Photo credit Tommy Hays/SBLive Sports
You can avoid the myth surrounding new school football unless you are interested in talking state titles with Katy Paetow. For this fifth-year school, the time has arrived.
Senior running back Jacob Brown added the exclamation point by exploding up the middle into the end zone as the crowd erupted, giving Katy Paetow its first title in the school’s young history 27-24 in the Class 5A Division II Championship overtime victory on Friday night at AT&T Stadium.
The doors at Katy Paetow opened five years ago, and now they are state champions.
“Going to a new school is not always popular,” Panthers coach B.J. Gotte said. “I told the kids from the beginning that we’re going to compete to win. Our standard is excellence, and they bought into it, and they worked hard. For us to be able to call these guys champions now is really, really cool.”
Brown needed one carry with a fresh set of downs on the two-yard line. Behind drive blocking linemen, Brown plunged into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown to ignite a flare of emotions. Panther fans erupted while College Station players fell to the turf in agony.
Quarterback C.J. Dumas Jr. turned in the play of the game.
Facing fourth and one at the three-yard line, Dumas Jr. pushed his way to the two-yard line with help from his team. But the officials would measure before the ball’s nose gave the Panthers a first down. Still, the officials took a second look before the original call stood.
“We were hoping that it would turn around and go our way,” Cougars’ defensive back Kyle Walsh explained. “But at the same time, we were prepared to go back out there to try and make a stop. We weren’t going to rely on the refs to help us, and it just didn’t end the way we wanted.
Katy Paetow (15-1) began its overtime frame at the 25, where Brown lost half a yard when junior defensive lineman Connor Lingren made the stop. Eventually, fourth down and two would set up a field goal attempt, but a defender crossed the line of scrimmage before the snap, giving the Panthers a first down at the 12. From there, Brown carried the ball until Dumas Jr.’s sneak converted its second, fourth-down play at the two-yard line.
“When we got in that situation, something that came to mind was that their defense was so good, and we were kind of up and down offensively, and their offense was so explosive,” Gotte pointed out.
Dumas Jr. led the Panthers, passing for 165 yards, completing 16-of-23 attempts, and Brown added 120 ground yards on 33 rushes and a score. Wilson had nine receptions for 94 yards.
College Station (15-1) took the first possession of overtime and settled for a field goal after facing fourth and two from the seven-yard line. Junior running back Marquise Collins picked up 17 of the 18 yards before Dawson Schremp drilled a 24-yard field goal. College Station took its first lead, 24-21, since the 11:40 mark of the first quarter.
“I’m just so proud of this group of kids,” said College Station coach Steve Huff. “They fought their tails off tonight. I couldn’t be more proud of them. That was a heck of a ball game.”
The Cougars’ big three finished with tremendous efforts. Jett Huff completed 18-of-23 for 215 yards, a touchdown, and one interception. Collins rushed for 193 on 23 carries and two scores, and Suel caught 11 passes for 169 yards and one score.
After the devastating overtime loss, senior defensive back Kyle Walsh shed light on the Cougars’ run to the title game.
“This night is everything we’ve ever worked for since the third grade,” Walsh said. “It was amazing to get here. Obviously, it didn’t end how we wanted, but it was a great experience.”
Katy Paetow held a 21-14 lead with 4:17 remaining in the game, but Cougars forced a turnover on downs when it held the Panthers a yard shy of a first down. One play later, Collins’ electric 71-yard touchdown run tied the contest, 21-21, and revved up College Station fans.
The matchup, tabbed as a must-see contest, lived up to the billing from the opening possession.
Panthers’ senior linebacker Tyler Silves laid a crushing blow on Huff, blissing from the left side, forcing a fumble as teammate junior linebacker Alex Kilgore corralled the loose ball and rambled to the Cougars’ 22.
The Panthers converted the turnover into points. Brown rushed four times to the nine, and after, Dumas scrambled to the five-yard line. That gave Katy Paetow a fresh set of downs, which later saw Dumas squeeze into the end zone from a yard out. Anthony Fuentes’ kick gave the Panthers its first lead, 21-14, with 11:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Both teams would turn the ball over on downs before Collins’ electric scoring run.
In the first quarter, Huff tossed a lateral pass to receiver Traylen Suel who shifted between two players, finding open turf, and turned on the jets to the end zone, capping the frame on College Station’s first play of the game to grab a, 7-0 with 11:40 left.
Coach B.J. Gotte feared College Station’s quick-strike ability but worked diligently to slow the Cougars’ offense. Each play before Katy Paetow snapped the ball; the offense watched the play clock tick down to two or three seconds.
Dumas Jr. led a balanced attack which tied the game 7-7 as Brown and Bryan Del Cid carried the ball sprinkled with quick passes to receiver Kole Wilson, junior receiver Justin Stevenson, and receiver Jason Blue. Del Cid bolted seven yards up the middle, concluding the Panthers’ first score, and Anthony Fuentes kicked the PAT.
College Station refused to stay mobilized, executing its running game while the offensive line opened holes for its standout tailback. Collins made the best of two key runs by picking up two yards to give the Cougars a first down and later broke through of pair of arm tackles to conclude a 23-yard scoring run. Schremp’s kick gave the Cougars a 14-7 lead.
The chess match continued as the evenly matched teams shared similar styles, the ground game, and quick passes. It helped the Panthers march 75 yards in 11-plays. Wilson turned a quick pass from Dumas into a 16-yard pickup at the 41, and a ten-yard reception at the Cougars 33 before Brandon Shanks grabbed a pass, scrubbing off defenders to gain the one-yard line. Junior running back Gene Kendall scored on a one-yard carry, and Fuentes’ extra point kick followed. That made the score 14-14, with 2:28 left in the second quarter.
The Panthers’ defense came up big, facing third and 11 from its 16-yard line. Defensive MVP cornerback Kentrell Webb, who racked up nine tackles, picked off Huff in the end zone and returned the ball to the Katy Paetow 27 with 33 seconds to go in the second quarter.
“My alignment was inside, so once he threw it back outside, I just made a play on the ball,” Webb mentioned. “It set my team exactly where they wanted. We set those guys [the offense] up, we got their backs, and they got our backs when we weren’t playing the best.”
Both teams attempted fourth down a combined eight times. Katy Paetow finished 2-of-5, and the Cougars went 1-of-3.
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