6-5-2, Bi-District Champions, Area Champions
| Coach Jim Fryar left after the ’89 season with a record of 41-16-1 at Howe (best winning percentage since 1947) and undefeated Bells coach Joey McQueen would fill the shoes. Howe started out slow, losing two of their first three games. After an upset loss to Aubrey, Superintendent Pete Simmons gave the team a lecture of a pep-talk and Coach Joey McQueen moved Domingo Rivera to FB to replace Monte Walker, who had fumbled twice against Aubrey. Walker moved to Tight End and Howe ripped off 75 points in the very next game vs. Whitewright. While the offense was back on track, the defense was dominating all year long. LB’s Jon Norwood and Monte Walker along with DE Chris Hartwell led the ‘Dogs to the best defense in quite some time. The Bulldogs had to beat Bells in a showdown in the last regular season game and a Wade Carson to Joey McMillion 64 yd TD and a Michael Ross TD sprint beat Bells 12-11, qualifying for the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons.
Not one person in Texas could have picked Howe to be a favorite over Celina in Bi-District, but the defense held the Bobcats to 12 second half yards. Celina had printed up “Bi-District Champions” t-shirts and had worn them in the game underneath their pads and jerseys to be displayed after they “won.” The Bulldogs found out about the shirts and actally had one in the pep-rally which was torn to shreds. Each player wore a piece of that shreded t-shirt from their belts during the game. Howe went on to beat Celina in one of the greatest games in school history. The Bulldogs tied the Bobcats 14-14, advancing on penetrations. Howe once again tied their way to the next level by coming back to beat Olney in the last 2 minutes of the game. Wade Carson literally called the game winner with a 1 yd naked bootleg around the left end to go untouched into the endzone. Monte Walker missed the extra point, but an offsides call on Olney gave him another chance. A yard and a half closer, Walker (who had earlier in the game made a 25 yd FG) barely squeezed over the extra point in the lower right hand corner of the crossbar to tie the game at 10. Howe held and advanced to play Mart. With most of the starters on offense and defense injured in or before the game, the headlines shouted “Mart Beats Howe on Points 28-0.” |
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