'Our kids are tough' No. 22 Bowie HS sets sights on winning football record
Editor's Note: The El Paso Times continues its high school football countdown with No. 22 Bowie. The high school regular season begins Aug. 24-25 with the first regular season games.
Outlook for 2023 season
The Bears should be back in the hunt for a playoff berth in Class 4A Division I. Bowie won't have big numbers in terms of the amount of players, but the Bears have managed to find ways to in the past to still be competitive despite that issue. If the Bears can stay healthy and receive consistent contributions from their core group on both sides of the ball, this team can have a winning regular season, and a return trip to the playoffs.
A look back at 2022
The Bears qualified for the playoffs out of District 1-4A Division I and finished the season with a 4-7 record. The Bears earned wins against Horizon, Cathedral, Irvin and San Elizario. The Bears were competitive in losses to Jefferson and Anthony.
How the offense rates
The Bears should have a solid offensive unit to lean on. Quarterback Abraham Carrasco, backs Joe Rodriguez and Alan Mota, wide receiver Antonio Ontiveros, tight end Johan Camacho and center Raul Nevarez will all play key roles.
How the defense rates
On defense, the Bears will lean on linebacker Jonathan Carreon, defensive backs Victor Orozco and Cesar Montanez, defensive lineman Diego Martinez and Kenneth Arias and defensive end Hector Duran.
What the coach is saying
"Our kids are tough," Bears coach Andy Vale said. "We have a good group of kids back from last year, who are smart and will give us everything they have. Abraham Carrasco at quarterback will be key for us, when he's healthy he's very good and he's improved. Johan Camacho as a sophomore is very good. We'll be in the playoff hunt once again."
What the players are saying
"People expect us to be a top three team in our district. I believe making the playoffs helped us with momentum into this year," Carreon said. "With this year's team, you can expect a lot of hard work and we'll be stronger than last year, we've hit the weights hard in the summer."
Said Nevarez: "The summer went well, we learned a lot about communication and we have a lot of discipline. We have a good defense, we have experience. On offense, we have younger players, but we have the potential to do some good things."
More: HS Football Countdown Where do El Paso's 32 high school football teams rank in the 2023-24 season?
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Bowie High School sets sights on winning record for 2023 season
