By ERIC VICCARO

sports@bowienewsonline.com

There were two big plays that helped the Bowie High School football team nab second place in District 4-3A-I.
First off, Dustin Van Wey made a nifty grab on fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter – which set up a Brandon Hutto 1-yard TD plunge two plays later.
Second, Bowie’s Logan Boyd killed a potential scoring drive for Ponder with an interception.
That helped the Jackrabbits earn a 34-20 victory over homestanding Ponder at Lion Stadium, and it gave Bowie better playoff positioning.
“It was a huge play,” Bowie head coach Dylan Stark said of Boyd’s pick. “It was third-and-long, and we knew they were going to take a shot. Logan made a play.”
Stark said Bowie dropped its safeties and cornerbacks further in coverage on the play, and the decision ultimately paid off.
Then there was that Van Wey reception.
“It was a dropback pass, with some crossing routes,” Stark said. “Dustin had to come back to the ball, and he got it done.”
With the victory, Bowie will face Merkel in the Conference 3A Division I Region I bi-district round at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Seymour ISD’s Panther Stadium.
This marks the second straight year Bowie has qualified for the postseason, the first time the Jackrabbits have punched a playoff ticket in back-to-back years since the 2000s.
And Bowie picked up second place because it defeated Ponder by 14 points. Read more, and see the complete box score and season-ending district standings, in the Nov. 9 Bowie News.

Bowie’s Brandon Hutto rushed for a pair of one-yard touchdowns in Friday’s 34-20 victory over Ponder. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)