Bison defeat Tigers, 21-14

Aaron Bell leaps for a pass from Jordan Canady. The Buffalo Bison and Centerville Tigers met in a district matchup on October 23rd, each sporting 1-1 district records and both coming off of big wins the previous week. Everyone expected an exciting game, and the contest proved to be just that. Turnovers proved to be the difference in the game, and Buffalo did not have any.

The Tigers received Rigo Andrade's opening kick and picked up one first down on Clay Hardee's quick pass to Michael Gwosdz. Saxton Sims dropped #35 for a loss to set up a CHS punt. With a bad snap, Jeremy Hammonds was punting under pressure and only got off a 20-yarder, so BHS got the ball near midfield. Aurelio Dominguez picked up first down yardage for BHS, and a penalty on the Tigers gave Buffalo an automatic first down at the Centerville 23-yard line. The Tigers' defense made the going tough, but Buffalo's Aaron Bell got the call on 4th-and-1 to score from 14 yards out. Andrade added a PAT kick and BHS was on the score- board, 7-0 at 5:53 in the first quarter.

Bison defenders team up to stop CHS’ Jonathan Cloud. Defender Dylan Ansley pulled down an interception for Buffalo to end the Tiger's next drive, and Buffalo started again at the 40-yard-line. QB Jordan Canady hit Bell for 15 yards and A.Dominguez fought hard for the next first down. The Tigers' "D" put up a wall at that point, dropped Jose Dominguez for a loss and took over on downs.

The Tigers survived a fumble, thanks to Colton Harris. Hardee connected with Gwosdz for a 35-yard gain, with Dakota Champion making the stop. The Tigers strung together five first downs before converting a 4th-and-6 situation for a touchdown on a pass from Hardee to Seth Mahaffey up the middle. A successful PAT kick by Josh wright tied the game at 7-7 with 5:05 left in the first half.

Team tackling was the trademark of the Bison defense. A short kick was fair caught by Ryan Read to start the Bison's next drive at their own 40-yard-line. A reverse launched Bell for a first down, and Canady picked up another on the keeper around the end. A flag on the Bison nullified another good run by Bell, but #11 managed to get the lost yardage back -- and then some. Bell scored his second TD with 2:10 left in the half, and Andrade added the PAT. The Tigers roared back with a big run by Jonathan Cloud and a pass interference call on the Bison moved CHS closer to the Red Zone with a minute on the clock. Hardee’s pass intended for Tyler Peterson was stolen by Dakota Champion at the 20-yard-line to end that threat, and the teams went into the locker rooms with BHS leading 14-7.

The defensive units shined early in the second half and the teams traded punts several times. Buffalo got a good drive going with first down carries by A. Dominguez and Bell, and A. Dominguez scored with 10:20 left in the quarter. Andrade added his third PAT kick and BHS led 21-7.

Centerville tried an aerial attack on the next drive, but the Bison D kept good pressure on Hardee and the Tigers had to punt from 4th-and-25. CHS soon had the ball back, and this time they were able to sustain a drive to the endzone, with Hardee getting critical yardage on a keeper. Jose Mora scored for the Tigers from one yard out with 2:12 left in the game.

The Bison needed to keep their offense on the field to protect their lead, but the CHS defenders forced a three-andout and earned the Tigers one more chance to score. Austin Courmier made a big tackle for Buffalo on the kickoff, but CHS had the ball near midfield. Hardee completed one pass to Gwosdz, but a final attempt failed and the Bison held on for the win.

Buffalo ended the game with 193 rushing yards and 28 passing. Aaron Bell led the Bison rushers with 77 yards on 9 carries and 2 TDs. Aurelio Dominguez ran for 64 yards and 1 TD, and Canady had 63 yards on 10 carries. Canady was 3/5 passing for 28 yards and no interceptions. Bell had two receptions for 19 yards and Esteban Epinoza had one reception for 9 yards. The Bison’s defensive standouts included Andrade, Daniel Vazquez and Ansley with 10 tackles each. Jacob Rodell and Read contributed 8, A. Dominguez and J. Dominguez 6 each, and Champion 5. Ansley and Champion each had an interception.

Centerville had 146 yards on the ground and 108 in the air. Hardee led the Tigers in rushing with 12 carries for 60 yards. Cloud had 46 yards in 12 carries. Gwosdz had four receptions for 52 yards and Mahaffey had 56 yards on two catches.

At the end of the emotional game, BHS Head Coach Mark Read acknowledged, “This was a tough, well-fought ball game on both sides. Centerville played well and I’m just glad we came out with the win.” Read’s youngsters improved their season record to 6-2 and they are 2-1 in district play with two games left. This week they travel to Trinity, and BHS will finish the regular season by hosting New Waverly.