In the school’s fifth year of existence, Katy Paetow is now readying for an appearance in Texas’ 5A Division I State Championship football game.
Led by head coach B.J. Gotte, the Panthers are 14-1 this season, with their only loss coming in Week 9 to Manvel, 33-29. Since that defeat, the team has reeled off six straight wins, including five consecutive in the postseason. Last week, Paetow was nothing short of dominant in a 73-14 trouncing of Flour Bluff.
“I’m not surprised, in a way, because our kids have bought in since day one,” Gotte said. “Their work ethic, their attitude, their effort have really put them in a position to experience this, so it’s really cool.”
“I mean, since day one, we haven’t just played for stats or individual things that we want to accomplish,” Panthers running back Jacob Brown said. “It’s always just been for the person that’s playing next to us and I feel like that’s what makes this team very special.”
And if they’re able to cement themselves at the top of Texas high school football as state champs?
“It would just mean a lot to us,” Panthers quarterback C.J. Dumas said. “We’ve worked so hard over the last five years since eighth grade to get to where we are now, so it would just mean a lot to us.”
Paetow plays unbeaten College Station Friday night at 7 p.m. in Arlington at AT&T Stadium. If they finish it off with a win, the Panthers would make history as the first athletics team in school history to win a state championship.
KPRC 2′s Vanessa Richardson caught up with the team before the state title game. Watch her report in the video above.