Breckenridge Texan

By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan

Facing a former 4A team that dropped down a classification after realignment can be a challenging for any team, but the Breckenridge Buckaroos rose to the challenge Friday night as they took on the Iowa Park Hawks.

The Bucks came away with a convincing 42-0 win over the Hawks to start off the District 3-3A portion of their schedule 1-0 and remain unbeaten at 6-0 overall.

“We are appreciative of the opportunity to come out and play, and I am proud of this group. They are a good group of kids,” Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce said on being 1-0 in district. “We got to keep it rolling. It could be a special group if they will just hold on to it. We just take it a week at a time and work it a day at a time. We got to stay healthy and, a little bit of luck, we will be OK.”

Buckaroo Alexis Franco runs with the ball in Friday night’s game against Iowa Park. Click here for more photos from the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

With both teams not getting much offense going in the first quarter and forcing punts on each team’s first two possessions, the Bucks scored their first points of the game following an 11-play 61-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Chase Lehr to Adrian Ruiz. Sawyer Wimberly connected on the PAT to put the Bucks up 7-0 with 8:39 remaining in the second quarter.

“They (Iowa Park) gave us a little bit of trouble early offensively and kind of slowed us down, but the deal is, this coaching staff is a heck of a staff,” Pearce said. “They found answers and got after their tails.”

The Buckaroo defense forced a punt by the Hawks after just three plays, which led to a quick two-play 37-yard drive that was capped off with an 18-yard touchdown run by Lehr. Wimberley’s kick was good and put the Bucks up 14-0 with 6:03 left in the second quarter. Lehr had a 19-yard pass to Jerry Lawson on the first play of the drive.

Alexis Franco recovered a fumble on the Hawks’ first play of the ensuing drive. The Bucks took over at the Hawks’ 24-yard line and drove the ball 23 yards to the Hawks’ one-yard line but were unable to get in the endzone and capitalize on the turnover.

The Hawks moved the ball in to Buckaroo territory the Bucks’ 31-yard line as time expired in the first half with the Bucks leading 14-0 at halftime.

Following a 24-yard play on the Hawks’ first play of the second half, the Buckaroo defense clamped down and forced the Hawks to punt five plays later on the first possession by either team in the third quarter.

On the ensuing possession, the Bucks quickly got the drive going with a 50-yard pass from Lehr to Ruiz on the first play of the drive.

Six plays later, Anson Rodgers found the endzone with a three-yard touchdown run to cap off the seven-play 75-yard drive. Wimberly connected on the PAT to put the Bucks up 21-0 with 7:00 left to play in the third quarter.

BHS Junior Camden Escalon runs for the goal, scoring the final touchdown in the Oct. 7 game against the Iowa Park Hawks. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Buckaroo defense forced a punt after just three plays by the Hawks on the ensuing possession.

The Bucks needed eight plays to go 61 yards and ended their next drive with a one-yard run by Lawson. Wimberly successfully kicked the PAT, making the score 28-0 with 2:49 remaining in the third quarter.

Lehr had a 30-yard pass completion to Zeke Castillo one play prior to Lawson’s touchdown run to help set up the touchdown.

Iowa Park moved the ball 31 yards to the Breckenridge 34-yard line, but the Buckaroo defense held its ground and came away with a fourth down stop after tackling the Hawk runner for a loss of two yards on fourth down and four.

The Bucks cashed in on the fourth down stop with a six-play 64-yard drive that resulted in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Lehr to Franco. Wimberley’s PAT was good, giving the Bucks a 35-0 lead with 9:40 left in the fourth quarter.

Following back-to-back punts by both teams, the Bucks scored their final points of the game on a four-yard touchdown run by Camden Escalon. Wimberley connected on the PAT to make the score 42-0 with 2:07 left in the game.

The Bucks rushed for 183 yards on 39 attempts and completed 11 of 114 passing attempts for 223 yards for a total of 406 yards.

Lawson was the leading rusher with 14 carries for 59 yards and one touchdown, while Wimberley had six carries for 44 yards and Rodgers had seven carries for 40 yards and one touchdown.

Lehr completed 10 of his 13 passing attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Lehr also rushed for 42 yards on 10 carries and had one rushing touchdown.

Ruiz led the Buckaroo receivers with three receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown, while Franco had two receptions for 56 yards and one touchdown.

The Hawks finished with 180 yards rushing and 46 yards passing for a total of 226 yards.

The Buckaroos had a solid night defensively by holding the Hawks to zero points and really clamping down when needed the most.

“These are some hard nose kids, and they play their butts off,” Pearce said of the defensive effort. “We are a different football team than we were three years ago. It’s a different breed of cats, and we have developed that. And I’m proud to be coaching them.”

The Buckaroos take on the Vernon Lions at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, in Vernon.

Vernon defeated Clyde 42-28 Friday in Clyde.

“We got to do it a week at a time. That’s all we can do,” Pearce said. “We got another hard road trip next week. We could do a lot to help ourselves out to be able to go up there and take care of our stuff. We do that and it gives us a chance. We got to do it a week at a time, but if we can get to week three playing for the driver’s seat, it’d be a heck of a deal.”

District 3-3A Results

Breck (6-0, 1-0) 42
Iowa Park (1-5, 0-1) 0

Vernon (4-2, 1-0) 42
Clyde (4-2, 0-1) 28

Jim Ned (3-3, 1-0) 48
Bowie (0-6, 0-1) 18

Oct. 14 Matchups

• Breck at Vernon
• Clyde at Jim Ned
• Iowa Park at Bowie

Buckaroo quarterback Chase Lehr makes a run for the goal in Friday night’s game in Iowa Park. Lehr ran in one touchdown and passed for two more. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Buckaroo running back Jerry Lawson leaves the Iowa Park Hawks behind as he advances the ball. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Breckenridge High School Color Guard marches onto the field Friday, Oct. 7, along with the marching band, for the halftime show in Iowa Park. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo lineman Isaiah Lehr signals the touchdown in Friday night’s 42-0 win over the Iowa Park Hawks. To see more photos from the game, click here for the Breckenridge Texan Photo Gallery. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

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