· Up to the challenge?

In each of the last two seasons, Bowie has had the, for lack of a better word, misfortune of playing Lake Travis after it has upset Westlake. The Dawgs have struggled mightily to put the Westlake win behind them. In 2012, Lake Travis blanked Bowie 43-0 after the Dawgs had shocked Westlake. Last year produced another Bowie win over the Chaps. Lake Travis followed that up with a 62-6 win. This year Westlake topped Bowie 24-9. Will that help Bowie’s fortunes Friday?

· Misery loves company

Both Lake Travis and Bowie won their bi-district playoff games last year and faced second round opponents in the Bryan-College Station area. While Lake Travis waited out a weather delay in Bryan, Bowie sat through a similar storm in College Station. When play resumed, the teams met similar fates. Lake Travis dropped a 34-28 decision to Spring. Bowie dropped a 25-18 decision to Klein Oak.

· Playoffs or bust

Bowie will once again qualify for the post-season. Under Jeff Ables’ leadership, Bowie has been a playoff participant every year since 2007. The current string nine consecutive seasons comes after two seasons that saw Bowie miss out after posting 4-6 seasons in 2005 and 2006. During its current streak, Bowie has averaged eight wins per season, including 9-win campaigns in each of the last two.

· Longhorn connection

Three of Bowie’s most prominent football alumni all played at the University of Texas, though not all at the same time. Running back Victor Ike set the Austin ISD rushing record with 3,823 yards (since broken) before enrolling at Texas and eventually transferring to Southern. Twins Michael and Marcus Griffin starred on offense at Bowie before becoming starters at Texas as defensive backs. Michael, who still plays for the Tennessee Titans, made a key play in Texas’ 2006 Rose Bowl win over Southern Cal, intercepting Matt Leinert in the end zone to keep the Longhorns in the game.

· Just two

Bowie has had just two coaches in its history. Tommy Cox coached the team from its inaugural season in 1998 until 2001, when he moved over to become the AISD athletic director. He posted a 70-76-1 mark with seven playoff appearances. Jeff Ables took over and has posted a 95-59 mark with 11 playoff appearances in 14 seasons.