For the opening moments of Friday night’s matchup between Ingram Tom Moore High School and host Bandera, it had all the makings of a spectacular offensive football showcase, but then the defenses showed up.

The visiting Warriors, coming off an opening night loss at Crystal City, showed tenacity against their old foes down Highway 173 — a team that Ingram has never beaten. Trailing 14-0 after two explosive scoring drives by Bandera, the Warriors battled back to tie the game in the first half.

Despite this marked improvement in limiting the offensive potential of the Bulldogs, Ingram couldn’t cash in on a drive in the closing seconds in a 21-17 loss to Bandera to fall to 0-2.

“We had a really good week of practice and I knew we’d play better than we did last week,” Ingram Tom Moore coach Tate DeMasco said. “We had our opportunities.”

Junior quarterback Logan Spaldling was 22-of-37 passing for 228 yards, with first-quarter touchdown passes to Cayden Reed and Hunter Cobb. However, there were numerous opportunities that the Warriors couldn’t convert.

Bandera struggled to hold onto the ball, turning the ball over deep in their own territory, but Ingram could never convert. Tied 14-14 at halftime, the Warriors took a brief lead after Christian Caranza converted a 34-yard field goal with 8:21 left in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs answered on their next drive with a punishing drive led by running back Juan Cabrera, who scored on a 1-yard run after carrying the ball six times on the drive. Cabrera finished the game with 115 rushing yards on 22 carries. Ingram’s Keaton Burroughs led the Warriors with 99 rushing yards on 28 carries.

“They came out and gave us a couple of right hooks,” DeMasco said of Bandera’s first two scoring drives. “We told them we have a lot of time left.”

Despite the close proximity between the two schools, this has been a rare matchup, with Bandera holding off Ingram last season 28-21. Ingram has lost 11 consecutive games to Bandera since 2005.