildcats went 8-3 in their first varsity season in 2008, with many of the players who would have been Bobcats.