Katy ISD has hired Mayde Creek head football coach/athletic coordinator Mike Rabe for the same role at Jordan High School, the district’s ninth high school that opens in August.

Katy ISD athletic director Debbie Decker confirmed the hiring early Monday afternoon.

Monday was Rabe’s last day at Mayde Creek. He started at Jordan High on Tuesday. The Jordan position had more than 60 applicants.

The district will officially announce Rabe’s hiring at Jordan High during the monthly board meeting on Monday, Jan. 20. Since January 2017, Katy ISD has filled openings for head coach in seven of its nine football programs. Only twice has it gone outside the district in making its hire. Mayde Creek is officially open.

Rabe just finished his fifth season at the helm of Mayde Creek, where he had a 16-35 overall record. But he led Mayde Creek to a memorably historic season in 2019, when the Rams went 9-3 and made it to the area round of the playoffs. The Rams enjoyed their best season since 1997, winning their first playoff game since that year and making the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Rabe, who was named the District 19-6A Coach of the Year for the 2019 season, implemented a no-nonsense culture at Mayde Creek that helped spear a remarkable turnaround for the program. He is a creative offensive mind, but, more importantly, has always sustained a positive, strong relationship with his players.

Jordan High is Rabe’s fourth stop. The Cuero native has also coached at Ganado and Waco Connally. Rabe has an overall record of 66-86-0.

Jordan High School submitted an initial enrollment number of 1,586.69 in late October.

Because Jordan High is opening on an even year (2020) and beginning with ninth and 10th grades, Jordan’s individual sports will go varsity right away but team sports will wait until the fall of 2021, when the school has ninth, 10th and 11th graders. The only sport that is not able to be placed in realignment on the “middle” year, or halfway between the two-year realignment, is football.

Football for Jordan High won’t be realigned by the UIL until 2022, which will be Jordan’s first varsity football season. Until then, the district will try to mix and match schedules for Jordan to play football, just not under the UIL umbrella.