Photos by Nicole Flowers
Photos by Lisa Gherman
JV Bulldogs Versus Devine
Photos by Lisa Gherman
October 23, 2023
Bulldogs use strong fourth quarter to beat Devine for first time since 2013
By Brady Keane
BISD Assistant Football Coach
The Bandera Prophet
Despite trailing 14-0 with nine minutes to go in the second quarter of Friday night’s district game against Devine, the Bandera varsity football team never wavered.
The Bulldogs got on the board for the first time with a 1-yard touchdown run from sophomore Juan Cabrera to cut the deficit to just seven points just seconds before the half and that momentum carried into the final two quarters.
Bandera outscored Devine 24-7 in the second half and 14-0 in the fourth quarter to beat the Warhorses for the first time since 2013 in a thrilling 31-21 finish that moved the Bulldogs to 7-1 on the season and 2-0 in District 14-4A Division II.
The Bulldogs have now outscored their last three opponents (Robstown, Pearsall, and Devine) 34-0 in the fourth quarter.
“I get to say this every week,” Bandera Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Joel Fontenot-Amedee said. “Our kids believe in each other. They believe in their coaches. They believe in themselves. We have built our program around the belief that we will win the fourth quarter and if we do that, we will win more games than we lose. I cannot say enough about this team and how special this season has been so far.”
The second-half fireworks started on the opening possession of the third quarter when senior wide receiver Corben Gonzales made an impressive 16-yard reception over two Devine defenders to move the chains on 3rd and 11. Gonzales’ catch set up a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jesse Cardenas to sophomore wide receiver Jeffry Thomas, tying the game at 14-14 with 8:14 remaining in the third.
The Bulldogs’ defense forced a quick three-and-out, and a bad snap on the Devine punt attempt gave Bandera the ball back in scoring position. The Bulldogs capitalized, taking their first lead at the 3:44 mark of the third after a 24-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Maverick Short.
Devine responded with a 7-play scoring drive capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 21-17 in favor of the Warhorses with just seconds remaining in the third.
That’s when the Bulldogs flipped a switch, outscoring the Warhorses 14-0 in the final 12 minutes.
“Getting a score at the end of the half once again really gave us a lot of momentum heading into half time,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “We took some shots in the first half that did not hit. That’s always a gamble we are willing to take to score points. They did a few things that were different than we expected, and once our offensive staff was able to meet at halftime we were able to iron some of the kinks out. We knew we had a good plan, we just had to make a few adjustments. Our offensive staff made great halftime adjustments.”
The rally effort started when Gonzales made a highlight-reel worthy catch after adjusting to the football bouncing off a Devine defender’s facemask high into the air and down the field. Gonzales picked up a total of 75 yards on the play after a facemask penalty, moving the Bulldogs into scoring range and setting up a 5-yard touchdown run from Cardenas to make it 24-21 Bandera with 10:17 to go.
The Warhorses moved the ball into Bandera territory on the ensuing offensive possession, but the Bulldogs defense stood tall and forced a turnover on downs after a big tackle from linebacker Eric Straeter and defensive lineman Josh Goff.
Bandera took over on its own 32 and turned to Cabrera and the offensive line to churn some time off the clock. After a pair of punishing runs from Cabrera totaling 35 yards, Cardenas put the game out of reach with a 38-yard touchdown run to make it 31-21 with 2:32 remaining.
“It’s a mentality that they have that is special,” Fontenot-Amedee said of the backfield and offensive line group (Gavin Spruell, Roger McCrobie, Noah Sizemore, Isaiah Coloney and Logan Harman). “When we have the lead and the game is on the line, they know we are going to run the ball and find a way to put the game away. They relish the opportunity. None of them are scared, and they get excited to finish it.”
Offensively, Cardenas led the way with 167 yards passing (7-of-13, 1 TD) and 128 yards rushing (19 carries, 2 TDs). Cabrera added 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground while Gonzales had 117 yards receiving and Thomas added three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bulldogs’ coaching staff raved about the selfless effort of senior Dylan Gherman, who executed the team’s gameplan to perfection while making life difficult on the Devine offense. Gherman (8 tackles, 2 TFL, 0.5 sacks), Gavin Spruell (10 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 sacks), Daniel Freeman (7 tackles, 1.5 TFL), Jorge Cabasos (12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack), Samuel Snavely (6 tackles), Carson Powers (6 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks), Straeter (8 tackles, 0.5 TFL) and Dane Barnett (4 tackles, 1 TFL) were among the contributors defensively.
The Bandera defense has held its opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter each of the last three weeks in wins over Robstown, Pearsall and Devine.
“Our guys were so physical,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “The tape was a clinic on executing a game plan. Our kids absolutely bought in to the plan and were selfless in the execution. It was a special performance.”
The Bulldogs are now in the driver’s seat of the race for the District 14-4A Division II championship and control their own destiny with two games left in the regular season. Bandera will play YMLA at 7 p.m. Thursday night and will host Carrizo Springs in the regular season finale on Friday Nov. 3.
Bandera’s last district championship came in 2008.
“Get your 4’s up,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “It’s time to finish!
JV Bulldogs dominate Devine
The Bandera JV football team got off to a fast start and never looked back on the way to a dominant 35-0 win over Devine Thursday night.
The Bulldogs received the opening kickoff and marched down the field in eight plays, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run from freshman quarterback Dalton Parks. Freshman kicker Miguel Avalos, who went 5-for-5 on extra point attempts, then executed a perfect onside kick that was recovered by Parks, giving the Bulldogs the ball back and setting up a 49-yard touchdown pass from Parks to freshman Breydan Gherman.
The Bandera defense got back-to-back stops after a tackle on fourth and short from freshman Jaymin Klein and then a pass breakup from sophomore Beto Rodrigues. The Bulldogs got into the end zone again after a 14-play drive that was capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run from Parks to make it 21-0 at halftime.
Jaymin Klein hauled in an interception on the first play of the second half to set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Parks to Gherman, and Klein then first a fumble on the first play of the next Devine possession that was recovered by Rodrigues.
Sophomore Riley Moran scored the final touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run to make it 35-0, and the Bulldogs’ defense took care of the rest, continuing to hold Devine in check through the remainder of the second half.
Offensively, Parks finished 11-of-14 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns while adding 12 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Moran had eight carries for 26 yards and a score, Gherman had five carries for 22 yards and freshman Isaac Zamora had four carries for 11 yards. At wide receiver, Jaymin Klein had five catches for 56 yards, Jonah Klein had one catch for nine yards, Gherman had two catches for 64 yards and two scores, and Ruffin Scartocci had one catch for 37 yards.
The stout defensive effort included big-time performances from Jaymin Klein, Jonah Klein and Beto Rodrigues, among others. Bandera prevented Devine from advancing the ball inside the 20-yard line in the shutout victory.
The Bulldogs are now 7-0-1 on the season with just one game remaining after YMLA canceled this week’s JV game. Bandera will close out the JV season on Thursday, Nov. 2, on the road against Carrizo Springs.
The Bulldogs got on the board for the first time with a 1-yard touchdown run from sophomore Juan Cabrera to cut the deficit to just seven points just seconds before the half and that momentum carried into the final two quarters.
Bandera outscored Devine 24-7 in the second half and 14-0 in the fourth quarter to beat the Warhorses for the first time since 2013 in a thrilling 31-21 finish that moved the Bulldogs to 7-1 on the season and 2-0 in District 14-4A Division II.
The Bulldogs have now outscored their last three opponents (Robstown, Pearsall, and Devine) 34-0 in the fourth quarter.
“I get to say this every week,” Bandera Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Joel Fontenot-Amedee said. “Our kids believe in each other. They believe in their coaches. They believe in themselves. We have built our program around the belief that we will win the fourth quarter and if we do that, we will win more games than we lose. I cannot say enough about this team and how special this season has been so far.”
The second-half fireworks started on the opening possession of the third quarter when senior wide receiver Corben Gonzales made an impressive 16-yard reception over two Devine defenders to move the chains on 3rd and 11. Gonzales’ catch set up a 26-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jesse Cardenas to sophomore wide receiver Jeffry Thomas, tying the game at 14-14 with 8:14 remaining in the third.
The Bulldogs’ defense forced a quick three-and-out, and a bad snap on the Devine punt attempt gave Bandera the ball back in scoring position. The Bulldogs capitalized, taking their first lead at the 3:44 mark of the third after a 24-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Maverick Short.
Devine responded with a 7-play scoring drive capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 21-17 in favor of the Warhorses with just seconds remaining in the third.
That’s when the Bulldogs flipped a switch, outscoring the Warhorses 14-0 in the final 12 minutes.
“Getting a score at the end of the half once again really gave us a lot of momentum heading into half time,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “We took some shots in the first half that did not hit. That’s always a gamble we are willing to take to score points. They did a few things that were different than we expected, and once our offensive staff was able to meet at halftime we were able to iron some of the kinks out. We knew we had a good plan, we just had to make a few adjustments. Our offensive staff made great halftime adjustments.”
The rally effort started when Gonzales made a highlight-reel worthy catch after adjusting to the football bouncing off a Devine defender’s facemask high into the air and down the field. Gonzales picked up a total of 75 yards on the play after a facemask penalty, moving the Bulldogs into scoring range and setting up a 5-yard touchdown run from Cardenas to make it 24-21 Bandera with 10:17 to go.
The Warhorses moved the ball into Bandera territory on the ensuing offensive possession, but the Bulldogs defense stood tall and forced a turnover on downs after a big tackle from linebacker Eric Straeter and defensive lineman Josh Goff.
Bandera took over on its own 32 and turned to Cabrera and the offensive line to churn some time off the clock. After a pair of punishing runs from Cabrera totaling 35 yards, Cardenas put the game out of reach with a 38-yard touchdown run to make it 31-21 with 2:32 remaining.
“It’s a mentality that they have that is special,” Fontenot-Amedee said of the backfield and offensive line group (Gavin Spruell, Roger McCrobie, Noah Sizemore, Isaiah Coloney and Logan Harman). “When we have the lead and the game is on the line, they know we are going to run the ball and find a way to put the game away. They relish the opportunity. None of them are scared, and they get excited to finish it.”
Offensively, Cardenas led the way with 167 yards passing (7-of-13, 1 TD) and 128 yards rushing (19 carries, 2 TDs). Cabrera added 43 yards and a touchdown on the ground while Gonzales had 117 yards receiving and Thomas added three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bulldogs’ coaching staff raved about the selfless effort of senior Dylan Gherman, who executed the team’s gameplan to perfection while making life difficult on the Devine offense. Gherman (8 tackles, 2 TFL, 0.5 sacks), Gavin Spruell (10 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2 sacks), Daniel Freeman (7 tackles, 1.5 TFL), Jorge Cabasos (12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack), Samuel Snavely (6 tackles), Carson Powers (6 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks), Straeter (8 tackles, 0.5 TFL) and Dane Barnett (4 tackles, 1 TFL) were among the contributors defensively.
The Bandera defense has held its opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter each of the last three weeks in wins over Robstown, Pearsall and Devine.
“Our guys were so physical,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “The tape was a clinic on executing a game plan. Our kids absolutely bought in to the plan and were selfless in the execution. It was a special performance.”
The Bulldogs are now in the driver’s seat of the race for the District 14-4A Division II championship and control their own destiny with two games left in the regular season. Bandera will play YMLA at 7 p.m. Thursday night and will host Carrizo Springs in the regular season finale on Friday Nov. 3.
Bandera’s last district championship came in 2008.
“Get your 4’s up,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “It’s time to finish!
JV Bulldogs dominate Devine
The Bandera JV football team got off to a fast start and never looked back on the way to a dominant 35-0 win over Devine Thursday night.
The Bulldogs received the opening kickoff and marched down the field in eight plays, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run from freshman quarterback Dalton Parks. Freshman kicker Miguel Avalos, who went 5-for-5 on extra point attempts, then executed a perfect onside kick that was recovered by Parks, giving the Bulldogs the ball back and setting up a 49-yard touchdown pass from Parks to freshman Breydan Gherman.
The Bandera defense got back-to-back stops after a tackle on fourth and short from freshman Jaymin Klein and then a pass breakup from sophomore Beto Rodrigues. The Bulldogs got into the end zone again after a 14-play drive that was capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run from Parks to make it 21-0 at halftime.
Jaymin Klein hauled in an interception on the first play of the second half to set up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Parks to Gherman, and Klein then first a fumble on the first play of the next Devine possession that was recovered by Rodrigues.
Sophomore Riley Moran scored the final touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run to make it 35-0, and the Bulldogs’ defense took care of the rest, continuing to hold Devine in check through the remainder of the second half.
Offensively, Parks finished 11-of-14 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns while adding 12 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Moran had eight carries for 26 yards and a score, Gherman had five carries for 22 yards and freshman Isaac Zamora had four carries for 11 yards. At wide receiver, Jaymin Klein had five catches for 56 yards, Jonah Klein had one catch for nine yards, Gherman had two catches for 64 yards and two scores, and Ruffin Scartocci had one catch for 37 yards.
The stout defensive effort included big-time performances from Jaymin Klein, Jonah Klein and Beto Rodrigues, among others. Bandera prevented Devine from advancing the ball inside the 20-yard line in the shutout victory.
The Bulldogs are now 7-0-1 on the season with just one game remaining after YMLA canceled this week’s JV game. Bandera will close out the JV season on Thursday, Nov. 2, on the road against Carrizo Springs.