Breckenridge Texan

Buckaroos wrap up regular season with 50-20 win over Clyde, prepare for playoffs

Buckaroos wrap up regular season with 50-20 win over Clyde, prepare for playoffs
November 07
07:45 2022

By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan

The Breckenridge Buckaroos capped off the regular season Friday evening as they hosted the Clyde Bulldogs at Buckaroo Stadium. The Buckaroo seniors were honored prior to the start of the game, and once the game got started, several of the senior players played a crucial role as the Bucks cruised to a 50-20 win over the Bulldogs.

The Bucks finished the regular season with an 8-2 record overall, including a six-game win streak, and were 4-1 at home with their lone loss coming from the eventual District 3-3A champions Jim Ned.

The Buckaroos will be the second-place seed in district and will play the Paradise Panthers in the Bi-District round of the Class 3A playoffs. Paradise finished third in District 4-3A, behind Brock and Whitesboro. The Bi-District game will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, in Ponder. The Buckaroos will be the visiting team in the game.

Sophomore running back Sawyer Wimberley runs past Bulldog defenders after taking a hand off from quarterback Camden Escalon. Click here to see more photos. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Following Friday’s game against Clyde, head coach Casey Pearce said he was pleased with the chance to go win a playoff game.

“It was a big night for these seniors,” Pearce said. “This team is a unique team and have dealt with some things that a lot of teams don’t deal with. These coaches and players have put together practices and game plans to give us a chance. That’s all you can ask for is a chance to go and play. The big deal is we have a chance to go win a gold football. That needs to be on our priority list.

“We will see what we can do next week, because if you win the first one, you are really in the tournament,” the coach continued. “Getting in (the playoffs) is just getting in. Everyone gets a t-shirt and all that stuff, but if you win one, it makes you real. We need to see if we can’t do that. We are going to have a tough opponent. That’s a very, very good district that we are fixing to match up against. They are hungry to beat the Buckaroos. We are going to earn their respect one way or another.”

Several of the Buckaroo seniors had a great performance, but one of the many highlights of the game was senior Nando Becerra’s interception late in the fourth quarter.

“We subbed him in there because he’s taken some reps as inside linebacker over the course of the last couple weeks because (Caiden) Marin and (Zeke) Castillo had ankle injuries. We put him out there and ended up picking him one. It’s amazing whenever a kid sells out to just learn and do things the right way, focuses and practices hard. He’s smart and probably could have played corner if we asked him to. But to go from a defensive tackle to inside linebacker in a matter of three weeks is pretty impressive, and it’s fun to watch whenever kids have success like that.”

It didn’t take long for points to be put on the scoreboard as Clyde completed a 63-yard pass on the first play of the game.

Two plays later, the Bulldogs scored on an eight-yard run by Josh Hutton. The Bulldogs attempted a fake extra point but a toss from the holder was fumbled, and Buckaroo Adrian Ruiz picked up the ball and returned it to the opposite endzone for two points. Clyde would lead 6-2 just 55 seconds into the game.

Aided in part by a 27-yard kick return by Anson Rodgers on the ensuing kickoff, Jerry Lawson broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run on the Buckaroos’ first play of the game. Sawyer Wimberly connected on the PAT to give the Buckaroos a 9-6 lead with 10:45 remaining in the first quarter.

After a long drive by Clyde that ended on a fourth down attempt, the Buckaroos needed just three plays to go 90 yards and capped the drive off with a 79-yard touchdown pass from Camden Escalon to Rodgers. Wimberley’s PAT was good, giving the Bucks a 16-6 lead with 5:06 left in the first quarter.

Following a punt by Breckenridge and a failed fourth down attempt by Clyde, the Buckaroos reached the endzone once again as Escalon capped off a seven-play 84-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown run. Wimberley successfully made the PAT, giving the Bucks a 23-6 lead with 6:36 left in the second quarter.

The Buckaroo defense came away with another fourth down stop as Castillo sacked the Bulldogs’ quarterback. Nine plays and 45 yards later, the Bucks scored their final points of the first half with a one-yard touchdown run by Lawson. Wimberley’s kick was good, making the score 30-6 with 2:23 remaining in the second quarter.

Trying to gain some momentum, the Bulldogs opened the second half with an onside kick but were quickly shut down as the Buckaroo defense forced a punt after just three plays.

On the ensuing punt, Rodgers returned the punt 73 yards for a touchdown. Wimberley made the score 37-6 with 10:18 left in the third quarter with his PAT kick.

On the next Clyde possession, Rodgers intercepted a pass in the endzone for the Buckaroos, ending their drive.

Five plays later, Escalon connected with Wimberly for an 80-yard touchdown pass, capping off a 92-yard drive. Wimberley’s PAT was no good, making the score 43-6 with 4:07 left in the third quarter.

The Bulldogs moved the ball 71 yards in 14 plays on their next possession and capped the drive off with a six-yard touchdown pass from Tucker Jones to Connor Hawk. The PAT was good, making the score 43-13 with 10:55 left in the fourth quarter.

A lost fumble was the result of the next Buckaroo drive, and the Bulldogs capitalized on the first play of the ensuing drive with a 70-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Austin Hastings. The PAT was good, making the score 43-20 with 8:42 left in the game.

The Bucks scored the game’s final points of the game after capping off a five-play 22-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Alejandro Franco. Wimberley connected on the PAT to make the score 50-20 with 7:02 remaining in the game.

The next Clyde possession ended following an interception by Becerra, where the Bucks were able to run the remaining 4:19 out on the clock.

Breckenridge finished with 261 yards rushing on 36 carries and completed eight of 10 passing attempts for 204 yards.

Wimberley led the rushing attack with 10 carries for 85 yards, while Lawson finished with nine carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Rodgers had seven carries for 72 yards.

Escalon completed eight of 10 passing attempts for 204 yards and two touchdowns. Escalon also rushed for 20 yards on nine carries and had a rushing touchdown as well.

Rodgers was the leading receiver with two receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown, while Wimberley had one reception for 70 yards and a touchdown.

District 3-3A Final Standings

  1. Jim Ned
  2. Breckenridge
  3. Vernon
  4. Iowa Park

 Bi-District Playoff Pairings

Breckenridge (8-2) vs Paradise (8-2) 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 – Ponder

Jim Ned (7-3) vs Pilot Point (3-7) 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 – Dublin

Vernon (6-4) vs Whitesboro (8-1) 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 – Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls

Iowa Park (4-6) vs Brock (6-4) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 – Graham

Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery from the game.

Junior wide receiver Bryson Herring pulls away from Bulldog defenders as he heads down field during Friday night’s football game at Buckaroo Stadium. (Photo by Tony PIlkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Members of the Breckenridge High School Band perform during their Glow Out half-time show at Friday night’s Buckaroo varsity football game at Buckaroo Stadium. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Breckenridge High School seniors were honored during a ceremony before Friday night’s football game at Buckaroo Stadium. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Senior running back Anson Rodgers heads down field after taking a hand-off from quarterback Camden Escalon. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

 


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