No. 12 Katy (Texas) - Team preview / Preseason photo gallery
Strengths: Katy's ground game was dominant a year ago, and there's no reason to expect that it will slow down in 2013.
Rodney Anderson, the nation's No. 2 all-purpose back in the Class of 2015 according to 247Sports, is back. The 6-foot, 200-pound junior should fill in for Adam Taylor, who carried the team throughout the playoffs. Even without Matt Dimon, now at Oklahoma, the front seven will be a strength.
Cody Gessler and
Tim Wilkerson return at nose guard and end, respectively. As a senior,
Jake Blomstrom will be a monster middle linebacker in Gary Joseph's system. Returning a quarterback that has a state title under his belt in
Kiley Huddleston is an amazing luxury.
Question marks: Outside of center
John Kellogg, the team's offensive line will be inexperienced. In
Grant Sims,
Brandon Dalton and
Jared Gonzalez, Katy has two guys that Joseph can comfortably slot in. But the line overall will be unproven. Losing Taylor and Dimon means the team will need to develop a new leader on both sides of the ball. The secondary also loses several playmakers and will need to mature quickly.
Outlook: Katy is the quintessential Texas powerhouse. After winning its seventh state title in 2012, it is well-positioned to make a run at No. 8. As with any Gary Joseph-coached team, Katy will be extremely tough defensively. Huddleston, Anderson and tight end
Logan Lister give the team a great offensive foundation that should have Katy playing deep into December once again.
