Bandera spoiled Comfort’s homecoming game with a late surge and went on to defeat the Bobcats 35-29 behind two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
The Bulldogs bump their record to 5-1 and open district play Friday at Pearsall, while Comfort slips to 2-3 overall and won’t play again until Oct. 11 when the Bobcats host Rogers to start league action.
Comfort had a fast start last Friday and took a two touchdown lead early but couldn’t maintain the momentum.
Topper Sterling put the Bobcats up 13-0 midway through the first quarter with touchdown runs of 10 and 80 yards, but Breydan Gherman gave the Bulldogs the lead by halftime.
Gherman caught a 17-yard TD pass from Dylan Peace and then Gherman ripped off a 50-yard run for another score.
Jace Knowles made both extra points and Bandera held a 14-13 lead into the break.
The Bulldogs added to their lead early in the third when Peace found Jeffry Thomas on a 17-yard pass and catch that Thomas took to the end zone and Bandera was leading 21-13, but Comfort fired back and retook the lead.
The Bobcats climbed back into it and tallied the next three scores. Gio Lopez capped a 10-play Comfort drive with a 1-yard plunge. The Cats tried for two and the run failed to make it 21-19.
Comfort went with an onside kick and recovered it near midfield. The Bobcats marched 49 yards on seven plays and went back on top at 26-21 after Jared Valadez ran straight through the defense for a 2-yard score.
On Bandera’s ensuing drive, Comfort’s Omar Rivera intercepted a Peace pass and returned it to the Bulldogs 14. The Bobcats settled for a 26-yard field goal and bumped their lead to 29-21 with 11:55 left in the contest.
However, the rest of the night belonged to the Bulldogs as they tallied the final two scores of the game. Gherman tacked on two more TD runs of 3 and 6 yards and Bandera retook the lead at 35-29 with 2:01 left.
Comfort only had the ball twice in the final quarter and committed four penalties on those two drives to put them in tough down and distances.
Comfort punted on one of the drives and then gave the ball back to Bandera after they didn’t convert on a 4th and 25 with less than a minute left.
The Bulldogs were able to run out the clock from there and secure the victory.
