From this week’s Howe Enterprise
The Howe Bulldogs improve each time they play and were very close to winning their first game of the season on Friday night. Howe Head Coach Zack Hudson made more changes to the offense trying to find the right combination of players in positions. For the second time this season, Howe has moved an offensive lineman to the backfield. Two weeks ago, it was Mikey Hymel who made the transition from offensive guard to slot back. This time it was Chase Harvey, who made the extremely seldom move from offensive guard to quarterback. While the new signal-caller had an impressive performance and re-energized the Bulldogs, Howe (0-5) was unable to hold off the Caddo Mills Foxes’ (3-2) fourth-quarter surge to come back and shock Howe, 17-14.
Harvey completed 11 of 16 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown to cousin Ty Harvey. The Harvey-to-Harvey connection was good for three big plays and the Ty Harvey finished with six catches for 129 yards. Caddo Mills won the coin-toss and elected to receive to start the game, but quickly went three-and-out due to a great defensive stand. Howe’s first possession was impressive by moving the ball 51 yards on 11 plays and taking 4:51 off the clock, but it ended on a turnover on downs at the Caddo Mills 27 yard line after a miscommunication between the new quarterback and a new receiver. While Howe’s offense was learning on the fly, the defense was holding Caddo Mills to the minimum amount of plays.
The ‘dogs next possession took only five plays to go 42 yards which most of it came on a 36- yard pass from Harvey to Harvey. Only four plays later, Chase
Harvey sneaked in from the one yard line and Howe took the first lead of the night, 7-0 after Calley Vick’s PAT.
The Howe defense again forced a quick punt before getting the ball back at their own 25 yard line. Howe took 5:36 off the second quarter clock and went 75 yards on 10 plays. The scoring strike was again the big play of Harvey to Harvey for 31 yards. Vick’s PAT was again successful and Howe led, 14-0 with 5:36 left before the half.
Caddo Mills finally created some offensive momentum on the next series. Foxes’ running back Payton Hammond started to stretch the field by running laterally down the line and turning the corner for an average of eight yards per carry on the drive. He would eventually catch 20-yard touchdown pass from Cade Hayden to cut the Howe lead in half at 14-7 with 4:36 left in the second quarter. The 5-play, 70-yard drive gave Caddo Mills was the ignition to the Foxes offense for the evening.
Howe’s next possession ended in a punt, but the Foxes had a chance to score just before the half with 2:21 remaining. Howe’s defense came up with great plays to force a turnover on downs to end the half.
While the Bulldogs controlled the ball and clock for the most part in the first half of the game, the Foxes turned the table in the second half and Howe’s defense spent most of the time on the field in the third and fourth quarters.
The first two possessions of the second half ended in punts, before Howe put together a 9-play drive which started at their own 29 yard line. Harvey to Harvey for 37 yards gave Howe a first-and-goal from the three yard line, but a bad center-to-quarterback exchange and a tipped screen pass mistakenly ruled a lateral pushed Howe back to the 19. A sack ended the drive which appeared to be a lock for a touchdown that would have made it difficult for Caddo Mills to comeback. Instead, Howe remained ahead at 14-7.
The Foxes’ next possession was an impressive one in which they ran 11 plays and 72 yards to tie the game at 14. Caddo Mills kept the Bulldogs defense on the field for four minutes. Ty Harvey had a chance for an interception, but the ball sailed through his hands. That kept the drive alive and Hayden ran in the tying score around the left edge from the 12 yard line with 10:05 left in the third.
The game changed on the ensuing kickoff when the Foxes elected for an onside kick. The kick sailed out of bounds which would have given Howe the ball, however, the officials said they called an official timeout before the kick which meant the Foxes were allowed to kick again which they were able to recover. That gave them a short field where they only had to drive 26 yards on 10 plays to kick the go-ahead 30-yard field goal by Cullen Brown. Caddo Mills led for the first time, 17-14 with 5:08 left.
Each of the teams had to punt before Howe made a last attempt to win the game with 2:28 left in the game. Chase Harvey led the ‘dogs down the field from their own 22 yard line to near midfield. One more attempt at a big-play Harvey to Harvey connection ended in an interception with 1:20 remaining in the game.
Howe finished with 96 rushing yards and 171 passing yards. Caddo Mills had 62 passing yards and 121 rushing yards. Howe was lead by Andrew Griffin with 14 carries and 53 yards. Chase Harvey added 15 carries for 31 yards. Mikey Hymel added three catches for 27 yards.
It’s the first time Howe has been 0-5 since 2005, a season that ended with a 1-9 record. The Bulldogs get a much-needed bye week before starting district play at Pottsboro on Oct. 13.
