ARLINGTON — After breezing through the first 16 weeks weeks of the season, winning its first 15 games by an average margin of 36.8 points, the Stamford football team found itself in an unfamiliar spot Thursday at AT&T Stadium. 

Facing off with a similarly dominant Ganado squad for the Class 2A Division I state championship, the Bulldogs spent most of Thursday’s game playing catch-up, erasing three deficits in regulation and a fourth in overtime before eventually falling 30-28 in an instant classic.

While the outcome wasn’t the one Stamford or its sea of blue-clad fans were hoping for, the Bulldogs’ resiliency, mental toughness and clutch execution in the face of its first real game pressure of the season left many on both sides — and sidelines — at AT&T Stadium impressed by their efforts. And those same qualities had the Bulldogs’ coach, Wayne Hutchinson, calling them champions despite hoisting the runner-up trophy.