This Bandera Bulldog News & Photo Gallery
Are Brought To You By:
|
|
|
Download & Print
Photos by Lisa Gherman
September 25, 2023
Dramatic comeback effort falls short as Bulldogs suffer first loss in Hondo
By Brady Keane
BISD Assistant Football Coach
The Bandera Prophet
The Bandera varsity football team bounced back from a mistake-riddled first half to erase a 15-point deficit in a matter of minutes, but ultimately came up just short of completing the dramatic comeback in a 37-25 loss to Hondo Friday night.
The Bulldogs (4-1) finished with a season-high 448 yards of offense and got timely defensive stops when they needed them in the second half, but turned the ball over four times and had a poor special teams’ performance that eventually led to the team’s first loss of the season.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Bandera Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Joel Fontenot-Amedee said. “We played very poorly in the first half in spells, particularly on special teams. I was very proud of how our team played the entire second half with grit. We had chances to take the lead but ultimately came up a little short. It’s exactly what we needed. A playoff atmosphere for a non-district slugfest.”
Trailing 27-12 at the half, Bandera captured the momentum for the first time on the opening kickoff of the third quarter when sophomore kicker Maverick Short ricocheted the ball off a Hondo player, allowing junior Roman Rigelsky to recover it for the Bulldogs. Senior quarterback Jesse Cardenas connected with sophomore wide receiver Jeffry Thomas on a 41-yard touchdown pass two plays later, and Bandera made it 27-19 with 11:15 left in the third.
A quick three-and-out forced by the Bulldogs’ defense led to another scoring drive capped off by a 47-yard touchdown pass from Cardenas to senior Corben Gonzales. Bandera appeared to convert the two-point conversion but was ruled short of the goal line, and Hondo led 27-25 with 6:31 to go in the third.
The Owls extended the lead to five with a 38-yard field goal at the 3:35 mark of the third, and the Bulldogs used a long, methodical drive to move the ball back down into scoring position. But a missed field goal early in the fourth quarter and a 50-yard run from Hondo put the Owls back in the redzone, and Hondo scored the game’s final touchdown on a 28-yard pass with 10:29 left in the fourth.
“It says everything about the character of this team,” Fontenot-Amedee said of the second-half effort. “We have a special group of football players. Friday didn’t tell their story – it’s just one chapter in the book.”
In the first half, a Bandera muffed punt set up Hondo’s first touchdown with 7:29 left in the first half. The Bulldogs quickly answered with an 11-play scoring drive capped by a 7-yard touchdown run from Cardenas, but a blocked extra point kept it at 7-6 Hondo in the first.
The Owls made it 14-6 on a 45-yard touchdown pass early in the second and extended the lead to 21-6 on a 53-yard touchdown pass immediately after a Bandera interception.
The Bulldogs were able to settle down and put together a 13-play scoring drive that ended on a 2-yard touchdown run from sophomore Juan Cabrera, making it 21-12 with 3:50 left before the half. Hondo ran the ensuing kickoff back 80-yards for a touchdown, though, giving the Owls a 27-12 lead at the break.
“We just had to settle down and play one play at a time,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “We made good adjustments as a staff. We challenged them to play with everything they had for the rest of the game, and if they did, the score would take care of itself.”
Bandera’s 448 yards of offense included Cardenas throwing for 177 yards and two touchdowns and contributing 25 carries for 120 yards and a score. Cabrera had 23 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown and Gonzales had eight catches for 131 yards and a score.
Defensively, senior Jorge Cabasos had 15 tackles (two for loss), a sack and two forced fumbles. Senior Daniel Freeman had seven tackles, (two for loss) and a sack, and sophomore Dane Barnett finished with seven tackles.
The loss was the first of the season for the Bulldogs, who fell to 4-1 on the season. Bandera will look to bounce back in the team’s final non-district game of the season Friday night in Jourdanton, as the Bulldogs take on Robstown in a neutral site game.
The Cotton Pickers are sitting at 2-3 on the season with losses to Young Men’s Leadership Academy, Beeville Jones and Kingsville King. Robstown has won two straight games after knocking off Taft 36-0 and defeating Cotulla 29-27.
“Robstown is a good football team,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “I expect for us to play hard and well in all three phases. I expect to see a bunch of dawgs out there laying it on the line for their teammates – more of what you saw in the second half of last week’s game.”
JV Bulldogs stay undefeated with close win over Hondo
Freshman kick Miguel Avalos connected on a crucial 20-yard field goal with 6:43 to go in the 3rd quarter and the JV Bulldogs held on for a 24-20 win over Hondo Thursday night, marking the team’s first JV win over the Owls in more than five years.
Bandera led from start to finish after a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from freshman Breydan Gherman on the opening kickoff. The Owls quickly responded with a 58-yard touchdown pass on their first possession, but Bandera made it 14-6 with a 7-yard touchdown run from freshman quarterback Dalton Parks early in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs’ defense held Hondo in check throughout the game behind big games from Kenneth Seth, Jonah Klein and Jaymin Klein, but turnovers and untimely mistakes plagued the Bulldogs’ and kept things from getting out of hand. Gherman returned a Hondo fumble inside the redzone to set up the field goal from Avalos, and Gherman broke off a 45-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to make it 24-6.
Hondo eventually climbed back into the game with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, but Parks intercepted a pass in the final minute to secure the win for the Bulldogs.
Bandera is now 4-0-1 on the season at the JV level. The Bulldogs next contest is TBD at this time.
The Bulldogs (4-1) finished with a season-high 448 yards of offense and got timely defensive stops when they needed them in the second half, but turned the ball over four times and had a poor special teams’ performance that eventually led to the team’s first loss of the season.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Bandera Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Joel Fontenot-Amedee said. “We played very poorly in the first half in spells, particularly on special teams. I was very proud of how our team played the entire second half with grit. We had chances to take the lead but ultimately came up a little short. It’s exactly what we needed. A playoff atmosphere for a non-district slugfest.”
Trailing 27-12 at the half, Bandera captured the momentum for the first time on the opening kickoff of the third quarter when sophomore kicker Maverick Short ricocheted the ball off a Hondo player, allowing junior Roman Rigelsky to recover it for the Bulldogs. Senior quarterback Jesse Cardenas connected with sophomore wide receiver Jeffry Thomas on a 41-yard touchdown pass two plays later, and Bandera made it 27-19 with 11:15 left in the third.
A quick three-and-out forced by the Bulldogs’ defense led to another scoring drive capped off by a 47-yard touchdown pass from Cardenas to senior Corben Gonzales. Bandera appeared to convert the two-point conversion but was ruled short of the goal line, and Hondo led 27-25 with 6:31 to go in the third.
The Owls extended the lead to five with a 38-yard field goal at the 3:35 mark of the third, and the Bulldogs used a long, methodical drive to move the ball back down into scoring position. But a missed field goal early in the fourth quarter and a 50-yard run from Hondo put the Owls back in the redzone, and Hondo scored the game’s final touchdown on a 28-yard pass with 10:29 left in the fourth.
“It says everything about the character of this team,” Fontenot-Amedee said of the second-half effort. “We have a special group of football players. Friday didn’t tell their story – it’s just one chapter in the book.”
In the first half, a Bandera muffed punt set up Hondo’s first touchdown with 7:29 left in the first half. The Bulldogs quickly answered with an 11-play scoring drive capped by a 7-yard touchdown run from Cardenas, but a blocked extra point kept it at 7-6 Hondo in the first.
The Owls made it 14-6 on a 45-yard touchdown pass early in the second and extended the lead to 21-6 on a 53-yard touchdown pass immediately after a Bandera interception.
The Bulldogs were able to settle down and put together a 13-play scoring drive that ended on a 2-yard touchdown run from sophomore Juan Cabrera, making it 21-12 with 3:50 left before the half. Hondo ran the ensuing kickoff back 80-yards for a touchdown, though, giving the Owls a 27-12 lead at the break.
“We just had to settle down and play one play at a time,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “We made good adjustments as a staff. We challenged them to play with everything they had for the rest of the game, and if they did, the score would take care of itself.”
Bandera’s 448 yards of offense included Cardenas throwing for 177 yards and two touchdowns and contributing 25 carries for 120 yards and a score. Cabrera had 23 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown and Gonzales had eight catches for 131 yards and a score.
Defensively, senior Jorge Cabasos had 15 tackles (two for loss), a sack and two forced fumbles. Senior Daniel Freeman had seven tackles, (two for loss) and a sack, and sophomore Dane Barnett finished with seven tackles.
The loss was the first of the season for the Bulldogs, who fell to 4-1 on the season. Bandera will look to bounce back in the team’s final non-district game of the season Friday night in Jourdanton, as the Bulldogs take on Robstown in a neutral site game.
The Cotton Pickers are sitting at 2-3 on the season with losses to Young Men’s Leadership Academy, Beeville Jones and Kingsville King. Robstown has won two straight games after knocking off Taft 36-0 and defeating Cotulla 29-27.
“Robstown is a good football team,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “I expect for us to play hard and well in all three phases. I expect to see a bunch of dawgs out there laying it on the line for their teammates – more of what you saw in the second half of last week’s game.”
JV Bulldogs stay undefeated with close win over Hondo
Freshman kick Miguel Avalos connected on a crucial 20-yard field goal with 6:43 to go in the 3rd quarter and the JV Bulldogs held on for a 24-20 win over Hondo Thursday night, marking the team’s first JV win over the Owls in more than five years.
Bandera led from start to finish after a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from freshman Breydan Gherman on the opening kickoff. The Owls quickly responded with a 58-yard touchdown pass on their first possession, but Bandera made it 14-6 with a 7-yard touchdown run from freshman quarterback Dalton Parks early in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs’ defense held Hondo in check throughout the game behind big games from Kenneth Seth, Jonah Klein and Jaymin Klein, but turnovers and untimely mistakes plagued the Bulldogs’ and kept things from getting out of hand. Gherman returned a Hondo fumble inside the redzone to set up the field goal from Avalos, and Gherman broke off a 45-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to make it 24-6.
Hondo eventually climbed back into the game with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, but Parks intercepted a pass in the final minute to secure the win for the Bulldogs.
Bandera is now 4-0-1 on the season at the JV level. The Bulldogs next contest is TBD at this time.