BY TERRY CARTER
The Paetow Panthers matched strengths to edge College Station in a battle of 5A titans for the UIL 5A-DI football state championship on Friday. Paetow won 27-24 in overtime.
It was a rare battle at ATT Stadium in front of 12,112 fans. Neither powerhouse team found momentum, nor a weakness to exploit. It was a war of endurance, and the Panther’s hunger for their first state championship eventually decided this epic by inches.
After tying 21-21 in regulation, the Panthers (15-1) held College Station’s fiery offense to a field goal in overtime. Then the Paetow offense battled for two first downs before senior running back Jacob Brown scored the game-winning touchdown from two yards out.
Both teams entered the game with explosive offenses and defenses that could dominate all night. But previously unbeaten College Station (15-1) scored on the first play from scrimmage when Traylen Suel hauled in an 80-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Huff.
Paetow coach B.J. Gotte knew the scoring could happen fast, but he had prepared a response: Now let’s go score. The hard-hitting game resulted in Brown as the game’s MVP, and his 57 rushing yards were all hard earned against a solid College Station team. Both squads played brilliant defense to limit the momentum of the opposing team.
“It’s fantastic! It’s what we worked for all year. I’m so glad to see these guys get that kind of win,” Gotte said immediately after the win.
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- Paetow power fullback Bryan Del Cid (32) scored the Panthers’ first touchdown to cap a 14-play drive against College Station. Paetow’s long drives eventually paid dividends as the Panthers held a 31:45-16:15 time-of-possession advantage in this battle of powerhouse 5A teams.
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- Every play was a rugged battle of inches when Paetow played previously unbeaten College Station in the 5A-DI state championship game. The Panthers converted three fourth-down plays in Cougar territory. It was a battle of precision between two teams that refused to quit. In the end, Paetow won 27-24 in overtime.
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- Panther senior linebacker Tyler Silves (34) hits College Station quarterback Jeff Huff (3), creating a key turnover that Paetow converted into seven points.
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- Panther junior defender Alex Kilgor (46) races upfield after recovering a College Station fumble caused by Paetow linebacker Tyler Silves.
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- Panther teammates celebrate the game-winning, overtime score by Jacob Brown (25) that secured Paetow’s first state championship in school history.
