Paetow coach B.J. Gotte talks to his players after practice Tuesday afternoon.
Gotte quickly establishing winner at Paetow
There’s Gotte, the coach.
“Nothing about what he expects and how he prepares will ever change,” said Class of 2021 safety and former team captain Carl Simon. “The way we practiced never changed from our first season to our last. That’s what produces winning within our program. The consistency and a sense of brotherhood, knowing to trust in the process while knowing everyone has your best interest at heart.”
Then there’s B.J. Gotte, the person. The man who had to tell his team this week a year ago it would have to forfeit its area playoff game because of a rash of COVID-19 cases.
“He broke down crying with us,” said Class of 2021 fullback Randle Kelley. “That showed me really how much he cared about us as players and how the team really meant as much to him as much as it did to me.”
In January 2017, Katy ISD administration approved the hiring of Gotte, a first-time head coach, to open Paetow High in north Katy. At the time, Gotte was 37 years old. And no one saw what was about to come.
After a JV-only season, opening with just freshmen and sophomores and holding summer strength and conditioning camps in a parking lot by a dumpster near a neighboring junior high school, and four varsity seasons, Gotte has the 14-1 Panthers in the Class 5A-Division I state championship game Friday against College Station at AT&T Stadium.
“It’s cool, but I don’t really think about it, Gotte said. “I know I’m here because of a lot of people who have poured into me and a lot of great men who have surrounded me.”
Gotte is a winner, having been a part of four state champions: three as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Katy (2003, 2012, 2015) and one as offensive coordinator at La Marque (2006).
He played on the offensive line for the legendary Mike Johnston at Katy in the ’90s, graduating in 1997. As a sophomore, Gotte helped the Tigers to the state final against Plano. He also coached under Johnston from 2001-2003 as an assistant offensive line coach and was assistant coach and offensive coordinator under Gary Joseph, who succeeded Johnston in 2004, from 2009-2016 after stints at Deer Park, La Marque, and Flower Mound Marcus.
“He was a very detailed kid who wanted to do well and had a plan for himself,” Joseph recalled. “He was very patient. That’s what he needed to do. He worked for Mike and me for years and went other places. It was good for him to go coach other places to figure out what he wanted to do and what he wanted to run. This (Katy) was just a small piece of the big puzzle for him.”
Gotte, however, says otherwise, crediting Johnston, Joseph and former Tigers offensive line coach Chris Massey—all Katy coaches and all mentors who helped him get his start in coaching—for his success.
“I’m here coaching in Katy because of the impact that program has had on me, personally and professionally,” Gotte said. “I’m a high school coach because of those coaches at Katy High School.”
Paetow head football coach B.J. Gotte.Courtesy of Katy ISD
The Panthers football program is practically a carbon copy of the Katy program. From the way practices are run, to standards and expectations held on and off the field, to the similar run-oriented offense and 3-4 defense, all the way to the focus drill in which they close practices with.
Gotte respects the “Katy way” because of its efficiency.
“If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it,” Gotte said. “I would like to think that I’m smart enough and humble enough to understand that you have to pattern yourself after great people if you want to be great. To give these kids an opportunity to play in a program that has success has always been a goal of mine. I try and be who I am and do what I know. If Katy is what I know and they’re one of the most successful programs in the history of Texas high school football, I’m going to pattern myself after what I know.”
In four varsity seasons, Paetow is 34-13. The Panthers are 6-2 in the playoffs. They were co-district champions this year and have outscored playoff opponents this season, 285-62.
They’ve done so by persistently running the football, throwing in some bootleg play-action every now and then, and playing physical, tough defense. Sound familiar?
“It’s what B.J. knows,” Joseph said. “He has his kids executing at a high level. They run ’gun stuff and get in the pistol and things, but the foundation is there. He’s made it his place and he’s made it about the kids, like it is here. And that’s where you’ve got your starting point from.”
Alex Elko, Class of 2020 linebacker and a former team captain, said Paetow’s success has a lot to do with Gotte keeping everyone on the same page and moving forward.
“Coach Gotte is very strategic,” Elko said. “He is someone who has a reason and a plan for everything. He has been around successful programs and he has the same goals.”
Gotte is also more than just coach. He is a confidant, a friend, a father figure. An inspiration.
Senior defensive lineman Jacob Johnson said Gotte's constant pushing of him during mat room drills, encouraging and driving him to do better because of his potential to be great, will stick with him long after this season is over.
Senior quarterback C.J. Dumas Jr. said he is grateful for the example Gotte sets.
“Coach Gotte is an amazing coach, but an even better person," said Class of 2021 running back Damon Bankston.
One of Simon’s favorite memories of Gotte came after the team went 3-7 in its first varsity season in 2018. The first thing Gotte said was they were going to make the playoffs next year.
“He was unsatisfied,” Simon said. “That was the same feeling my teammates had and why we felt we needed to work so hard. He made us earn our spots back in the varsity locker room. After that whole speech, it felt like you either had to step up to the plate or get left behind, and that’s what I loved about it. Me and my teammates did that, achieving our goal, demanding the best from each other.”
The Panthers made their first playoff appearance the next year.
“I’ve learned the blueprint that I believe in and it’s working, but there’s so many people that go into this thing to make it successful,” Gotte said. “I’m happy our kids are here and am amazed at what they’ve been able to do.”