A slow start, frequent penalties and several called-back pass completions left the Buffalo Bison trailing the Elkhart Elks at halftime last week; the third quarter saw the team clawing their way back, but ultimately they fell short by one point, losing the game 34-35.

“I felt good going into the game,” senior Ethan Williams said. “I had high expectations of winning the game and blowing out Elkhart again.”

The Elks led the game in the first quarter with two touchdowns while the Bison only scored one. However, there were several strong passes made by senior Catch Thompson throughout the quarter.

“We’ve been preparing for this game for a while,” Thompson said. “I was hoping we were more coordinated.”

During the second quarter, the Bison struggled to score and had an interception called back after an off-sides penalty.

“I was hoping that we would win and that everyone would stay safe,” senior Addison Lathrop said. “I was wishing for another touchdown so that we could pull through.”

It wasn’t until the third quarter that Buffalo started to catch up to its opponent. Thompson threw a successful touchdown pass to junior Kyle Harrison and later completed an 11-year pass to Williams.

“A lot of thoughts were going on for the whole game,” senior Able Salazar said. “My main focus was winning.”

The final quarter had fans cheering and on their feet. The team was one touchdown away from winning the game, and it all came down to the last minute. While they fell a point short, they are hoping the lessons they learned will help them in future games.

“I am hoping to improve how we play and our attitude towards each other,” Williams said. “It will help us come out with a victory.”