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Game number 766 for the Howe Bulldogs.  Howe has a record of 385-356-24 since the first game on Sept. 20, 1935.

Last Week

Howe lost to Ponder, 35-21 which key mistakes in the snapping game led to opportunities for the Lions which they took advantage of. Freshman quarterback Austin Haley threw three touchdowns to become the first to Howe player to achieve that feat since Chase Fountain threw four touchdowns vs. Ponder in 2010.

Offensive Attack

Howe totaled 374 yards last week which is the most since the Bulldogs racked up 400 yards against Bonham a year ago. Haley’s 146 yards passing was the most since Chase Harvey threw for 171 against Caddo Mills in 2017.

Defensive Woes

Howe gave up 441 yards to Ponder last week which makes three games in a row Howe has allowed over 400 yards. The Bulldogs allowed 418 to Commerce and 475 to Van Alstyne to finish out 2018. Howe has allowed over 400 yards in five of the 11 games since the beginning of last season.

The Bulldogs allowed 353 rushing yards a week ago which makes eight games in a row that Howe has allowed over 238 yards rushing in a game.

Howe at S&S 2018

Howe traveled to Sadler last year and took on a depleted Ram team that started their third-string quarterback. Their sidelines resembled a crutch factory and Howe took complete advantage of the opportunities and ran wild for 338 yards rushing and 350 overall. Howe’s running back committee was led by Cameron Blesi who ran 13 times for 177 yards while his counterpart Austin Lee rushed for three touchdowns on the night.

The Bulldogs led 27-0 midway through the second quarter and then played cat and mouse with the Rams for the remainder of the game for a 41-20 win.

The 20 points scored by S&S was the most they scored on any team with 13 being the next closest (Ponder). The Rams went 0-10 a year ago which led to the resignation of Head Coach James Gage who took the offensive coordinator position at Alvin.

New Head Coach Josh Aleman

Josh Aleman was a 3-time all-district selection and honorable mention all-state pick for the Sherman Bearcats in high school.  He played offensive line for Texas Tech.  In February, he accepted the offensive coordinator position at Center High to partner with former Bells Head Coach Scott Ponder who took the head coaching position there. But in May, he was hired by S&S as the head coach and athletic director.

Howe vs. S&S History

This is the 35th meeting between Howe and S&S.  Howe leads the series, 24-10 and has dominated by outscoring the Rams, 882-407.   Howe played one game vs. Sadler before consolidation back in 1958; Howe won 32-0.

The Bulldogs won 11 in a row over the Rams from 1983-1993 and pitched six-straight shutouts from 1984-1992.  The Bulldogs set a school record 76-points on October 4, 1991. It was a 14-0 S&S shutout over Howe that ended the streak in 1996.

Since the 11-year domination by Howe, the ‘Dogs are 7-3 vs. S&S going back to 1997 which makes a run of 18-3 since 1983 and 23-5 since 1967.

Howe is 12-5 overall at Bulldog Stadium vs. S&S with the last loss coming in 2006 (30-20).  The Bulldogs have shutout S&S eight times which is the second-most of any opponent (Bells 14).

9/22/1961	28	S & S	6	1	0	0
9/14/1962	0	at S & S	16	0	1	0
9/13/1963	0	S & S	16	0	1	0
11/13/1964	19	at S & S	36	0	1	0
11/12/1965	0	S & S	12	0	1	0
11/18/1966	0	S & S	34	0	1	0
11/17/1967	27	at S & S	12	1	0	0
10/18/1968	44	S & S	6	1	0	0
10/17/1969	32	at S & S	8	1	0	0
11/13/1970	33	at S & S	14	1	0	0
11/12/1971	27	S & S	12	1	0	0
10/1/1982	0	at S & S	32	0	1	0
9/30/1983	34	S & S	19	1	0	0
9/14/1984	34	S & S	0	1	0	0
9/13/1985	17	at S & S	6	1	0	0
10/24/1986	34	at S & S	7	1	0	0
10/23/1987	42	S & S	0	1	0	0
10/21/1988	36	at S & S	0	1	0	0
10/27/1989	48	S & S	0	1	0	0
10/5/1990	27	S & S	0	1	0	0
10/4/1991	76	at S & S	0	1	0	0
10/30/1992	18	at S & S	0	1	0	0
10/29/1993	20	S & S	6	1	0	0
11/8/1996	0	S & S	14	0	1	0
11/7/1997	43	at S & S	10	1	0	0
11/10/2000	33	S & S	0	1	0	0
11/9/2001	14	at S & S	15	0	1	0
10/25/2002	20	S & S	2	1	0	0
10/24/2003	14	at S & S	13	1	0	0
11/3/2006	20	S & S	30	0	1	0
11/2/2007	24	at S & S	28	0	1	0
10/24/2014	49	at S & S	33	1	0	0
10/23/2015	28	S & S	0	1	0	0
9/7/2018	41	at S&S	20	1	0	0
9/6/2019		S&S		0	0	0
	882	0	407	24	10	0

On This Day in Bulldog History

Howe is 4-3 on games played on Sept. 6. and 4-1 on games played at Bulldog Stadium on this date.

9/6/1963 lost at Van Alstyne, 36-0

9/6/1974 beat Anna, 14-12 at Bulldog Stadium

9/6/1985 beat Coppell, 32-6 at Bulldog Stadium

9/6/1991 beat Leonard, 27-6 at Bulldog Stadium

9/6/1996 beat Whitesboro, 8-0 at Bulldog Stadium

9/6/2002 lost at Princeton, 28-23

9/6/2013 lost to Chisum at home, 44-33

LAST SEASON

The Bulldogs enter season 76 with an overall record of 385 wins, 355 losses, and 24 ties. They are coming off a 3-7 season a year ago where they started 3-0 before being blanked in district play.

RETURNING STARTERS

Offense:  Caiden Harmon, Arturo Lowder, and Jarron Ing.

Defense:  Caiden Harmon, Arturo Lowder, J.C. Helpenstell, and Steven Waldrip

HOWE VS. PONDER HISTORY

Howe is 3-2 overall against Ponder with the series beginning in 2010. Howe beat the Lions a year ago at home, 21-18 and won the previous meeting in 2015, 49-0 at home. The Dogs haven’t traveled to Ponder since 2014 when they lost, 27- 20. Overall in the five games, Howe has outscored the Lions 139- 77, which is an average win by 28-15.

HOWE BEAT PONDER 21-18 IN 2018

Howe took the 21-18 win that came down to the last play of the game, but the contest could have been much more lopsided if it weren’t for four turnovers by the Bulldogs that kept the offense off the field for the majority of the second half. Howe’s Arturo Lowder scored a pair of touchdowns while Austin Lee broke through for the first score on the season’s first drive. Calley Vick was perfect on all three PATs (point after attempts).  Howe rushed for 314 yards and passed for 17. It was the most rushing yards since the 458 Howe had in the 2016 area championship against Jefferson.

The QB

With Austin Haley getting the nod at quarterback on Friday, it marks the second time in three years that the Dogs will have a freshman opening the season at that position. In 2017, the Bulldogs went with Cirby Coheley, a transfer student who came with his father Craig who was hired as a member of the coaching staff. But the freshman experiment of 2017 lasted four games when Howe started 0-4 and Coheley finished the season on the junior varsity before eventually transferring to Iowa Park where he’s now a receiver and safety for the state semifinalists. Howe’s last quarterback to start and finish the season in that position was Brandon Wall in 2016.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Although Howe will be young with two freshmen in the backfield (quarterback Austin Haley and fullback Carson Daniels) and one on the offensive and defensive line (Matthew Bearden), this year’s team will count heavily on seniors to carry the load. Ball carriers-turned receivers Arturo Lowder and Caiden Harmon will be key contributors on offense along with Brandon Williams, a transfer from McKinney. Jarron Ing, Layton Elvington, Steven Waldrip, and J.C. Helpenstell will anchor the defense. The Dogs even have two starters on offense and defense that didn’t even play football last year in Kolbe Lappin (center, defensive tackle) and Hunter Brussow (cornerback).

PONDER COACHING CHANGE

Ponder is coming off a 2-8 year where Head Coach Rusty Ballard resigned after the season after going 14-27 in four years leading the Lions. He was replaced by his offensive coordinator Mike Bowling who held that position for three seasons at Ponder. Ponder has posted a losing record in five of its past seven seasons. Howe has had three losing seasons in a row after a stretch of 3-straight winning seasons and deep playoff runs.

MIKE BOWLING – NEW PONDER HEAD COACH

Bowling grew up in Waco, Texas and attended Waco public schools until high school where he then attended Waco Christian High.

In 1999 he came back to his Alma mater as athletic director of Waco Christian High and turned the program back around and made it to the state-semifinals from a previous 1-29 program. Later, he became athletic director at Bryan St. Joseph’s in Bryan College Station area then-athletic director/head football coach at West Rusk ISD in East Texas. He’s been an offensive coordinator at Sinton, Olney, Reicher Catholic, Ranchview and Ponder. His previous assistant stops have been at West Mesquite, Flower Mound, and Saginaw. He’s been at Ponder ISD for the last four years – three as offensive coordinator with this season his first as head coach. He’s married to Meka Bowling and they have four daughters ages 24, 23, 22, and15.

SCRIMMAGES

The Bulldogs held a final scrimmage Friday night in Plano against Dallas Shelton. With Haley ill and unable to play, the offense wasn’t as crisp as in the previous scrimmage against Valley View. Defensively, Howe has struggled to stop the big play in each scrimmage.