For the third straight year, the Katy High School football team surged through the regular season in a dominating manner and pushed through the postseason to reach the final game—the state championship.

Also for the third straight year, the Tigers squared off against the Cedar Hill Longhorns for the ultimate prize. Katy beat Cedar Hill, 35-24, in 2012 to win state then lost the rematch the next season, 34-24.

The squads met again Dec. 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the Division II-6A title in an epic rubber match that came down to the very end. A Longhorn field goal with two seconds left on the clock was the difference as Katy lost, 23-20, in front of a crowd of 46,289.

The game marked the 13th appearance by the Tigers in a state title game—the most in Texas history. Converse Judson

and Odessa Permian are the closest schools to Katy's feat, each with 11 trips.

The Tigers have won seven state titles and trail only Celina and Southlake Carroll, tied at eight championships each.