Football: Paetow football is a family matter for Wessel sisters, Danika and Hayden
Senior kicker Danika Wessel is the second female in Katy ISD to score in a varsity football game; younger sister Hayden is a standout on the junior varsity
Late during the first half of its season opener against Langham Creek on Aug. 30, Paetow scored its first points on a pick-6.
The Panthers’ next score was historic.
Senior kicker Danika Wessel lined up, exercised her routine and drilled the extra point, becoming the first female to score in a varsity football game at Paetow High.
“Before the game, I told her, ‘Hey, you’re going to be the first girl in Paetow history to score a point, and it’s going to be tonight,’” head coach David Hicks Sr. said. “To me, anything that’s worth a big deal is a big deal, especially for the kids, the school, this community. That’s something she’s going to remember for the rest of her life.”
Wessel, a four-year varsity soccer letterman, was ready.
“I had my whole family there to support me,” she said. “Everyone was so excited because it was a record.”
Wessel, typically the backup kicker for the Panthers, has scored six points this season, all extra points. She is the second female in Katy ISD history to score in a varsity football game. Amanda DeLafosse (now Amanda Taylor), also a kicker, scored 25 points as Mayde Creek’s starting kicker during the 2006 season.
Wessel, 17, was not even born.
“I really like representing the fact that even though I might not be able to play linebacker or receiver, I still have a part in the program and my program accepts me,” Wessel said.
On the first day of school her sophomore year two years ago, Wessel walked up to Hicks and told him she wanted to play football. She had given it some thought after a Paetow coach, having seen her on the soccer field, told her she should give it a shot.
Wessel was nervous, uncertain how other boys around her would react, but excited about something different and taking on a new challenge and experience.
She had never touched a football before. But that didn’t matter to her, or Hicks.
“I asked what she played and she said kicker. ‘OK, come on,’” Hicks recalled. “She’d never done it, but I always tell my coaches, ‘Hey, you’re coaching. That’s what you do. You’re paid to coach.’ Coaches are teachers. Kids come, and we’ll teach them how to play football. If she has the potential to kick, we can teach you how. She’s picked it up and she’s awesome.”
So awesome that Paetow football is now a family matter for the Wessels.
Danika’s younger sister Hayden, a junior, kicks for the junior varsity team. Hayden is in her second year as a JV kicker, has scored in double-figures this season and made three field goals, her longest going for 25 yards.
Danika and Hayden were going to start playing football at the same time two years ago, when Danika was a sophomore and Hayden was a freshman. But Hayden wanted Danika to “go as a test run first,” she said, laughing.
Danika, who played on the junior varsity the last two seasons, found a welcoming and uplifting community in the program, and a different kind of admiration and respect for sports.
“It’s taught me so much about seeing things from other people’s perspectives but also a lot more about teamwork,” Danika said. “Everything is more about embracing and trusting your teammates. The amount of dedication that I’ve seen some of these guys put into this program, and the dedication the coaches put in, gives me a different feeling about what passion and love is towards a sport.”
Hayden, who plays varsity soccer with Danika, saw and wanted in.
“I saw the environment she was put into,” Hayden said. “I really liked how the guys were all supportive and they were always there for her if she missed a kick or was doubting herself. I never really found that kind of love in soccer. It’s really cool.”
Kicking a football is a different task than kicking a soccer ball.
“You have to take into consideration the shape and how it’s going to spin, which varies in how you have to kick the ball,” Danika said. “A lot of it is how my hip moves when I’m kicking the ball and into my follow through. I do kick from a higher angle in football. In soccer, I have to plant a little bit further away from the ball to get more of a side angle.”
The smaller surface of the football can be difficult.
“You really have to get your foot on the ball just right for it to be able to go straight or at whatever angle you want it to be,” Hayden said. “For a soccer ball, you just kind of kick it. If you’re good enough, it goes where you want it to.”
Hayden has learned a lot from watching her older sister. When they practice together, they do pushups whenever they’re not happy with a kick. They discuss kicking at home after school.
They encourage and push each other.
“She’s taught me so many different things about kicking,” Hayden said “A big part of it is mentality. If you get in your head, you’re not going to kick very well. If you just kick and know what you’re doing, you’ll do fine. She’s got that mentality of just kick it.”
Danika is resilient through hard times, which caught the attention of teammates and coaches right away.
“There was a little rough patch where we couldn’t get the snap and hold down very well, so she missed a few,” special teams coordinator Blake Yorloff said. “But she’s responded. Every chance she’s had to get back in the game, she’s making them. I was impressed with how she handled adversity.”
Yorloff said no moment is too big for Danika. He said she has a natural finish that makes her a talented kicker.
He also lauded Danika and Hayden’s commitment to their second sport.
“The first thing I talk about when it comes to them is their dedication,” Yorloff said. “If you knew their schedule … here in the morning, soccer (athletic) period, football after school, club soccer practice after school. It’s insane, and for them to stay committed , it’s always been so impressive.”
Hicks has one other young lady in his high school program, freshman safety Diana Sanchez, and four more at feeder schools Stockdick, Haskett and McDonald junior highs, including an eighth grader at Stockdick that plays linebacker and fullback on the ‘A’ team.
“Women are truly really picking it up,” Hicks said. “They say women’s flag football is the fastest growing sport in America. This area is seeing it. Women for so long have been told what they can’t do and what they can do, and now they’re seeing boundaries are being broken.”
Paetow’s program motto is “Be the Change.” It’s been a work in progress for Hicks since he took over as interim coach following a tumultuous time for the program early during the 2022 season.
Since taking over, Hicks has fostered an all-inclusive environment, a culture of love.
“We have kids that aren’t afraid of being vulnerable or making mistakes,” Hicks said. “(Danika) might miss two or three kicks, but we’re still going to love her up and help her keep at it.”
“We have great kids,” Yorloff said. “They love to celebrate, and they will celebrate anyone.”
The camaraderie has authored substantial results. Paetow is enjoying its best season since 2021 this year, 7-3 heading into this week’s Class 6A Division I bi-district playoff game Friday against Fulshear.
Danika has played an important role, helping lead the varsity program back to its winning ways under Hicks.
Hicks is certain other young ladies can, and will, do the same in the future.
“I don’t care if you’re a boy or a girl, our doors are always open,” Hicks said. “You want to be able to attract great kids that are going to help the program grow, and Danika has helped our program grow.”