Buchanan survives Sanger in OT thriller, 35-34

Maybe the high school football game Thursday night at Tom Flores Stadium between The Bee’s No. 3-ranked Buchanan and No. 23 Sanger will turn out to be the game of the year.

Whatever happens the rest of the season, fans in attendance can say they were treated to a well-played thriller.

Buchanan scored in overtime when Josiah Perry caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Devany, then the Bears narrowly held on after Sanger coach Matt Logue decided to go for a two-point conversion.

Fresno State commit Grant Moser made a tackle at the 1-yard line, and a flag was thrown against the Apaches, giving Buchanan a 35-34 victory in the nonleague game.

“I’m known to go for it,” Logue said. “We needed 3 yards. We’ve been chunking them all game. I like the play call. It was inches away. I think if our guy dives, he probably gets in, but obviously, again, a holding call against us.

“They’re just a potent offense. We can get 3 yards to win the game against a team like that … we’re not supposed to win, or I can put their offense back on the field. I’m going to do that every time, whether people like it or not.”

Logue’s decision was consistent with the way the Apaches had played all night.

Sanger traded touchdowns with Buchanan throughout the game and even took the lead on Miguel Salazar’s 2-yard touchdown run with 11:26 remaining.

Buchanan (4-1) answered when Devany found Carvell Wafer Jr. for a 21-yard touchdown, tying the game at 28-28.

Sanger (2-3) then had a chance to win it in regulation, but Nicky Hernandez’s 23-yard field-goal attempt went wide left as time expired with 2.3 seconds remaining, sending the game into overtime.

“You go from a couple of ultimate highs to a low,” Logue said. “It’s tough.”

Buchanan coach Ross Wood breathed a sigh of relief after seeing how hard Sanger responded, especially in front of a raucous Apaches crowd.

Wood said he wasn’t surprised Logue went for the win.

“They’re a tough football team,” Wood said. “They’ve been getting 2 to 3 yards pretty consistently. I thought it was the right call from their end. At the end of the day, we have to show up. Too bad it took until overtime to do that, but we finally got the job done.”

Logue also credited Moser for his quick awareness on the two-point try, calling him a “stud in any situation.”

Moser was ready for the play. He knew he had to use his legs to reach the runner and make the tackle, but he also knew the game should serve as a wake-up call for the Bears, especially with the Tri-River Athletic Conference opener coming in two weeks.

“It was just fire off the ball and go,” Moser said. “That’s what we did. We stopped them at the 1-yard line, and that was a wrap. We won the game, but we honestly need to fix things up on defense and offense. We’re going to have more time to clean up on some things going into TRAC play.”

The Bee’s No. 2-ranked Buchanan and No. 23 Sanger met in a nonleague game on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. The Bears won 35-34 in overtime. ANTHONY GALAVIZ agalaviz@fresnobee.com The Bee’s No. 2-ranked Buchanan and No. 23 Sanger met in a nonleague game on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. The Bears won 35-34 in overtime. ANTHONY GALAVIZ agalaviz@fresnobee.com Sanger’s Bryan Valle scores a touchdown against Buchanan on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. ANTHONY GALAVIZ agalaviz@fresnobee.com Buchanan’s Josiah Perry celebrates Tommy Devany’s touchdown run on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. ANTHONY GALAVIZ agalaviz@fresnobee.com Buchanan’s Carvell Wafer Jr. scores a touchdown against Sanger on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. ANTHONY GALAVIZ agalaviz@fresnobee.com Sanger’s Miguel Salazar scores a touchdown against Buchanan on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. ANTHONY GALAVIZ agalaviz@fresnobee.com

This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 11:30 PM.

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