In week two of the 2025 Texas high school football season, the Ganado Indians traveled to Boling to take on the Bulldogs, looking to build on a dominant win in week one. It was certainly too close for comfort and much more stressful than they would’ve liked, but the Indians prevailed by a score of 28-27 to move to 2-0 on the season.
Ganado Head Coach Josh Ervin credited the resiliency of the group. “In the face of adversity, they kept battling and finding a way to get the stop at the end of the game was huge,” he said.
On the opening kickoff, the Bulldog returner opted to try his luck at returning the kick, but DJ Cortright knocked the ball out of his hands and gave the Indian offense the first opportunity to put points on the board.
Sophomore quarterback Landyn Arriaga and senior wide receiver Austen Pena got things going early when Arriaga hit Pena deep and set the Indians up close to the goal line. Arriaga finished the drive with a short rushing touchdown to get Ganado on the board first. However, the Bulldogs wouldn’t take long to respond with a score of their own.
Following the kick, Boling was forced into a short fourth down, but their offense was not fazed, and the running back broke away from the Indian defense for a 49yard touchdown to tie the game at 7.
Ganado’s offense took the field for its second drive of the game, and the connection between Arriaga and Pena continued to be a thorn in the side of the Bulldog secondary as another deep pass moved the Indian offense into Bulldog territory once more.
Arriaga continued to show his efficiency as a dual threat by moving the Indians into the red zone with his legs, then capping off the drive with a short touchdown pass to Cade Dixon to give Ganado the 14-7 lead.
But again, the Bulldogs were right there to answer as the running back broke away from the Indian defense and ran into the end zone from near midfield to tie it back up.
It looked to be a shootout in Boling, as both offenses were moving the ball without much difficulty. Ganado took the field for their third offensive possession, but the Boling defense was able to get a stop and force the first punt of the night.
Back on offense, the Bulldogs had the chance to take their first lead of the game. It wasn’t as easy for them as they had to fight for first downs, but eventually, the Bulldogs scored again after the quarterback found an open receiver in the end zone to make it 2114 in their favor.
Both offenses would trade possessions, but they both ended in punts, marking the second of the night for Ganado and the first for Boling. Ganado’s offense got the ball back with time winding down in the first half. Arriaga used his legs once again to move the chains and set the Indians up on Boling’s side of the field.
After finding some first downs, the Indians were set up inside the five-yard line, when Arriaga connected with Logan Bures in the end zone to tie things up at 21 in the waning seconds of the first The Bulldogs continued to move the ball efficiently, moving from deep in their own territory to inside the red zone. However, they were forced into a fourth down and opted to attempt a short field goal, which would be blocked by an Indian defender. The ball took an awkward bounce and into the hands of a Ganado player, but the ball fumbled back to the Bulldogs and gave their offense another chance to score points.
The Ganado defense began to string together momentum following the blocked kick and stopped the Bulldogs on fourth down to get the ball back to the Indian offense, who hadn’t seen much of the field up to that point.
Ganado’s offense again began to churn out tough yards, picking up several first downs and moving to Boling’s side of the field. Set up a couple of yards out from the end zone, the Indian offense looked to Bures, who took the direct snap and bounced to the outside to score the touchdown for the Indians.
With less than six minutes of game time left, the Indians held a 28-21 lead and had to find a stop to hold on, but the Bulldogs’ offense persisted.
A long pass from the Bulldog quarterback to his receiver downfield on third down flipped the field and moved them into the red zone. Not long after, the them on fourth down.
Boling took over near midfield after the two-minute warning and only needed a field goal to win the game.
Following a fourthdown conversion, the Bulldogs turned to their passing game to save as much clock as possible and set themselves up just outside the ten-yard line. There, the Bulldogs opted for the game-winning field goal attempt with one second left in the game, but fortune was on the side of the Indians as the kick attempt hit the upright.
The game ended dramatically, but Ganado held on for the 28-27 win.
Bures credited the grit of the group, especially of the defense in the second half. “We had to toughen up and get them off the field, all the way to the end,” he said.
Landyn Arriaga credited his teammates for helping him get more comfortable in the game, saying, “I’m just playing ball, having Logan and the offensive line is great because they have my back.”
