After narrowly losing their last game to Rio Mesa, the Bulldogs looked ahead to their rivalry game against the Ventura Cougars Friday, Oct. 7. 

As if the stakes for this intense game were not high enough because of the cross-town rivalry, the game also had a lot to do with who would advance to the playoffs. 

“This was a big game because it pretty much determined that one team was going to make the playoffs and the other team was most likely not going to,” Head Coach Ryan Bolland said. “There’s a lot of added motivation because of that.”

The Bulldogs kicked the ball off to the Cougars, and both schools’ student sections were filled with excitement as the game began.

The first quarter did not result in much scoring, both teams having exhibited their strong defenses. Despite the game starting off slow, the Bulldog fans were treated to some early excitement thanks to an interception from senior Zane Carter. This interception came at an important time as the Cougars were driving up the field with ease, and it would not be the only time in the game that Carter would make a big play.

“I think Zane is probably the best all around athlete in the county,” Bolland said. “He is so gifted athletically and is very coachable.”

Late in the first quarter, Ventura managed to post the first points on the board with a short passing touchdown, making the game 7-0 Ventura.

The second quarter was not much better for either team’s offense, as neither team was able to put points on the board. It seemed as if every drive for both teams would start promising and then be stopped by the defenses.

Halftime hit and the score remained just 7-0 with the Cougars in the lead.

Ventura kicked the ball off to start the second half and at first, it looked like more of the same for both teams as no changes were made on the scoreboard for the first nine minutes. 

Then, with six minutes left in the third quarter, Carter threw a short pass to senior Colin Guenther, who ran all the way to the endzone for a 62-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.

“I have not seen Colin play like that before,” Carter said. “He had a lot of heart put into that game and was reliable.”

This long passing play ignited the Buena crowd and brought the momentum to the Bulldogs’ side. 

The third quarter ended with that same 7-7 score and both student sections were on edge of their seats, rooting for their team to come away with the Suzanne Brown Memorial Trophy.

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Caleb Stuart

The Bulldogs' student section celebrating the game-tying touchdown

The fourth quarter brought intensity like no other, with both sides doing everything they could to pull ahead, it came down to one play. 

The game had overtime written all over it, until with less than a minute left in regulation, Buena got the ball back with good field position. They drove up the field with all their might, and with less than three seconds left, Carter positioned himself to attempt a game winning field goal.

The snap and the hold were perfect, and Carter split the uprights and brought the Bulldogs to earn their second trophy in a row, ending the game with a score of Buena 10 and the Cougars 7.

“There were definitely some nerves before the kick,” Carter said. “I had confidence though, and that’s one thing that helped me out.”