Breckenridge Texan

By Tony Pilkington and Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

The Breckenridge Buckaroos varsity football team wrapped up pre-district play Friday night, Sept. 24, in Holliday, falling to the Eagles, 34-12. The team will have this Friday off before beginning district games on Oct. 8 at home against Clyde High School.

The Buckaroo defense stops the Holliday ball carrier in Friday night’s game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

After a scoreless first quarter, the Buckaroos were the first on the scoreboard more than halfway through the second quarter. Breckenridge High School junior Jerry Lawson ran in a touchdown with 4:58 left in the first half. After a blocked extra point kick, the score was 6-0 in favor of the Buckaroos.

Less than three minutes later, the Eagles scored, making it Holliday 7, Breckenridge 6 with 2:02 to go.

On their next possession, the Buckaroos punted on fourth down. The Eagles blocked the punt, and HHS junior Tate Mahan recovered the ball and scored. A failed extra point attempt took the score to 13-6 in favor of Holliday with 1:24 left in the second quarter.

Buckaroo Zeke Castillo put the Buckaroos back in scoring range when he made it to the 32-yard line on the kickoff return. Quarterback Chase Lehr’s pass to Adrian Ruiz resulted in another Buckaroo touchdown. Another blocked kick, put the score at Holliday 13, Breckenridge 12, going into the halftime.

Unfortunately for the Buckaroos, those were the last points they would score in the game. The Eagles scored twice in the third quarter and once in the fourth quarter, for a final score of 34-12.

“The emotion was right tonight. We made plays; we did some things right,” head coach Casey Pearce said after the game. “But, then, turn right around you shoot yourself in the foot…we can’t do that.”

The team is playing hard and doing things to improve but just isn’t doing enough, he said. “The focus has got to improve; the executions have got to improve. We’ve just got to get better,” Pearce said. “We can control ourselves and control the pieces that we have a chance to fix every day. At some point, it’s gonna happen, but it’s got to happen as soon as today.”

The Buckaroos have two weeks to prepare for their first district game, which will be against the Clyde High School Bulldogs in Buckaroo Stadium on Oct. 8. The Bulldogs are 0-5 for the season, having lost to Sweetwater, Windthorst, Cisco, Idalou and Ballinger.

Pearce said the Buckaroos will spend the next two weeks getting ready to play Clyde and focusing on improving their plan. “Our base plan is in stone; we’ve just got to improve that base plan,” he said. “So, it’s a game at a time from here on out, and every one of them counts.”

District 3-3A Results for Sept. 24

Sweetwater 42
*Clyde 21

*Jim Ned 22
Snyder 15

*Early 49
Grape Creek 0

Stanton 46
*SA TLCA 13

*Wall (Open week, no game)

* Denotes district opponent

Breckenridge’s Jerry Lawson scores the first touchdown of the game Friday night as the Buckaroo fans in the stands chanted “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Buckaroo running back Jerry Lawson charges toward the goal line in Friday night’s game against the Holliday Eagles. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)

The Pride of Breckenridge: Buckaroo Marching Band performed during halftime of the Holliday-Breckenridge varsity football game Friday night. It was Holliday’s homecoming, so their band performed after the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Breckenridge wide receiver Adrian Ruiz catches Chase Lehr’s pass after Holliday’s Hayden Strealy tipped the ball his way. It was the Buckaroos’ second score of the night. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

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