Texas 6A Championship Game Preview: Katy Tigers vs. Cedar Hill Longhorns
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
We’ve finally reached the end of the high school football season in Texas as the Conference 6A and 5A title games will be played this weekend at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington. Two of the top eight teams in the Lonestar State will clash in the 6A Division II game as Katy faces Cedar Hill this Saturday at 1 p.m.
Katy is going for their ninth state championship in their 16th title game appearance while Cedar Hill is going for their fourth state championship in their sixth appearance. These two programs faced off in three straight title games from 2012 to 2014 with Katy winning in 2012 and Cedar Hill going back-to-back in 2013 and 2014.
The Tigers destroyed Hays in the semifinals (63-7) while Cedar Hill held off Denton Guyer (27-17) to reach the finals. Katy is coming into this game 13-1 with the Tiger’s only defeat coming at Tompkins, 24-19, on Nov. 5. The Longhorns are 12-1 with their only slip-up coming at Duncanville (28-14). Both rosters are loaded with potential college talent and this matchup will be one that fans all over the state will not want to miss.
Katy Tigers
The Tigers score 49 points a game by using a rushing attack that averages 275.6 yards supported by an aerial attack adding 130 passing yards per. Two young stars on this offense are sophomore quarterback Caleb Koger, who has thrown for 1,460 yards and 23 touchdowns with just two interceptions, and sophomore running Seth Davis, who has 1,625 yards and 17 touchdowns on 183 carries.
Katy RB Seth Davis
Another weapon in the run game is senior Jalen Davis (Seth’s older brother), who has run the ball 166 times for 1,409 yards and 24 touchdowns. Katy’s leading receiver is junior Nicholas Anderson who has caught 29 passes for 450 yards and five touchdowns.
Katy gives up just 11.7 points and has several Division I prospects in this lockdown unit. The big names are senior cornerbacks Hunter Washington (signed with Florida State) and Bobby Taylor. Alongside Washington in the secondary is senior safety Dalton Johnson (Arizona commit). The monster on the defensive line is senior Cal Varner (Rice commit). The linebackers are led by junior Ty Kana.
Cedar Hill Longhorns
Cedar Hill uses a balanced attack which gains 200 passing yards and 211 rushing yards to score 35.8 points a game. The leader of the offense is senior quarterback Kaidon Salter (Tennessee commit) who has thrown for 2,571 yards and 31 touchdowns while also leading the team with 1,075 rushing yards and 14 rushing scores.
Salter’s favorite target in the passing game is senior wide receiver Javien Clemmer (New Mexico State commit), who has 38 receptions for 617 yards and nine touchdowns. Another weapon is senior wide receiver Brian Rainey who leads the team with 47 catches to go along with 477 yards and five scores. Senior running back Kevin Young Jr. joins Salter in the backfield and has racked 569 yards and six scores on 81 carries.
The Longhorn’s allow opponents to score just 16 points a game and is led by senior defensive end Charles Esters (Texas Tech commit). Three playmakers in the secondary include cornerbacks senior Amarian Williams (Liberty commit) and junior Jalon Peoples and senior safety Brett Lynch (Central Arkansas commit). The linebackers are led by senior Jaheim Lowe.
Analysis
The key matchup will be Cedar Hill’s offense against a talented Katy defense. If Salter can unleash some explosive plays and wear down the Tigers’ defense, then Longhorns can win. However, if the Tigers can use their running attack to control the clock, score touchdowns and keep Cedar Hill’s offense on the sideline then Katy will come out victorious.
Who will win this clash of the titans in Arlington? Only time will tell.
Photo credit: KLRT; Cedar Hill QB Kaidon Salter
Photo credit: Houston Chronicle; Katy RB Seth Davis