HONDO, Texas — In a showdown that lived up to its billing, the Bandera Bulldogs (5-0) edged the Hondo Owls (4-1) 26-25 on Friday night, thanks to a game-sealing fourthdown stop in the final two minutes.
The stakes were high entering the matchup, with both teams undefeated and ranked in KSAT 12’s Sub-5A poll. Hondo was No. 3, while Bandera checked in at No. 8.
Bandera’s offense was balanced on the ground. Senior Juan Cabrera rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Junior Breydan Gherman added 86 yards and a receiving touchdown, opening the scoring, while senior Benton Cloudt caught a bobbling pass in the end zone for another score.
The Bulldogs’ defense also made a huge impact. Ruffin Scartocci intercepted a pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown, swinging momentum in Bandera’s favor.
Dane Barnett led the defense with 11 solo tackles, with the Klein brothers combining for 16 tackles.
Coach Fontenot-Amadee said the victory was especially significant given the long history between the programs.
“There’s a long history of games between Bandera and Hondo,” he said. “I heard pregame that we’ve played 43 times, and Bandera is behind a few in the overall matchup. Since 2019, we are 3-4 versus Hondo. This is the first time since 2009 that we have beaten them at Hondo.”
He described the contest as physical and hard-fought.
“It’s always a very physical and well-played football game. With the exception of last year, we have had some great one-to-two score games with them over the last few years. Last night’s game was a barn burner, and one of the best games I’ve been a part of as a head coach.”
On defense, the Bulldogs’ philosophy of forcing opponents to “snap it again” and avoiding big plays proved effective.
“Have as few missed tackles as possible, and we like to get off the field on 3rd down. Right now, I’ve been very impressed with how connected our guys are and the relentless effort in which we play,” Fontenot- Amadee said.
The coach credited his team’s toughness for the win.
“First of all, hats off to a very physical and tough Hondo team. They were very well coached and are very good,” he said. “We are like the story of that bulldog who just keeps getting up off the ground, scrapping and fighting. We have no quit and play extremely hard. Eventually, that old bulldog can wear some other dogs out through sheer toughness.”
The 5-0 start matches Bandera’s 4-0 start in 2023 and trails only the 6-0 start of 2019. The Bulldogs return home Friday, Oct. 4, to host Comfort at 7 p.m.
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