Three of the Howe fifth and sixth-grade Bulldogs began their football journey in kindergarten. Jesse Portman, Gage Troxtell, and Mahlon Walker didn’t play very much that first year due to size and inexperience and protection from their fathers – coaches Mike Portman, Thomas Troxtell, and Monte Walker. But the three now sixth-graders are three of the six captains that have helped lead this team to an undefeated 9-0 record and seeking their third Super Bowl Championship in the last five seasons. Since 2013, these two classes have now been paired together three times and have a combined 28-0 record and in the last two seasons have outscored their opponents 552-26 heading into Saturday’s Super Bowl at Howe at 2 pm on Saturday. Seven current players on the roster are hoping for their third Super Bowl Championship in five years. Those players are sixth-graders Jacob Campbell, Cooper Jones, Rowdy Kuykendall, Jesse Portman, Gage Troxtell, Mahlon Walker and one fifth-grader – Beau Stephens. A win would be the second title for Marshall Larsen, Caden Garner, Ethan Mayo, Braden Ulmer, Parker Daniels, Ashton Trevino, Charlie Turner, Garren Lankford and Garrett Gibbs.
The first year was not a success and the second year saw some improvement. But it was the third year that the former kindergarteners were the second-graders and the older kids in the league.
“That year we had some help from some kids that were new to our team,” said Walker, who coaches the offense. “In 2012 we got Cooper Jones and the year after that we got Jacob Campbell to be our quarterback. That’s when things started to take shape and we knew we had a good team.”
Mike Portman has been the head coach since 2011 and in that third year he instituted the saying – ‘NEVER QUIT’ that they still scream today before and after each practice. In 2014, they added ‘ONE MORE’ to the opening and closing chant. He admits that it’s not easy to play football on their team. Each night is a challenge due to the running at the end of practice.
“They put in a lot of work, far more than any other team they are facing. It’s not easy and sometimes not fun,” said Portman. “But what we try and teach is that when the going gets tough, you can either fold or you can have that ‘never quit’ attitude. What they find out is that when they think they’re out of gas, they always have ‘one more’ to give. It’s tough to watch sometimes, but those lessons are important, not just for our team, but for all throughout their lives.”
With the success from previous years, the team had 31 players sign up for football this year on the fifth and sixth-grade team. Normally, the team would field approximately 17 players which made for easier applications of playing time for each kid.
“It’s really hard to try and get 31 players into a game that is only 28 minutes long and still try to win,” said Portman. “This year has obviously been the most challenging and we understand frustrations. We also have seen that some of the kids that have been inexperienced become very good football players in a quick amount of time just because of the work that they put in at practice working against the starters. We feel we have about seven non-starters that would be big-time impact players on any other team in our league. Our non-starters that the first team practices against each night are better than a lot of other teams in our league.”
‘Team’ has been the theme since day one for these Bulldogs. The coaches do not allow for their players to look differently on the field. They wear the same color socks, they don’t wear non-team color towels or anything that makes them different from anyone else. The coaches even understand that they make it hard on the parents sometimes because they try to teach the kids about the importance of being on time, making sure their shirts are tucked in before they get to the game and all of the little things that can be a nuisance to parents.
“It’s the little things are the difference between winning and losing,” said Walker. “We understand that parents are driving all over the place with multiple kids and that our kids can’t drive to practice or the game, but we still try to teach the importance of being astute.”
These kids have been taught to be a team and that it comes first before any personal glory. As a matter of fact, before each game, they pray as a team that all of their glory is for Him.
The scheming success on the field is attributed to what the coaches learned from previous Howe varsity coaches while they were players. “We don’t know how to coach pee wee football,” said Thomas Troxtell who coaches the defense. “We only know how to coach real football. We pull guards on offense and we can run base or multiple defenses.”
Troxtell and Walker were teammates and grew up in the Jim Fryar/Joey McQueen Howe Bulldog football era in the 1980s and early 90s. The play on the field is exactly the same Howe Bulldogs fans would see during those times on Friday nights.
“We run the wing-T, straight-T, and the one-back that was first introduced by Jim Fryar back in 1989,” said Walker. “We understand that we have a smart group of kids that make it possible. They sometimes don’t realize that they are running a varsity offense and a varsity defense at 10 and 11 years old. Some of these kids have better technique than we did.”
One of Howe’s biggest varsity plays from 1985-1991 is again being used and is still the biggest yard-gainer 26 years later. “Great plays are great plays. It doesn’t matter what year it is,” said Walker.
Quarterback Jacob Campbell has thrown many touchdown passes this year – mostly to receivers Cooper Jones and Rowdy Kuykendall. Howe has a plethora of skill runners such as Braden Ulmer, Marshall Larsen, Garren Lankford, Gage Troxtell, Kolin Murphy, Noah Riley, and Ashton Trevino. Offensive linemen are Caden Garner (LT), Ethan Mayo (LG), Mahlon Walker (C), Crawford Beebe (RG), and Beau Stephens (RT).
Defensively, Thomas Troxtell also has taught the 1980s ’50-reg’ defense that was instituted in Howe by former varsity defensive coordinator Billy Hill. Just as Troxtell was taught by Hill, the young team has broken the huddle since kindergarten by saying, “swarm” as a reminder that they always are swarming to the football. On defense, the linebackers are Jacob Campbell, Rowdy Kuykendall, and Beau Stephens. Cooper Jones and Braden Ulmer are the ends, while Jesse Portman, Mahlon Walker, and Marshall Larsen make up the interior. The corners are Gage Troxtell and Kolin Murphy. Garren Lankford is the free safety.
One of the reasons for this team’s success is that they’ve been running virtually the same plays and defenses for five-to-seven seasons.
The team also have a tradition of ‘spelling-it-out’ before and after games which also goes back to the 1980s. The coaches said that traditions are important and that something that reminds you of being successful is something that you always want to incorporate into your schedule.
All three coaches agreed that the bottom line of why this team is successful has four components. They are very disciplined. They are very smart. They are very talented. And they are selfless players.
“This is a special group, no doubt,” said Walker. “I learned from one of my head coaches that it’s okay to tell your players that you love them. And I take opportunities to do so. The selflessness is the greatest attribute that they possess. As long as they retain that, the sky is the limit for this group of kids.”
The coaches are requesting that the home stands be packed on Saturday afternoon for their kids’ Super Bowl Championship game at 2 pm at Bulldog Stadium against the Blue Ridge Tigers who are 8-1 with their only loss coming to Howe earlier in the season. The 3rd and 4th-grade Bulldogs are also in the Super Bowl and play at noon for a Bulldog championship doubleheader.
The 5th and 6th-grade Bulldogs will also play at Cowboys AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The 2017 Howe 5th and 6th-grade roster:
| 2 | Garren | Lankford |
| 4 | Marshal | Larsen |
| 7 | Charlie | Turner |
| 9 | Seth | Lea |
| 10 | Caden | Garner |
| 11 | Garrett | Gibbs |
| 12 | Gage | Troxtell |
| 13 | Luciano | Vazquez |
| 17 | Logan | Reese |
| 18 | Jacob | Campbell |
| 19 | Jordyn | Blaylock |
| 20 | Nathan | Thorpe |
| 21 | Eduardo | Gonzalez |
| 22 | Noah | Riley |
| 23 | Rowdy | Kuykendall |
| 24 | Cooper | Jones |
| 25 | Beau | Stephens |
| 27 | Parker | Daniels |
| 28 | Colton | Little |
| 29 | Ashton | Trevino |
| 30 | Mikey | Weimer |
| 32 | Kolin | Murphy |
| 33 | Ethan | Mayo |
| 38 | Malachi | Dailey |
| 40 | Braden | Ulmer |
| 42 | Mahlon | Walker |
| 45 | Crawford | Beebe |
| 48 | Jesse | Portman |
| 68 | Lucas | Reese |
| 80 | Zeb | Montgomery |
| 88 | Kade | Murphy |