Indian mistakes at the wrong time, said Lesak

    Friday night, the Indians played away against the Goliad Tigers and suffered a 39-7 loss.
    “We continue to move forward. The score doesn’t show where we’re at,” said Defensive Coordinator Johny Lesak, “The biggest thing is how hard we played; there was never any lack of fighting. We really played well overall, we just made some mistakes at the wrong time.”
    Captains for the Indians were juniors Michael-Douglas Maresh, Matt Bridges, Christian Palacios, and senior Jacob Foltyn. The Indians won the toss, opting to receive. Bridges received the ball on the kick-off, and Maresh stepped in as quarterback after the down to start the Indians’ first offensive run.
    The game started off on the right foot for the Indians; a hand-off to Foltyn brought out the first down. The run continued, but a pass intended for senior receiver Caleb Thedford was intercepted by the Goliad defense. Junior running back Matthew Sterling made the tackle just inside Indian territory. On defense, the team made up for the turnover. Junior defensive end Malcolm Chaisson sacked Goliad’s quarterback in an early play.
    In another play further down field, the Tigers fumbled the ball on a pass, and senior Dalton Service recovered the ball, giving the Indians another shot at a scoring run. The effort would be in vain, however. Runs by Sterling and fullback Palacios helped make up some ground, but the Indians were ultimately forced to punt, the line of scrimmage being brought to the Indians’ 47 yard line. Once again, the Indians were able to put a stop to the Tiger offense. Notable tackles were made by senior Bobby Garcia and Palacios. The first quarter then came to a quick close, the score still 0-0.
    The second quarter began with the Indians on defense at their own 35 yard line. The defense worked hard against the Tiger offense. Junior Michael Malek racked up a tackle, and Bridges and Palacios each added another tackle to the books. The Tigers were yet able to break through, reaching the Indian 5 yard line, bringing out first-and-goal. A short run by the Tigers scored the first touchdown of the night, and the PAT was good, the score 7-0.
    On the kick-off, Bridges received the ball and returned it to the Indian 28-yard line. He remained on the field as quarterback for the Indians’ first offensive run of the quarter. A hand-off to Foltyn helped the Indians gain some ground, but on the next play, the snap was fumbled. The Indians were able to recover the ball, bringing up the third down. It was the pass to Thedford that earned an Indian first down, making up for the earlier mistake. The Indians were able to get another first down with a hand-off to Sterling; however the run would be fruitless. The Indians couldn’t break through this time and were forced to turn the ball over. On defense, the Indians continued to be tough. Bridges had another tackle, and Thedford and senior outside linebacker Brandon Lister both made some tackles. Despite the Indians’ attempts, the Tigers were able to get the ball to the end zone. The extra-point was blocked by Service, keeping the score at 13-0, Goliad.
    Back on offense, the Indians made a valiant effort, but yet again couldn’t close the deal, as they were forced to punt the ball. The Indian defense took the field once more and excelled, making up for any lost progress. During a pass attempt by the Tigers, Thedford intercepted the ball and ran for a 40-yard touchdown. Junior Jorge Campuzano took the field for the PAT attempt, and the snap, hold, and kick, were good. The Tigers’ lead was shortened, the score now 13-7.
    On the kick-off, Goliad managed to penetrate the Indian defense, running the ball all the way to the end zone. Much to the Indians’ relief, a flag brought the Tiger offense back. Goliad lost no momentum, though, for they were still able to score anyway. The PAT was no good, ending the first half with a score of 19-7, Tigers.
    The first four minutes of the third quarter went rather slowly. The Indians started on defense, thwarting the Tigers early. The Tigers answered the call, forcing the Indians to punt the ball. Back on defense, Ganado fought hard. Despite their best efforts, the Tigers were able to score on a pass, and the PAT was good, bringing the score to 26-7 with 7:33 left in the quarter.
    On the kick-off, Foltyn received the ball and returned it to the 50-yard line. Another run by Foltyn brought out the first down on the Tiger 38-yard line. The next first down came soon after with a hand-off the Sterling. On the next run, the Indian offense was pushed back, bringing out second-and-fifteen. A short gain by Lister as fullback would help make up ground, but the Tigers managed to sack Bridges, forcing a turnover. On the kick-off the Tigers ran the ball in to the Indian 39-yard line before forced out-of-bounds by Thedford. In just a handful of plays, the Tigers were able to score against the Indians. The PAT was good, the score now at 33-7, Goliad, with 2:25 left.
    The Indians were not able to score, so the third quarter came to an end with the Indians at a 26 point disadvantage.
    The first half of the fourth quarter was the same story. Both teams were equally matched against one another. Each team’s offensive drive was ended by the other’s defense, and each were forced to turn over the ball. It was the Tiger offense that would eventually prevail, despite the tough Indian defense. The Tigers were able to score for their final time, and the PAT was no good. The score was raised to 39-7.
    Bridges received the ball on the kick-off and brought it to the 35-yard line. He would stay in as quarterback this time, and a hand-off to Sterling brought out first down. Lister then would help move forward on a short gain, but the run by senior Bobby Garcia would seal the deal with the first down on the Goliad 33-yard line. With less than two minutes left in the game, the Indians couldn’t make it back to the end zone. The clock would run out with the score 39-7, an Indian loss.
    Service said the loss was attributed more to the team’s mentality than their skill. “We just had a couple of mental busts. We played hard as always, but we just struggled making big stops and taking advantage of opportunities.”
    Next week, the Indians will face Van Vleck. “I know that they’ll be fast,” said Foltyn of their future opponent, “In order to win, we’re going to have to play hard physically, get everyone healthy this week, and really up our focus.”
    The Ganado Indians will play the Van Vleck Leopards Friday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 at home for their Homecoming.