Indians fall to Comanches

By Hannah Janssen
    The Indians fell short of a victory against the ranked Shiner Comanches, 28-7.
    Defensive Coordinator Johny Lesak said the effort the boys gave was phenomenal, as always. “Defensively, we played as good as anyone has against Shiner; Shiner’s fast, they make big plays, and they’re going to move the ball down the field. I couldn’t have asked more from the boys.”
    Representing the Indians at the toss were seniors Brandon Lister and Jairo Martinez and juniors Cameron Lambert and Jorge Campuzano. The toss resulted in the Indians receiving the ball on the kick-off to start the game.
    Early in the game, the Comanche offense ran for touchdown, and the PAT was good. The score was then raised to 7-0, Shiner, with 9:21 remaining in the first quarter.
    On the kick-off, junior running back #22 Garrett McCann ran the ball in to Ganado’s 30 yard line. Ganado’s offense took the field with junior #7 Michael-Douglas Maresh in as quarterback. Runs and a complete pass to McCann helped gain some ground, but this offensive attempt produced the same result as the first. Service’s punt put the line of scrimmage on the Shiner 40 yard line, bringing out the Indian defense.
    The second quarter began with the Indians on defense at their own 11 yard line against the Comanches. A carry by Shiner was stopped with a tackle by Campuzano. An attempted run by Taylor was pushed back, resulting in an 8 yard loss in the Indians’ favor; however, the Comanches pulled through with another touchdown. The extra-point was good, the score now 14-0, Shiner with 10:33 to go in the first half.
    To start off the offense, McCann returned the ball, and Bridges assumed the quarterback position. The first Indian play of the quarter was a hand-off to Sterling, earning a short gain, bringing out second-and-nine. A pass to senior wide receiver #1 Caleb Thedford also helped close the gap towards that first down, but the offense fell short and was forced to punt. The Indians defense remained strong despite the Comanches’ persistent offense. Tackles by Lister, Macha, and junior #54 Michael Malek helped to hold Shiner back, but a run by Neubauer brought out first-and-goal at the Indian five yard line. Shiner made their way to the end zone and succeeded in the extra-point attempt. The score stood at 21-0.
    On the kick-off, junior fullback #28 Christian Palacios returned the ball to the 48 yard line. Maresh stood as quarterback for what was the longest Indian offensive drive of the night thus far. The run started with an incomplete pass, but a second-down pass to McCann gained some yardage. A run came to a halt when a pass by Maresh was intercepted at the 15 yard line, putting the Comanches on offense, but they would ultimately be stopped by the Indian defense. Macha, Bridges, and junior #55 Malcom Chaisson were contributors to the run. As the clock expired, the score remained 21-0, Shiner.
    The third quarter began with the Indians on defense as the Shiner Comanches received the ball on the kick-off. A powerful sack by Chaisson led to a turnover and a swap in Comanche quarterbacks due to injury. The first offensive play was stopped by McCann, bringing out Shiner’s second down. An 8 yard run by Taylor led to third-and-two at the Indian 22 yard line. A five yard run by Shiner’s back-up quarterback gave the Comanches the first down they needed, but was stopped there by sophomore Indian Dylan Glaze. A three-yard loss by Neubauer didn’t harm the Comanches’ forward progress, for they scored another touchdown with Taylor. The PAT was good, increasing Shiner’s lead to 28-0, 2:32 to go in the quarter. Maresh assumed the quarterback position again and began with two runs by McCann.
    The fourth quarter began with the Indians on defense.  In an early play, the Comanches fumbled the ball and managed to recover; however, the mistake resulted in a loss of yards, making it third-and-twelve. The Comanches couldn’t pull through on this run and were forced to punt the ball. Almost immediately, the Comanche offense fumbled the ball again, and this time, Lister was on the recovery, running the ball 42 yards for the Indians’ first and only visit to the end zone. Campuzano’s extra-point was good; the score then went to 28-7, Shiner, with 6:34 remaining in the game. Now on offense, the Comanches attempted to make runs against the Ganado, but each time they were stopped by a tribe of Indians and had to punt the ball right back. This time on offense, Maresh assumed the quarterback position once again. Aside from a long run by Sterling in the final seconds, the Indians couldn’t close the gap. The ball game came to a close with an Indian loss of 28-7.
    Macha says that despite the score, the team greatly improved since last Friday’s loss against Flatonia. “Each player gave an incredible effort compared to last week,” he says, “I think the whole team really improved their techniques on offense and defense.”
    He goes on to say that the team is going to have to continue that effort for the rest of the season, given Ganado’s next game against Refugio, formerly ranked fifth in the state, “Friday’s game is going to be tough. We’re going to need to give all of our effort and work together.”
    The Indians will face the Refugio Bobcats at home on Friday, October 23. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.