By George Slaughter
Mike Rabe
Mike Rabe, who spent the last five years coaching at Mayde Creek High School, has been appointed Jordan High School football coach and athletic coordinator. The appointment took place at the Katy Independent School District Board of Trustees meeting Monday.
Rabe said he wanted to build the Warriors program around values such as commitment, consistency, accountability, having a great attitude, and effort.
“We’re going to try to build on that,” Rabe said. “I’m excited to get these guys in and go down that same path.”
Rabe actually began his duties at Jordan on January 14. As Jordan opens for students this fall, it will take some time to get the program going. The Warriors expect to field their first varsity football team in 2022, though subvarsity teams will be playing before then.
“We’ll do the best we can with scheduling going forward,” Rabe said, adding that other schools around the state are also opening and are in the same situation as Jordan.
Rabe coached for the last five seasons at Mayde Creek High School. Last season, the Rams enjoyed a historic season, finishing 9-3. The nine wins is the most achieved by the Rams since 2007, when they finished 6-5.
Mayde Creek made the playoffs, its first time since 2008, and won its first playoff game since 1997 before falling to Cy Creek in the area round. Rabe was named District 19-5A Coach of the Year and was also named a Dave Campbell 6A Coach of the Week during the season. He is a two-time recipient of the Houston Touchdown Club Sportsmanship Award, in 2016 and 2017.
“I’m excited for the opportunity that I had at Mayde Creek,” Rabe said. “I’m extremely proud of the staff that we put together there and the things we did at that school. I’m very thankful for Ronnie Edwards (Mayde Creek principal) and his administration. They trried to set things up for that program to be successful. I look forward to working with Dr. (Ethan) Crowell (Jordan principal) to build Jordan to be the best it can be.”
Debbie Decker, district athletics director, said Rabe did an outstanding job at Mayde Creek.
“I know that the students and staff there, along with Mike, think they’ve built something special,” Decker said. “Mike decided it was time to take a new challenge. It’s not every day that a head coach gets an opportunity open up a new school.”
Rabe previously served as head coach at Ganado (2006-2009) and Waco Connally (2010-2014). He has a 66-86 won-loss record. In all three cases, Rabe took a struggling football culture and turned them into winning football cultures.
“He emphasized he was going to be on the ground level with this thing and how special that was going to be, instead of changing the culture, but building it with the principal,” Decker said.
Rabe said a major factor in his decision was to put his stamp on something from day one, and watch it grow from that aspect.
“It’s a great school district,” Rabe said. “I’ve enjoyed my five years here. I think our athletic department does a top-notch job. To get the opportunity to open up a new school and stay in this district was appealing.”
Crowell said what impressed him about Rabe is his recognition that the program has to be about all sports.
“It’s a broader culture, not just a football program,” Crowell said. “I’m excited to work with him. It’s an opportunity to build something from the ground up.”
The Jordan High school colors are black and gold. A Katy ISD spokesperson said the Jordan High logo will soon be unveiled.
Decker said the district is looking for Rabe’s successor at Mayde Creek.
Sally Gupton Appointed Creek Elementary Principal
Sally Gupton
The board named Sally Gupton Creech Elementary principal. She had previously served as Creech assistant principal.
Gupton began her teaching career in 1999 in the Fort Bend Independent School District, where she served as a seventh and eighth-grade teacher at Macario Garcia Middle School, and as a fifth-grade teacher at Meadows Elementary School. She served from 2006-2010 as Elementary Science Helping Teacher in the Curriculum and Instruction Department.
Gupton joined the Katy Independent School District in 2010 as a Science Instructional Facilitator for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. The next year, she transferred to Golbow Elementary School to serve as an English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructional Support Specialty Teacher (ISST).
In 2013, Gupton was named assistant principal at Creech Elementary. She was also a crucial part of providing a smooth transition for Creech students, who were displaced from their school due to Hurricane Harvey flooding in 2017.
Gupton succeeds Euberta Lucas, who will become principal at the new McElwain Elementary. The new school was named in honor of Peter McElwain, a retired school district architect and who served in the district’s planning, facilities, and construction department.
The board also appointed Paul Landis as executive director of transportation.