Pearland shows a lot of promise for upcoming season
May 10, 2025
When asked about the contrast of the program three years ago to now he said, "The contrast is pretty stark from our point of view. Any time there is a change in leadership an adjustment phase can be expected, and we were no different. The overall understanding of schemes over the three phases, as well as the physical development of our players have improved steadily every year."
Pearland fans noticed the difference last season as the players have gotten bigger and faster compared to a couple of previous years under different leadership after former head coach Tony Heath retired in 2016.
"Of course, our goal entering the 2025 season is to win the District 22-6A title and to compete for a state championship," Gotte said.
The Oilers will be talented on offense as first-team All-District QB Jake Westmoreland, first-team Al-District WR Jordan (The Jet) Hernandez, RB Ryan Miller, FB Dominic Tiechelman, and TE Maverick Garner all return.
"We also have some young players that we are excited to see contribute this year including junior WR Kaleb Samuels, junior WR Braxton Jones, and sophomore RB Royce Swan," said Gotte.
Offensively, the Oilers will lack experience on the offensive line.
"We lost three starters on the offensive line last year as well as our top two tight ends," Gotte said. "We do have some experience coming back from returning letterman, but I do expect there to be a period of adjustment early in the season as the new players gain confidence and experience."
The strength for Pearland will be on defense as they have four Division I players who are being heavily recruited at the collegiate level.
Our front seven (LB’s and D-line) are our most experienced and dynamic group with six out of the seven being returning starters," said Gotte. "Our expectation is that they can control the line of scrimmage while the rest of our defense gets comfortable at the beginning of the year."
This will be the 26th consecutive year that the Oilers will advance to the playoffs. Fans can expect a deep run this season.
