Category: Bulldogs Sports

Howe set a playoff record by scoring 30 points by beating Cooper 30-20.  Howe’s previous playoff point high was 28 which happened twice.

Howe is 1-7 vs. Cooper dating back to the initial game in 1978.

Howe’s lone win came in a 6-0 win in 1979.  Since then, Howe has lost six in a row.  One of the most exciting games in school history occurred in week one of the 1989 season when #8 ranked Cooper was led by future NFL star Bam Morris and future SMU player Byron Bonds.  Howe had the best senior class since 1970.  Howe, down 24-22, had the ball at the Cooper one yard line about to score with :30 left on the clock, but fumbled the ball and Cooper recovered and came away with the win.

 

Howe shocks Texas and Pilot Point, advances 28-14

November 13, 1998

Howe had a really good football team in 1998 and everyone knew it.  However, when the Bulldogs were pitted against Pilot Point in the first round of the playoffs, no one gave them a chance.  Howe had been blasted in game two of the season by Pilot Point by a score of 43-0 in Pilot Point.  However, the ‘Dogs possessed, statistically, one of the top three running backs in school history in Nathanael Falls.  It was Falls’ four touchdowns that propelled the Bulldogs to the shocking win in Denton on this evening.  It was also the “Pete Simmons letter” that was re-used and re-catered from the 1990 Celina playoff game and secretly  distributed from the 1990 players to the 1998 team as they left for Denton on the bus that helped motivate them to the biggest playoff upset and the #1 most exciting win in school history.

 

Howe shocks Celina, advances on penetrations

November 17, 1990

The 1990 Howe Bulldogs had a new coach, Joey McQueen, and ten new offensive starters from the previous team that advanced the the regional finals in 1989.  Howe was not expected to have much of a season and they started like it with a 2-4 record.  However, a few adjustments made by the coaching staff and a mid-season speech by former Superintendent Pete Simmons rallied the team to sneak in the playoffs in a do-or-die game vs. Bells to end the regular season.  Howe rallied and won that game in come-from-behind fasion, 21-11.

Howe then was faced with the monumental challenge of facing Celina in the bi-district round of the playoffs in Plano at John Clark Stadium.  Celina, under G.A. Moore was favored by 17 points to beat the ‘Dogs.  As that team would do so many times, they came from behind in the second half, down 14-0.  Damion Horton would score on a jump ball in the endzone from a pass from Wade Carson and Michael Ross would later run it in for the tying score.  Howe’s defense gave up a total of 12 yards to Celina in the second half and only one first down.  Michael Bailey tallied 127 yards on 18 carries to lead Howe in one of the most exciting playoff games in the school’s history.

 

Howe Wins Regional Crown

December 5, 1970

After starting out the season at 1-2, the Howe Bulldogs, with arguably, the most talented senior class to ever to play for Howe, romped their way to a Regional Championship.  In Class B football, a State Championship was not available and the furthest a team could advance was to the Regional Finals.  To this date, the 1970 Howe Bulldogs are the only team to ever finish their playoff season with a win.  Their season record was 10-2 and are still the only team to ever win 10 games for Howe.

In the regional championship game in Gainesville’s Leeper Stadium, Howe took on Windthorst and were expected to lose against the extremely large team.  This game was not exciting because it was a close game; it was exciting because Howe romped Windthorst 22-0 and out-gained them 359 yards to 98.  Howe’s “Black Blob” defense and their Slot-T offense under Head Coach Norman Dickey were too powerful for the Trojans.

The game can be viewed here:

Howe and Sanger tie in bi-district classic

November 27, 1942

The country was at war in the early 40’s and before the 1942 football season, the Howe Bulldogs found themselves without at head coach.  The program was about to cancel all games that season until a group of hard-headed junior and senior boys pleaded their case to Superintendent Charles R. Thompson.  Mr. Thompson told the boys that if they were serious about playing football, then he would drive the bus to and from games, but the team had to schedule their own practices and call their own plays and coach themselves.

What Mr. Thompson didn’t know was that the self-coached team would be flooded with eventual World War II heroes including Tony Brinkley and L.B. Kirby.  That coach-less team achieved an unthinkable district championship and faced Sanger in the bi-district showdown in Whitesboro.

As told by L.B. Kirby in a 1999 interview, with the game tied 12-12, Bulldogs halfback Robert Miller crossed the goal line as time expired, but the officials ruled that he was down at the one yard line.  Kirby says that the fans of Sanger were actually yelling at the officials that Howe had scored and won the game.  He recalls it to be the only time he ever remembers that the opposing team’s fans were upset that they didn’t win.

 

 

Howe edges Farmers in bi-district battle, 10-7

November 15, 1985

“Howe ‘Bout Them Dogs” was the common quote of 1985.  Howe went from a 3-2 record at mid-season to a playoff run that went three rounds deep.

This bi-district classic in Bonham was basically a 3-0 Howe win with a 21-yard third quarter Mark Wheeler field goal as the deciding points. Howe and Farmersville would each add a touchdown in the game’s final minute.  This game propelled Howe to their first deep playoff run since 1970.

Playoff Records

Howe’s overall playoff record: 9-15-3

Most playoff games in a year: 3; 1985, 1989, 1990

Most points in a game:  28 (1989 vs. Royce City; 1998 vs. Pilot Point)

Most points given up in a game:  46 (1940 vs. Lewisville)

Last time shutout by opponent: 2010 vs. New Boston (35-0)

Last shutout of opponent: 1985 vs. Grand Saline (18-0)

Most wins vs. an opponent:  All nine wins are vs. nine different opponents

Most losses vs. opponent:  Farmersville (3)

Most rushing yards in a game:  272, Clint Bray vs. Royce City, 1989

Most rushing touchdowns in a game:  4, Nathaniel Falls vs. Denton, 1998

Most passing yards in a game: 196, Clint Grogan vs. Boyd, 1998

Most passing touchdowns in a game: 3, Jay Skipworth vs. Royce City, 1989

Passing completion percentage in a game:  69.23 percent (9-13), Rick Hanning vs. Lone Oak, 1970

Longest rushing touchdown: 80 yards, Stephen Ogle vs. Pilot Point (1986)

Longest receiving touchdown: 81 yards, Heath Horton (from Clint Grogan) vs. Boyd  (1998)

Longest field goal in a playoff game: 35 yards, Steven Hawthorne vs. Electra, 1989; Charlie Komorowski vs. Farmersville, 2000

Most wins by a head coach:  4, Jim Fryar

Most losses by a head coach:  4, Jim Fryar

Most playoff games started by player:  7, Monte Walker, Jon Norwood

Most overall playoff points scored:  42, Stephen Ogle (1985, 86)

Most overall touchdowns:  7, Stephen Ogle (1985, 86)

Most overall rushing touchdowns: 7, Stephen Ogle (1985, 86)

Most overall passing touchdowns: 3, Jay Skipworth (1989)

Most overall receiving touchdowns: 2, Steven Hawthorne (1989)

Most overall PAT’s: Micah Henderson (2003)

Most overall FG’s:  1, Steven Hawthorne (1989), Monte Walker (1990), Charlie Komorowski (2000), Mark Wheeler (1985)