Ventura, CA — It didn't matter that Buena High had done its homework. With 44.6 seconds left in the game, head coach Ryan Bolland called his defense to the sideline with a strategy to stop a two-point attempt. Having been in the same situation two weeks earlier in a one-point loss to Oak Park, Bolland left nothing to chance. "The problem was that Agoura came out with a different formation," said Bolland. "That was real smart." Still smarting from four losses in its last five games by a combined 13 points, Buena adjusted on the fly and Manny Mendez stopped quarterback Ty Dieffenbach short of the end zone. Even though missing several key players, including starting quarterback Jack Chavarria to an injury, Buena survived with a 28-27 home win over Agoura on Friday night. Zane Carter completed 13 of 19 passes for 196 yards and rushed for 98 yards and one touchdown after taking over for Chavarria midway in the first quarter. Jake Murphy rushed for 161 yards and one TD for the Bulldogs (1-2). In a wild 7:07 stretch beginning late in the third quarter and extending to midway in the fourth, the two teams punched and counter punched. East's 61-yard TD catch with 1:41 left in the third quarter pulled Agoura to within 21-14. Buena responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard TD run by Carter. Seven times in the second half, Carter would rely on his legs to secure first downs. "That's the one thing I really like to do," said the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Carter, who had not thrown a pass this season entering the game, but had rushed for 71 yards on 13 carries. Most of Carter's runs were straight up the middle, collecting would-be tacklers with every step. "He's a tremendous athlete," said Bolland. "One tough kid." Looking for its best season start since the 2006 team its first five games, Agoura put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive of its own. Dieffenbach's 8-yard run with 6:34 remaining closed the deficit to 28-21. Back came Buena. Picking up four first downs in a six-play sequence, Buena found itself on the Agoura 4-yard line and facing a fourth-down decision: Kick the field goal or go for the end zone. "I want to give our kids opportunities to make plays," said Bolland. And for an agonizing couple of seconds, it appeared his decision would be rewarded. But an official ruled that the ball had hit the ground as the receiver was attempting to catch the ball. Ninety-six yards away from the end zone and 2:13 left on the clock, Agoura worked quickly. On the ninth play of the possession, Dieffenbach found Aiden Della Ripa in the end zone for a 13-yard TD. Both defenses had their moments. Agoura had two takeaways, increasing its season total to 13 in three games. With 6:32 left in the first half and the ball at its own 9-yard line, Buena held on fourth-and-two. "Because of some injuries, we had to change some of our packages to suit who we had our there," said Bolland. "We had a bunch of kids who stepped up."