STATE PREVIEW
HOUSTON - A glance at the 1997 Class 5A Division I Texas Bowl Championship.

LONGVIEW (14-0) VS KATY (13-1)

Time: 12:07 p.m., Saturday

Stadium: Astrodome, Houston (Hwy. 259 to Nacogdoches...Hwy. 59 to Houston...Loop 610 west...Kirby Drive exit)

On the Air: KFRO 95.3 FM (broadcast begins 11:30 a.m.); Fox Sports Southwest, cable channel 25 (telecast begins at noon)

Coaches

Longview: Robert Bero (10th year)

Katy: Mike Johnston (16th year)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Longview - 14-0, Ranked first in Texas AP Poll, Finished 1st in District 12-5A, Defeated Dallas Skyline 23-9 in bi-district, Beat Plano East 21-0 in regional, Shut out Killeen Ellison 14-0 in Region II final, Knocked off Duncanville 36-21 in state semifinal
Season Results
Longview 41, Waco 14
Longview 12, Killeen 7
Longview 27, Lake Highlands 16
Longview 43, Ruston 0
Longview 28, Ruston (La.) 14
Longview 28, Lufkin 17*
Longview 42, Tyler Lee 25*
Longview 42, Nacogdoches 3*
Longview 20, John Tyler 14*
Longview 41, Marshall 21*
Bi-District: Longview 23, Dallas Skyline 9
Regional: Longview 21, Plano 0
Region II Final: Longview 14, Killeen Ellison 0
State Semifinal: Longview 36, Duncanville 21

Katy - 13-1, Finished 1st in District 19-5A, Defeated Alief Elsik 17-14 (OT) in bi-district, Beat Houston Lamar 35-12 in regional, Stopped Houston Eisenhower 20-13 in Region III final, Knocked off San Antonio Taft 35-16 in state semifinal
Season Results
Katy 28, Klein 20
Langham Creek 20, Katy 9
Katy 21, Fort Bend Elkins 3
Katy 42, Rosenburg Terry 13*
Katy 45, Memorial 14*
Katy 31, Mande Creek 7*
Katy 31, Stratford 7*
Katy 44, Northbrook 7*
Katy 42, Spring Woods 19*
Katy 17, Taylor 7*
Bi-District: Katy 17, Alief Elsik 14 (OT)
Regional: Katy 35, Houston Lamar 12
Region III Final: Katy 20, Aldine Eisenhower 13
State Semifinal: Katy 35, San Antonio Taft 16

GAME DAY FORECAST

Saturday's weather forecast for Houston is mostly sunny skies with a high temperature of 53 and a low of 26. However, the temperature inside the Astrodome is a eliminate-controlled 72 degrees at all times.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Longview - Longview is led on offense by junior tailback Fred Talley, who has rushed for 1,907 yards on 266 carries and scored 22 TDs...Senior quarterback Jay Hurst has completed 79 of 145 passes for 1,332 yards and 11 TDs, while fellow senior Lee Nix is 37 of 77 for 570 yards and 8 TDs...Two-way performer Dexter Daniels paces the receivers with 31 catches for 586 lads and 3 TDs, followed by Shawn Byrdsong with 25 receptions on 384 yards and 7 TDs...On defense, cornerback Daniels has a team-best five interceptions, while Byrdsong, also a cornerback, and free safety Lee Jackson each have four...Middle linebacker Leon Bell has 84 solo tackles and 72 assists, with outside linebacker Tracy Brooks recording 81 solos and 74 assisted tackles.

Katy - Katy's potent ground game is led by junior Bronston Carroll with 1,418 yards on 237 carries with 16 TDs, and senior Rian Green, who has 1,239 yards on 181 carries and 19 TDs...Junior quarterback Matt Gore is 52 of 110 passing for 861 yards and 8 TDs; he is 17 of 27 for 322 yards and 6 TDs during the playoffs...Tight end Michael de la Torre and split end Jason Vourazeris each have five receptions to lead the Tiger receivers...kicker Ryan Nugent has converted 50 extra points and kicked seven field goals...Linebacker Raleigh Larry has six interceptions this season...The offense line averages 260 pounds, led by Walter Wigfall, who tilts the scales at a whopping 310.