Bulldogs basketball

Sophomore Ethan Lopez drives through the lane to the bucket. Photo by Loretta Anderson.

The Howe Bulldogs (7-19, 1-10) traveled to Bonham Tuesday and came up short 45-36 and lost at Whitewright on Friday night by a score of 60-51.

The Bulldogs for the season are averaging 46.35 points per game and are allowing 56.88 per game (40.55 to 55.64 in district).

Howe will celebrate senior night tonight at home to finish the season versus Blue Ridge. On Tuesday, Howe was led in scoring by freshman Austin Haley who had 13 on the night. Sophomore Luke Lopez added 10 points and senior Caiden Harmon added six. Other scorers were sophomores Ethan Lopez and Eli Wilson with two each.

On Friday, Howe was led by Haley’s 14 and Harmon’s nine. Other scorers were Cameron Lankford (8), Kolby Taylor (7), Ethan Lopez (5), Aiden Norton (5), and Luke Lopez (4).

JC Helpenstell signs with McPherson College

Howe Bulldogs linebacker J.C. Helpenstell will suit up for the McPherson College Bulldogs next fall. He officially signed his scholarship on Friday afternoon alongside his parents Scott and Jeanie Helpenstell and family. Helpenstell said after a camp visit last summer, he liked the campus and coaching staff. After another official visit, he was sold. His parents said they were excited to get to still watch him play football.

Jeremy Roberts, challenger for Grayson County Commissioner Precinct 1, makes a statement during Thursday night’s debate at the Howe Area Chamber of Commerce. Staff photo.

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each candidate to submit topics that they would like to discuss. The chamber board members then met to form eight questions from those topics. Dan Thomas of KXII-TV served as moderator of the debate and flipped a coin to determine the order of the night. Whitmire won so he was allowed to go first in the opening remarks and take the first question.

In the opening remarks, Whitmire stated that his background from 1989 through 2007 was as president of Whitmire Container Industries which eventually sold. After taking some time off, in 2011, he decided to get into government leadership and ran and has served as Grayson County Commissioner, Precinct 1 since then in 2012.

“Much of our success over the years has come from ‘we’ and not ‘me’ because I have a great group of guys that run the precinct barn,” said Whitmire. “When I first started, I made Jesse Farrer my foreman and he did a great job and Barry Cox is there now doing a great job.”

Roberts’ opening statement introduced his family including Regina Mitchell Roberts who was a graduate of Howe High School and stated that his grandfather Glenn Mitchell was superintendent of Howe ISD during the 1970s. Roberts told the audience that he is the owner of 903 Brewers and previous to that was the owner of the Roberts Group.

“We worked with small business owners and our main thing was getting them on a budget and make sure their cash flow was there to make sure they could grow their business,” said Roberts.

In 2013, the Roberts Group was sold which began his next career of 903 Brewers. Whitmire, who went first explained that oversight of the county’s $62 million budget was the most important.

“I’ve been known to rub the silver off a dime to make it go a little further,” said Whitmire on his conservative nature on budgets. “That doesn’t always suit everyone but I think it suits the taxpayers pretty well.”

In rebuttal, Roberts said being a leader was the most important role as county commissioner.

“You’re going to hear me talk a lot about our roads, our roads, our roads,” said Roberts. “Our roads are the most important part of this county.”

The next question was, “What are the greatest challenges the county faces with population growth?” Roberts went back to roads and said the county will double in population and said that the infrastructure is not ready for that growth.

“Some of these roads, we may have 100 to 200 people a day driving up and down these roads, but in the next two years, four years, six years, we’re going to see 2,000-3,000-4,000 people driving up and down these roads and we have to be prepared for that,” said Roberts.

Whitmire followed saying that roads are a big part of what the commissioner’s role is and said he monitors the growth report daily and has seen 471 new homes built in the precinct 1 rural areas over the last four years. Whitmire stated that he and the other commissioners have created a unified transportation plan in conjunction with TxDOT and the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Planning Organization.

“I personally have visited the transportation office in Austin to get more funding coming up this way so we can get (Highway) 75 built up,” said Whitmire.

wins which are the most since 2015 when Howe tallied 26. Howe won 30 games in 1968 which is the most of any Lady Bulldogs team since the beginning of the program nearly 100 years ago.

On Tuesday night, Howe was led by a monster night from sophomore Trinity Williams who totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double.

Howe, who had shutout Bonham in the first period back in January allowed one single point in the first frame Tuesday night taking a 17-1 lead into the second period. Howe then slowed things down a little in the second with mass substitutions and took a 25-6 lead into the half.

In the second half, Howe again dominated in the third period, 205 and then cruised to the 54-20 win.

Behind Williams’ 20 points was junior Sierra Copeland who 14 points and five rebounds. Other scorers were Ally Harvey (8), Cassidy Anderson (6), Molly Wilson (2), Katie Grogan (2), and Jenna Honore (2).

For the season, Howe is led by Copeland who averages 14.5

Sophomore Trinity Williams had her best game as a varsity player in the final regular season game at Bonham. Williams collected 20 points and 11 rebounds in Howe’s win. Photo by Loretta Anderson.

points per game and 10.3 rebounds. Harvey averages 9.6 points per game and 8.4 rebounds while Anderson averages 9.1 points per game.

Howe shoots 35 percent as a team from the field, 27 percent from 3point range and 59 percent from the line.

Howe’s bi-district game with Pilot Point will be played at Celina and will tip-off at 8 pm.