By ERIC VICCARO

sports@bowienewsonline.com

Late in the second quarter, the Bowie High School football team forced Littlefield to punt the ball.
The Jackrabbits were in good position to hopefully level the score before intermission in Saturday’s Conference 3A Division I Region I Area game at Mustang Bowl in Sweetwater.
However, Bowie muffed a punt – and that set Littlefield up in prime scoring position. The Wildcats took advantage as Brian Acevedo scored his second rushing TD of the half – and put them up 22-8.
Littlefield’s lead proved to be too insurmountable as the Wildcats defeated the Jackrabbits 29-20, advancing to the regional round.
“That muff punt, it was a break that got us going,” said Littlefield head coach Bryan Huseman. “In a playoff game like that, you need a break like that to help you come out on top.
“The kids hustled on that,” Huseman added. “It was a good punt. They dropped it, and we were able to cover it.”
Bowie’s season ended the same way it did a year ago, as an area runner-up with a 6-6 record.
Meanwhile, Littlefield (9-3) played Wall at 7 p.m. on Friday at Ratliff Stadium in Odessa, the stadium made famous in “Friday Night Lights.”
Bowie head coach Dylan Stark said there were other plays besides the muff punt that made any rally more difficult.
“There were four or five key plays in the game that made it tougher for us to come back,” Stark said. “I’m not going to narrow it down to one play. There were some plays they made that hurt us.”
Gabe Allen threw three interceptions, with them occurring in down-and-long distance situations. Two of those picks happened during the final moments of each half. Read more, and see complete statistics and the season-ending district standings, in the Nov. 23 Bowie News.

Bowie’s Brandon Hutto looks into the camera as he runs during a Nov. 19 Conference 3A Division I Region I Area round game at Mustang Bowl in Sweetwater. Hutto capped an outstanding career with 127 yards on 16 totes for two scores.