The past two years have been steps up for the Paetow Panthers.

2019 gave the school its first playoff berth and 2020 gave the Panthers their first playoff win.

But then disaster struck the program heading into the Class 5A, DI area round as the school was forced to shut down because of an abundance of COVID-19 cases, ending the Panthers season prematurely. But that has lit a fire under this years squad.

“These guys have worked so hard,” said Paetow head coach BJ. Gotte. “Really as soon as we got back from Christmas break in January, they’ve pushed things. Our seniors especially put themselves in a position to go and compete and have a good year this year.” 

The Panthers have reached each of their goals the past two years with getting to the playoffs and winning a playoff game, but they are ready to take the next step and see how far this group can go.

“We have to continue to stay hungry and not get distracted by all the things that impact success on the football field,” Gotte said. “That’s kind of the thing we are going to really have to dial in on, eliminating those outside distractions and focusing on improving ourselves as a team and being the best teammate we can be. If we do that, I really do think we have a chance to be something special."

Paetow returns eight defensive starters this season and the unit will be led by Kentrell Webb, Michael Jordan and Alex Kilgore. With that much experience on the defensive side of the ball, Gotte expects big things from Paetow’s defense.

Offensively, the Panthers return four starters, but that does include quarterback C.J. Dumas, running back Jacob Brown and wide receiver Kole Wilson.

“It’s tremendous to have that many people back,” Gotte said “This senior class is a group where we have a handful of three-year starters on both sides of the ball and they’re really the first group that’s been in our program since its inception, with them being in eighth grade when we opened. We’re excited about the opportunity to reach those high expectations we have, but we have to put in the work and the preparation to be able to maximize our opportunities.”

The biggest question mark for the team is on the line, both offensively and defensively.

“We only have one returning starter on both our offensive and defensive line unit, but we really have had some young kids step up,” Gotte said. “They really did a good job in the spring and solidified their roles and I’m excited about our ability and potential there. But that’s going to be the biggest thing we will have to look at as coaches is the line play on both sides of the ball, coaching them up and getting them ready for district.”

Paetow will be in a competitive District 10-5A that includes a regional finalist last year in Manvel, a regional semifinalist in Fort Bend Hightower and an area finalist in Richmond Foster.

The Panthers will open the season at Barbers Hill on Aug. 27 and will travel to Richmond Foster to open district on Sept. 10.

“The district is really deep,” Gotte said “Manvel, Foster, Hightower - those are the names you always hear, but Terry had a decent year last year. Angleton is talented and well coached. So, there’s really six teams that are really good football teams. We have to be at our best because if we aren’t, we are going to get beat. We just have to stay focused on the process, working on what we need to work on every day and doing those things that will put us in position to be at our very best. If we do those things and stay focused, I think we are going to do pretty well.”