- - -
Amy Pitzel coached track and field and cross country for 16 years. Her most recent stint was at Katy Tompkins in Katy ISD. She led the Tompkins girls to three consecutive UIL 6A state meet team qualifications in 2017, 2018, and 2019 with a 2017 Region 3-6A team championship and runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019. Pitzel was named Gulf Coast Scholastic Track and Field Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2017.
This season, she will pick Texas high school coaches throughout the season to discuss a variety of topics.
Welcome to "Pitzel's Picks" with Coach Amy Pitzel. This week I was able to sit down with the coaches from Katy Jordan and Katy Paetow and talk to them about the experience of opening a school and making the move to UIL 6A this XC season. Both Paetow and Jordan have been Regional Qualifiers already in the short time they have been around (Jordan earned a trip for the team to State in only their second year as a school) and they are ready to make an impact when they move from 5A to 6A.
Head Coach of Paetow, David Yeager, is in his first year of being over the Panther Cross Country team but brings experience from his time helping with Katy Tompkins XC and being an asst at Paetow last year. Coach Yeager's focus for his team is: "Be consistent, be willing to fully commit to something, learn to overcome adversity and learn to lean on others when things are hard." Senior Boys to watch for Katy Paetow this fall are Nicolas Valadez and William Zamora.
Rising Sophomore to watch is Elijah Emerson. Paetow Girls to watch for are Hailey Beier and Tayo Obrimah.
Katy Jordan is only starting its third year as a school and is about to welcome its first Senior class, but has already gotten a team to State for Cross Country in its first two years. Super impressive and they look to continue their success as they move to the competitive 19-6A District. Coach Kymberlee Trnka is over the girls' team and Coach Mabry Allen is over the boys' team. Core values they instill in their team are: "Commitment, have confidence, be great leaders and a sense of family amongst the team." When starting a new program, Coach Trnka recommends, "Have confidence and set high standards." Upperclassmen to watch for on this Jordan Warrior team are Ximena Lopez and Addison Sutton on the girls' side and Jacob Wyman, Will Davis and Andres Merizalde on the boys' side. Rising Freshmen that have stood out already are Isabella Castillo and Lillah Katz.