Category: Bulldogs Sports

Photos by Michelle Carney

PREGAME NOTES

Howe is entering game number 730 with an overall record of 371-334-24 dating back to the program’s first game in 1935.  It will be the first ever match up between Howe and Edgewood.  Howe hasn’t played in Royse City since 1992 when they lost 21-13.  Howe has not played in the new stadium that opened in 2008.

It is Howe’s 31st playoff game and the overall playoff record is 11-16-3 in 72 seasons.  Howe’s first playoff win was a controversial bi-district match up with Anna, who actually won the game on the field by a score of 7-6.  However, the Coyotes used an ineligible player and Howe was awarded the Bi-District Championship, the first in school history.

Howe’s playoff history:

Date	Howe		Opponent
12/2/1938	6	Anna Bi-District Champs*	7
12/8/1939	6	Lewisville – Bi-District (home)	32
11/28/1940	6	Lewisville – Bi-District	46
11/27/1942	12	Sanger – Bi-District	12
12/4/1945	0	Frisco – Bi District	19
11/27/1970	21	Lone Oak – Bi-District Champs	12
12/5/1970	22	Windthorst – Regional Champs	0
11/16/1984	0	Farmersville – Bi-District	17
11/15/1985	10	Farmersville – Bi-District Champs	7
11/22/1985	18	Grand Saline – Area Champs	0
11/29/1985	14	Groveton – Regional	16
11/14/1986	7	Pilot Point – Bi District	28
11/11/1988	0	Farmersville – Bi-District	34
11/17/1989	28	Royse City – Bi-District Champs	14
11/24/1989	17	Electra – Area Champs	9
12/1/1989	14	McGregor – Regional	38
11/17/1990	14	Celina – Bi-District Champs	14
11/23/1990	10	Olney – Area Champs	10
11/30/1990	0	Mart – Regional	28
11/15/1991	8	Van Alstyne – Bi-District	30
11/13/1998	28	Pilot Point – Bi District Champs	14
11/19/1998	13	Boyd – Area	28
11/18/1999	14	Pilot Point – Bi District	30
11/18/2000	17	Farmersville – Bi-District	20
11/15/2003	21	Grand Saline – Bi-District	14
11/22/2003	14	Maypearl – Area	21
11/19/2010	0	New Boston – Area	35
11/14/2014	30	Cooper – Bi-District	20
11/21/2014	50	Hughes Springs – Bi-District	32
11/28/2014	21	Waskom – Regional	71

Howe is 14-3 in their last 17 games going back to 10/17/2014 vs. Tom Bean.  Howe’s best 17-game stretch was a 16-1 run from 10/21/1938-11/23/1939.  Howe also had a 16-1 stretch from 1944-1946.  It’s the best 17 game stretch since 10/17/1997 – 9/9/1999 when the ‘Dogs went 13-4.  Howe also had a 14-3 stretch from 10/24/1969 – 9/10/1971.

With the win over Leonard, Howe moves to 9-1 on the season.  Here’s a look at the Bulldogs’ best 10-game starts in Howe history:
9-0-1, 1946 (final record)
8-0-1, 1936 (final record)
8-0-2, 1938 (then 9-0-2)
9-1, 2010 (then 9-2)
9-1, 1998 (then 10-1)
9-1, 1940 (final record)
9-1, 1939 (then 9-2)
9-1, 2015 (then ?)  

Howe allowed only 13 points to Leonard.  That moves their points per game allowed to 10.90 which ranks 19 of 72 teams.  The 10.90 is the lowest since 1991 when the Bulldogs allowed only 6.91 points per game.
Points allowed per game:

1.90, 1946
2.11, 1945
2.91, 1938
4.40, 1947
4.89, 1936
5.86, 1943
6.36, 1939
6.40, 1942
6.50, 1940
6.62, 1985
6.91, 1991
7.20, 1987
7.75, 1944
7.90, 1935
8.20, 1937
9.36, 1984
9.67, 1941
10.17, 1970
10.90, 2015

The 34 points at Leonard moves Howe’s points per game average to 35.30 which is better than any Howe team finished.

35.30, 2015 – District Champions
33.83, 1998 – District, Bi-District Champions
33.70, 1940 – District Champions
30.82, 2010 – District Champions
29.82, 1999 – playoffs
28.69, 2014 – Bi-District, Area Champions
28.46, 1989 – District, Bi-District, Area Champions
28.10, 1987
27.80, 1960
27.09, 1991 – District Champions

Howe has five shutouts so far in 2015.  The last time Howe had that many in a season was 1985.

The list of most shutouts in one season:

8, 1945
7, 1946
7, 1939
7, 1938
6, 1947
6, 1940
5, 1985
5, 2015

This season, Howe had back-to-back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1991 vs. Whitewright, Callisburg, and Tom Bean.

The list of consecutive shutout by a Howe team:

8, 1945
6, 1938
5, 1940
4, 1947
4, 1946
4, 1935-36
3, 2015 
3, 1991
3, 1979

Howe’s average margin of victory in 2015 is 24.40 which is second only to the 1940 District Champions who won by a margin of 27.20.

The list of the top 10 teams by margin of victory:

27.20, 1940 – District Champions
24.40, 2015 – District Champions 
21.30, 1946 – District Champions
20.90, 1987
20.75, 1998 – District, Bi-District Champions
20.20, 1942 – District Champions
20.18, 1991 – District Champions
17.44, 1945 – District Champions
17.00, 1938 – District, Bi-District Champions
16.45, 1939 District Champions

Zack Hudson now has 19 wins at Howe which is good for 5th all-time.  The list:

51, Norman Dickey, 1964-1975
41, Jim Fryar, 1985-1989
34, Davey DuBose, 1996-2000
29, John “Buck” Smith, 1980-1984
19, Zack Hudson, 2013-

On this day in Bulldogs history:

11/12/1937, Howe beat Collinsville, 13-7
11/12/1943, Howe and Bells tie, 0-0
11/12/1965, S&S beat Howe, 12-0
11/12/1971, Howe beat S&S, 27-12

Photos by Michelle Carney

PREGAME NOTES

Howe is 10-16 vs. Leonard since the first game on 10/20/1961 in which Leonard won, 43-0.  Leonard has outscored Howe, 495-456.  The Tigers won the first eight meetings between the two schools before Howe finally beat them in 1973.  Howe started a 7-game winning streak in 1991 which lasted until 2004.  The Bulldogs are 3-10 overall at Tiger Stadium in Leonard with the last win coming in a 28-21 win on 9/26/2003.

10/20/1961	0	at Leonard	43
10/26/1962	0	at Leonard	37
10/25/1963	0	Leonard	28
10/14/1966	8	at Leonard	23
10/13/1967	7	Leonard	27
9/27/1968	7	at Leonard	25
9/26/1969	22	Leonard	37
11/10/1972	13	at Leonard	19
11/9/1973	33	Leonard	20
9/10/1976	0	at Leonard	15
9/9/1977	21	Leonard	6
10/27/1978	28	Leonard	0
10/26/1979	23	at Leonard	24
9/7/1990	12	at Leonard	27
9/6/1991	27	Leonard	6
10/14/1994	28	Leonard	0
10/20/1995	28	at Leonard	0
11/6/1998	39	at Leonard	7
11/11/1999	34	Leonard	0
9/27/2002	23	Leonard	0
9/26/2003	28	at Leonard	21
9/24/2004	0	Leonard	10
9/23/2005	14	at Leonard	20
10/31/2008	28	at Leonard	59
10/30/2009	12	Leonard	14
11/7/2014	21	Leonard	27

Howe is 13-3 in their last 16 games going back to 10/17/2014 vs. Tom Bean.  It’s the best 16-game stretch since 10/17/1997 – 11/19/1998 when the ‘Dogs went 13-3.  Howe also had a 13-3 stretch from 10/31/1969 – 9/10/1971.  Howe also had 12-4 stretches from 9/4/1987 – 10/7/1988; and 9/24/1959 – 11/10/1960.  (Howe had numerous great 16 game stretches in the 1930s and 40s).

The Bulldogs have won 5-straight home games at Bulldog Stadium dating back to the final game of 2014 vs. Leonard.  It is the longest Bulldog Stadium winning streak for Howe since a 7-game winning streak inside the 1998 season.  The list of the longest home winning streaks:

13 games, 1988-1991
13 games, 1938-39
11 games, 1944-46
10 games, 1935-36
9 games, 1940-41
7 games, 1998
7 games, 1947-48
7 games, 1937-38
6 games, 1995-96
6 games, 1986-87
6 games, 1967-69
6 games, 1941-43
5 games, 2015
5 games, 1970-71

With the win over Whitewright, Howe moves to 8-1 on the season.  Here’s a look at the Bulldogs’ best starts in Howe history:

9-0, 1940 (then 9-1)
8-0-1, 1946 (then 9-0-1)
8-0-1, 1936 (final record)
7-0-2, 1938 (then 8-0-2)
8-1, 2010 (then 9-1)
8-1, 1998 (then 9-1)
8-1, 1939 (then 9-1)
8-1, 1945 (final record)
8-1, 1987 (then 8-2)
8-1, 1960 (then 8-2)
8-1, 2015 (then ?)

The 29 points vs. Whitewright moves Howe’s points per game average to 35.44 which is better than any Howe team finished.

35.44, 2015 – District Champions
33.83, 1998 – District, Bi-District Champions
33.70, 1940 – District Champions
30.82, 2010 – District Champions
29.82, 1999 – playoffs
28.69, 2014 – Bi-District, Area Champions
28.46, 1989 – District, Bi-District, Area Champions
28.10, 1987
27.80, 1960
27.09, 1991 – District Champions

Howe’s shutout of Whitewright moves their points per game allowed to 10.67 which ranks 19 of 72 teams.  The 10.67 is the lowest since 1991 when the Bulldogs allowed only 6.91 points per game.

The shutout of Whitewright gives Howe five so far in 2015.  The last time Howe had that many in a season was 1985.  The list of most shutouts in one season:

8, 1945
7, 1946
7, 1939
7, 1938
6, 1947
6, 1940
5, 1985
5, 2015

It was the first back-to-back-back shutout since October of 2001 when Howe blanked Anna and Tom Bean in consecutive weeks.  The last time Howe had three shutouts in a row was in 1991 vs. Whitewright, Callisburg, and Tom Bean.  The list of consecutive shutouts by a Howe team:

8, 1945
6, 1938
5, 1940
4, 1947
4, 1946
4, 1935-36
3, 2015 
3, 1991
3, 1979

Howe gave up only 66 yards of total offense to Whitewright and 45 yards of total offense to S&S. Before that, Tom Bean was held to 10 yards. Not even the defense of 1991, which held every district opponent to under 100 yards of total offense and is statistically the best since the 1940’s, had back-to-back-to-back defensive games like this.

Howe’s average margin of victory in 2015 is 24.78 which is second only to the 1940 District Champions who won by a margin of 27.20.  The list of the top 10 teams by margin of victory:

27.20, 1940 – District Champions
24.78, 2015 – District Champions
21.30, 1946 – District Champions
20.90, 1987
20.75, 1998 – District, Bi-District Champions
20.20, 1942 – District Champions
20.18, 1991 – District Champions
17.44, 1945 – District Champions
17.00, 1938 – District, Bi-District Champions
16.45, 1939 District Champions

Zack Hudson recorded his 18th win at Howe which moved in a tie for 5th all-time.  The list:

51, Norman Dickey, 1964-1975 (3 gold footballs)
41, Jim Fryar, 1985-1989 (6 gold footballs)
34, Davey DuBose, 1996-2000 (2 gold footballs)
29, John “Buck” Smith, 1980-1984 (2 gold footballs)
18, Leslie Walden, 1938-1939 (3 gold footballs)
18, Zack Hudson, 2013- (3 gold footballs)

This day in Bulldog History:
11/6/1958, Howe lost to Southmayd, 32-12
11/6/1964, Howe lost to Collinsville, 8-6
11/6/1981, Howe beat Bells, 21-0
11/6/1987, Howe lost to Tom Bean, 23-20
11/6/1992, Howe lost to Little Elm, 15-13
11/6/1998, Howe beat Leonard, 39-7
11/6/2009, Howe lost to Melissa, 31-28