1997 Texas State Soccer Champion

Texas State Championship Finals, April 5, 1997
The Klein High Bearkats earned a 7th record setting trip to Pflugerville, Tx for another shot at the Texas State High School Soccer Championship with the 2 - 1 Region III finals win over District 33 rival Cypress Falls High School. "Winning the Region was a great accomplishment in itself", said Coach Baker, "We were not even picked to finish in the Region's top 4 teams. I'm as surprised as anyone but it's always tough to beat a team 3 times in a season at this level of skill and play. There will be 3 other tough teams at State, but I don't think any of them will be as good or as tough as CyFalls. We're going in determined to win it all and I think we have a great chance if we can stay healthy."

Klein had silenced the critics at home but the 1st State semi-final game with Wichita Falls Rider would be a tough match. Klein scored at the 6 minute mark on a 40 yard curving shot by Bubba Beyer into the upper corner. The goal held up through the first half when a storm resembling the Alien clouds in Independence Day rolled in postponing the game at the half. Play resumed on Saturday at 1:00 with Klein up 1 - 0 and a long tense 40 minute half with a strong wind saw the 1 - 0 lead hold up giving Klein the semi-final win. Earlier on Saturday Grapevine, ranked #1 in the Country, and San Antonio Lee faced off in a full game which had been postponed by rain on Friday evening also. Grapevine took the lead early on Lee and with the wind Lee could not score moving Grapevine into the final round with Klein.

The crowd was huge. Over 5200 fans surounded the field cheering on their favorites. At the end of regulation neither team had scored and two 15 minute overtime periods were added on. Fresh legs and endurance would be the key and the Kats Coach Baker rotated his players extensively keeping Grapevine at bay and out of scoring position.

Klein's Chris Goos, Tournament MVP Winner, at the 2 minute mark in the first overtime period, took the ball through 3 defenders and slipped it passed the outstretched Mustang keeper for the Bearkats first goal in overtime. In less than 3 minutes Goos took the free kick from outside the 18 yard line bending it up and around the keeper for his second goal of the day. Klein's Ricky Galdamez added an insurance goal taking a great pass from Issiah Davis outside the 6 yard box and driving it into the back of the net.

Grapevine pounded Bearkat keeper Martin Hutton with rocket shots but Hutton came up big time after time allowing one goal late in the second overtime period.

Kat head coach Allen Baker said after the win, "We went from one extreem to another. After playing bang ball with 3 forwards, we knew Grapevine matched up with that game plan so we wanted to get it down on the ground and show we could play some nice clever soccer and we did just that."

Congratulations to our Klein High Bearkats. You earned it ......... you deserved it!

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