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Katy Jordan is 2-0 in District 19-6A after Friday's 41-13 win over Paetow.
Upstart Jordan stuns Paetow, goes to 2-0 in 19-6A
KATY—After three weeks of District 19-6A play, only two of nine teams are unbeaten.
One is Katy. That’s nothing new. The perennial state power Tigers have twice as many state championships (four) as district losses since 2008.
The other is Katy Jordan.
Wait, huh? Jordan?
Yes, those precocious Warriors playing their inaugural year of varsity football are making some serious noise in one of the more competitive districts in the state. And nothing was louder than Friday’s 41-13 smacking of Paetow at Rhodes Stadium.
Jordan is 3-1 overall, 2-0 in district play. Paetow dropped to 3-2, 2-1. The Warriors led 14-7 at the half and outscored the Panthers 27-6 in the second, with Paetow’s second touchdown coming on the final play of the fourth quarter as the clock hit zeroes.
“These kids have taken football seriously since the day they walked onto campus,” coach Mike Rabe said. “They’ve wanted to be good. They want to prove they could compete in this district. They’re doing it.
“They work and grind every day and do whatever we ask them to do. They’ve earned a victory like this.”
\u201c.@JHSWarriors_FB coach Mike Rabe was awarded a Gatorade bath outside the locker room after tonight\u2019s 41-13 win over Paetow. #txhsfb @KatyISDAthletic @JHSWarriors_ABC @JordanHSAthlet1 @JhsWarriors\u201d— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1663990639
Jordan coaches devised a smart game-plan. Players executed it.
Offensively, the Warriors negated Paetow’s size, talent, speed and strength in the defensive front seven as junior quarterback Colin Willetts managed an impressive game.
Willetts completed 10 of 18 passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns and was only sacked once for a two-yard loss. His only mishap was a fumble in the first half recovered by Paetow’s Alex Kilgore that led to the Panthers’ first score.
Otherwise, Willets got rid of the ball quickly, almost always made the right read and kept the chains moving. He was supported by an opportunistic running game anchored by sophomore Chad Gasper (18 carries, 93 yards, TD) and a workmanlike offensive line of Tegan Marroquin, Nick Washington, Jovanni Melchor, Josh Mahoney and Jackson Conley that, though vastly undersized, won the battle of the trenches against a Paetow defensive line led by five-star recruit David Hicks Jr., the No. 9 overall prospect in the country, and three-star recruit Jarra Anderson.
“We knew we were the underdogs,” said Willetts, who completed touchdown passes of 25, 64 and 18 yards to Andrew Marsh, Zechariah Sample and Connor Babin, respectively. “We practiced all week, had a bye week and took the opportunity to get better. Our game-plan tonight, we executed it. Our O-line did very well against, probably, one of the best defenses in Texas. They gave me time to throw the ball and the receivers were making great plays for me.”
\u201c.@JHSWarriors_FB junior QB @willetts_colin talks about tonight\u2019s 41-13 win over Paetow that puts Jordan 3-1 overall, 2-0 in 19-6A. Willetts completed 10 of 18 passes for 112 yards and three TDs. #txhsfb @KatyISDAthletic @JordanHSAthlet1 @KPRC2RandyMc @JhsWarriors\u201d— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1663990536
Once the Warriors figured early on that drop-back passing would not lead to much success, they adjusted by rolling Willetts out of the pocket more. It generated time and cleaner looks by forcing the Paetow defense to move, whether vertically or horizontally.
“It gave him some time to where he can have some vision down the field,” Rabe said. “He executed it well. He really looked comfortable when he could escape a little bit.”
Defensively, the Warriors were just as intentional.
Linemen Tosin Odulate and Jason Lee invaded Paetow’s backfield early and often. Linebacker Nicholas Olinger had a 26-yard pick-6 early in the third quarter, pushing Jordan’s lead to 27-7.
Sample, a two-way dynamo, provided a couple of crushing hits, one that led to a fumble. Against a Paetow team that prides itself on being physical, Jordan was the punishing aggressor.
\u201cWOW. Crushing hit by @JHSWarriors_FB\u2019s @SampleZechariah on Paetow RB Damyrion Phillips in the flat. One of the best hits I\u2019ve seen this year. #txhsfb @JordanHSAthlet1 @JHSWarriors_ABC @KatyISDAthletic\u201d— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1663978671
“There wasn’t anything defensively I didn’t like tonight,” Rabe said. “They did a really good job. We have a good defensive coaching staff with kids who have bought in. It was really fun to watch them operate.”
Jordan held Paetow to 219 total yards and 3.1 yards per play. The Panthers ran for 59 yards on 29 carries and completed 16 of 41 passes (39 percent).
“We understood they have a lot of good offensive powers,” said Odulate, who had two sacks and two tackles for loss. “The quarterback has a strong arm. The running back is good as well. They have a big offensive line. We had to beat them in the pass game. We had to shut down the run, and I think we did a really good job of that. Our defensive front, the front seven, really did a great job.”
\u201c.@JHSWarriors_FB senior DL @todulate44 talks about tonight\u2019s 41-13 win over Paetow. Odulate had two sacks and a couple tackles for loss in leading a defense that held Paetow to 219 total yards and 3.1 yards per play. #txhsfb @KatyISDAthletic @JhsWarriors @JordanHSAthlet1\u201d— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1663992193
Coming into the game, Rabe noticed his players were poised, calm. Confident. Even-keel. He did not get the sense that they were nervous or intimidated by playing a distinguished program like Paetow.
“I was really surprised by that,” Rabe said. “You would think you would run into that with an inexperienced team but there was none of those nerves or anxiety. They prepare really well, so they’re really confident in what they’re going to do when they come out on the field.”
Odulate said players hear the disrespect about Jordan football. They are aware of everyone dismissing them. They heard all summer about how Class 6A football would eat them alive. How they’re nothing more than the new kids on the block.
And all Jordan has done in response is win. Demonstratively, at that, with its three victories coming by an average of 35 points per game.
“People thought we’d be 0-10,” Willetts said. “Just keep watching.”
Katy Jordan players, from left to right, Tosin Odulate, Andrew Marsh, Zechariah Sample and Zion Jones pose for a photo.
Katy Jordan wows in 1st varsity game with 50-point win
KATY—As far as first impressions go, fit with eyebrows raised and eyes wide open, Katy Jordan’s first varsity game Saturday evening could not have been more emphatic.
Whether it was the offense, which scored eight touchdowns, or the defense, which gathered seven takeaways, the Warriors played like anything but a third-year program being baptized in Class 6A waters in its 64-14 rout of Aldine Davis at Rhodes Stadium.
\u201c.@JHSWarriors_FB 2024 ATH @SampleZechariah discusses tonight\u2019s 64-14 win over Aldine David. Sample had 112 yards and 3 TDs rushing, a pick-6, and two interceptions total in the Warriors\u2019 first varsity win. #txhsfb @KatyISDAthletic @KPRC2RandyMc @JordanHSAthlet1 @JhsWarriors\u201d— VYPE Houston (@VYPE Houston) 1661655390
At this time last year, Jordan, Katy ISD’s ninth high school, was playing an outlaw varsity schedule and ultimately won three of nine games. Saturday, Jordan had 49 points at halftime and forced turnovers on Davis’ last four drives of the first half to force a running clock to start the third quarter.
“We wanted to play a complete four-quarter game,” said coach Mike Rabe, who left Katy ISD neighbor Mayde Creek to take over at Jordan when the school opened in 2020. “They were focused all week, and we just wanted to come out, get a good start and see how it goes.”
Um, it went pretty well.
Junior Zechariah Sample, playing receiver and defensive back, got the Warriors off to a blitz of a start with three touchdowns in the first quarter—two runs of 3 and 90 yards, respectively, and a pick-6 of one yard after Davis quarterback Josh Williams panicked and tossed a pass from deep in Davis’ own end zone after a bad snap.
\u201cWow, Mr. Sample! @SampleZechariah 90-yard TD. He\u2019s got two rushing TDs and a pick-6 in the first nine minutes of this game. 21-0 @JHSWarriors_FB, 2:49, 1Q. #txhsfb @JordanHSAthlet1 @KatyISDAthletic @JhsWarriors\u201d— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1661646672
Sample scored his last touchdown on a five-yard end-around with 3:21 left in the first half. In all, he had 112 yards and three touchdowns on four carries to go along with two interceptions.
“Work hard, play hard,” Sample said. “Show Texas what I can do. We’re coming in as the underdogs. A lot of people thought we were going to lose. We wanted to run it up tonight, but, you know, we can’t. We have to show everybody we can get our way to the top.”
Rabe said Sample’s talent is “unique.” The 5-foot-11, 160-pounder holds an offer from Deion Sanders and Jackson State.
“He does good on both sides of the ball,” Rabe said. “He does good on special teams. He’s fun to have in the fieldhouse; he brings energy to practice every day. He’s a good one.”
If it wasn’t Sample carving up Davis’ defense—which was simply overwhelmed by Jordan’s speed and physicality—it was sophomore receiver Andrew Marsh.
\u201cThis is getting ugly. @willetts_colin to @AndrewaTmMarsh for a 30-yard flare. Easy. 28-0 Warriors, 2:05, 1Q. #txhsfb @KatyISDAthletic @JhsWarriors @JordanHSAthlet1\u201d— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1661646974
Marsh dominated late in the first quarter and all the second, catching five passes for 91 yards and three touchdowns.
“They were slow, and it was easy to get past them,” Marsh said. “Our offensive line was giving us great time out there and (junior quarterback Colin Willetts) was just putting the ball where it needed to be.”
Marsh is arguably the Warriors’ most tantalizing prospect.
The 6-foot dynamo is a four-star recruit, per 247Sports, and already holds offers from LSU, Houston, Baylor and Arizona.
“I want everybody to know where I should be (ranked),” Marsh said, “and that I’m No. 1.”
\u201c.@JHSWarriors_FB 2025 WR @AndrewaTmMarsh discusses tonight\u2019s 64-14 win over Aldine David. Marsh had 91 yards and three TDs on five catches in the Warriors\u2019 first varsity win. #txhsfb @KatyISDAthletic @JordanHSAthlet1 @JhsWarriors @KPRC2RandyMc\u201d— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1661656983
As electric as Sample and Marsh were, however, the Warriors showed they have much more to offer.
Willetts was smart and accurate all evening, completing nine of 16 passes for 170 yards and four touchdowns. Senior receiver Nathan Salz showed off his 4.3 40 speed with a nice 59-yard catch-and-run score to open the second half.
Defensively, senior defensive lineman Tosin Odulate collected a few punishing sacks, senior defensive back Braden Franklin and sophomore defensive back Zion Jones intercepted passes and senior linebacker Davis Duhon recovered a fumble.
“They fly to the football,” Rabe said of a defense that surrendered 123 total yards. “I saw a lot of sound assignments. They stayed inside the game plan the whole time. We scored quick and we had to stay out on the field quite a bit, so you could see their conditioning really pay off. They did their job the whole game.”
Rabe believes things can only go up.
“This is a team that has a chance to grow every single week,” he said. “We still have a lot of young guys out there. But you watch them in practice, they get better every week. They take the weight room seriously. I expect to see them improve each game.”
For now, though, not too shabby.
“It feels great for all of us,” Marsh said. “We’ve put in the work all spring, all offseason. It’s what we’ve been waiting to come out here and do. I just want everybody to know we’re coming, and we’re not scared of anybody.”