It is season number 75 for the Howe Bulldogs who started the football program officially on September 20, 1935 in Tioga. Howe did not field a team from 1949-1957 due to a lack of participants. The Bulldogs have an overall record of 382-348-24 heading into the 2018 season.
Howe has a 2-2 record versus Ponder dating back to the first game in 2010. Howe won that first matchup, 43-10 at Ponder. Howe lost in 2011, 22-6 at home. The Bulldogs also lost early in the season of 2014 in Ponder, 27-20, but bounced back in 2015 to romp the Lions 49-0 at home. Overall the Bulldogs have outscored Ponder, 118-59 in the four games.
Howe is coming off a 1-9 season from a year ago. It was the first time the ‘Dogs had only won one game since 2005. Howe has never had a winless season but won only one game in 1962, 1963, 1975, 2004, 2005, and 2017.
Bill Jehling will start his tenure as the head coach of Howe tonight. He’s 42-years-old, of San Antonio, transferred to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania where he played football and baseball at Duquesne University (BA, MA). He’s a veteran of the US Marine Corps where he served from 1997-2005 including a tour in Iraq.
Bill Jehling overall record: 8-31
2013 Cushing, 1-9
2014 Cushin, 4-6
2016 Hamshire-Fannet, 1-9
2017 Hamshire-Fannet, 2-7
2018 Howe, 0-0
Jehling replaces Zack Hudson, who went 30-28 at Howe and recently took the head coaching position at 4A Mabank. Hudson was 29-19 heading into 2017 and holds the record for most playoff games and wins in school history with eight games and five wins.
Howe has an enrollment of 341 which is barely over the cutoff of 334 for Class 3A, Division II. That makes Howe the fifth smallest 3A, Division I school in the state. Ponder checks in with an enrollment of 416 which is comparable to Pottsboro’s 424. Howe’s district mates are Bonham, Rains, Van Alstyne, Commerce, Pottsboro, and Lone Oak. Bonham is the enrollment leader with 488.
Ponder is in the same District 4-3A with Bowie, Whitesboro, Pilot Point, Brock, Boyd, and Paradise. The enrollment leader in that district is Bowie with 495.
The Lions are coached by Russell Ballard who is 12-19 since 2015 at Ponder. They’ve finished 3-7, 6-5, and 3-7 in those seasons. Prior to Ponder, Ballard was at Ranchview High School in the Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD where he was the offensive coordinator and head coach of boys track. He also taught and coached at Fort Worth ISD at North Side and Diamon Hill-Jarvis High Schools.
Ballard is a graduate of Electra High School.
Bulldog recent scoring, rushing, and passing
| BULLDOGS POINTS SCORED AND ALLOWED | ||
| YEAR | SCORED/GAME | ALLOWED/GAME |
| 2012 | 20.7 | 38.10 |
| 2013 | 11.8 | 24.20 |
| 2014 | 28.69 | 26.77 |
| 2015 | 34.17 | 14.42 |
| 2016 | 30.92 | 21.77 |
| 2017 | 13.4 | 33.80 |
| BULLDOGS RUSH VS. PASS | ||
| YEAR | RUSH/GAME | PASS/GAME |
| 2014 | 321.77 | 5.62 |
| 2015 | 361.92 | 16.00 |
| 2016 | 364.85 | 20.46 |
| 2017 | 157.4 | 83.30 |
This day in Bulldogs history – August 31
2007 – Howe beat Blue Ridge, 28-20 at Bulldog Stadium
2012 – Howe lost to Lindsay, 49-13 at Bulldog Stadium
Listen to the live broadcast for the ‘Air Segleski’
On the broadcast, you might hear a reference a few times to “Air Segleski” and you might be wondering, ‘what does that mean?’ Howe’s Defensive Coordinator is a very excitable coach and when the ‘Dogs make a great defensive play, he will often jump in the air several feet. A one-foot high jump is usually for third down turn-away or a batted ball. A two-foot high jump indicates a sack or a tackle for a loss. A three-foot jump usually is for a fumble recovery, interception, or a “snot-flopper” of a hit. Listen tonight as we hope for a 3-foot Air Segleski.
