Bandera heads into playoffs with perfect record
Editor’s Note: Nick Salas contributed to this story.
Bandera closed out its regular season in emphatic fashion Friday, defeating Carrizo Springs 38-0 to secure a 10-0 record and the program’s first unbeaten season in more than four decades.
The victory clinched the District Championship and the top playoff seed for the Bulldogs, who will now turn their attention toward the postseason.
Head Coach Joel Fontenot- Amedee said the accomplishment is meaningful, but the mindset in the locker room remains focused.
“We have a long established 24hour rule here in Bandera, America. Good, bad or ugly we give it 24 hours and then we move on,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “We will celebrate what we have accomplished when we are done accomplishing things. However historic, I don’t think there is anyone in our building who is satisfied right now. Hungry dogs gotta eat.”
Bandera’s offense controlled the tone from the opening quarter, finishing with nearly 400 yards. Quarterback Dalton Parks threw for multiple touchdowns, including a 25-yard connection with Breydan Gherman to start the scoring and a 52-yard strike to Jeffry Thomas later in the night.
Parks accounted for four total touchdowns in the win.
Thomas led the Bulldogs in receiving with 105 yards and a score, while Gherman added a rushing touchdown to go with his receiving one.
The ground game supplied more than half of Bandera’s total offense, with running back Juan Cabrera rushing for 112 yards. Fontenot-Amedee credited the work up front for the balance and efficiency.
“Offensively, we have dominated up front and have been intentional about spreading out the football amongst our skill players while making sure the big dog (Juan) eats,” he said.
Defensively, Bandera recorded a shutout and continued a season-long trend of holding opponents in check.
The Bulldogs end the regular season statistically ranked No. 3 among Class 4A defenses in Texas, allowing an average of just 11.5 points per game. The team outscored district opponents 163-28 across the slate.
“Our defense’s relentless effort and ability to stay connected in the run game are huge reasons why we were so successful defensively throughout district play,” Fontenot-Amedee said. “Our guys play extremely hard. We have caused a lot of turnovers, which has also given our offense great field position.”
With district play finished, the Bulldogs shift to what Fontenot-Amedee calls the “third season.”
“We finished our second season (district play) undefeated, now we start the third season (playoffs). We will establish stretch goals and talk about what we are playing for over the course of this week,” he said. “We have some good football players with a ton of experience in a few key positions that has paid off for us on the stretch run of district play in all three phases of the game. We have great leaders on this team who play for each other. They are so fun to coach.”
Bandera (10-0) will face Gonzales in the bi-district round at 7 p.m. Friday at Harlandale Memorial Stadium in San Antonio.
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