When Cypress Bay takes to the field in Katy, Texas, on Saturday to play Katy High, it will experience first-hand what Texas high school football is about.

In the state that inspired Friday Night Lights and the term ''high school football is life,'' Cypress Bay will play at 3:30 p.m. in front of thousands of frenzied fans and a nationally televised audience on ESPNU.

And Katy will bring a prolific program that has won five Texas state championships.

''It's a great opportunity for these young kids,'' Cypress Bay coach Mark Guandolo said.

``It's going to be a great experience and something these kids will remember forever. We're blessed. We're lucky to be able to get on ESPNU and see what we're about.''

Cypress Bay's players and coaches will board a flight Thursday night and fly to Houston to kick off a weekend a year in the making.

Knowing he would have a senior-laden team, Guandolo said he started planning to take his team out of state during last year's 10-2 season in hopes of building toward a state championship. He said he wasn't targeting Katy in particular, but Katy happened to need a game.

Cypress Bay will travel to Katy again next season.

It will be the first out-of-state trip for Cypress Bay, but Guandolo will be doing it for the fifth time as a coach.

He took teams out of state twice each when he was at Chaminade and Southridge. With Cypress Bay (3-0) sitting at No. 3 in The Miami Herald Top 20 with hopes of winning a state championship, Guandolo wants the trip to Texas to prepare his team for when the playoffs roll around.

''We go on the road, not only does it bring you together, but playing in a hostile environment against a good team on the road, it's like a playoff-type atmosphere that gets you ready for the playoffs,'' Guandolo said.

``That's what I want. I want to test our players.''

Katy should supply a difficult test. Katy not only has won five Texas state championships but also 10 regional championships.

The Tigers went undefeated and won the 5A Division II title last season and finished No. 5 in the ESPN Rise national rankings.

Katy is 2-2 this season, with both losses coming against ESPN Rise top 50 teams, after losing four all-state players and 15 players who were first-team all-district from last year's team.

''They have a storied program,'' Guandolo said.

``They have a system, so they're very well-coached, very well-disciplined, they're big up front, they execute well and each game they seem to be getting better. They have a lot of young kids playing but they have 300 kids in their program, so every year they just reload.''

Cypress Bay is one of four teams in South Florida traveling out of state in high-profile games this season.

St. Thomas Aquinas, No. 3 in the ESPN Rise rankings, beat Elder (Ohio) in Cincinnati in August and Miami Booker T. Washington lost to Northside High in Warner Robins, Ga., earlier this month.

North Miami Beach also plays out of state Saturday in New Orleans against John Curtis, which won its 22nd state championship last season. Guandolo said he thinks his team can go on the road and do South Florida proud.

''I think we can play with anyone if we come out and execute, play hard and smart,'' Guandolo said.

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