Buckaroos still looking for a win following 30-20 loss in Cisco

September 14

20:04 2024

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By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan

Coming off two losses to open the 2024 football season, the Breckenridge Buckaroos looked to pick up their first win of the season Friday evening in Cisco. The Buckaroos showed signs of improvement throughout the game; however, ultimately it was the Loboes who walked away with a 30-20 win over the Buckaroos.

The loss dropped the Bucks to 0-3 and still searching for their first win of the season, while Cisco improved to 2-1 with the win.

Buckaroos Christian Flores (33) and Gunnar Pearce (10) take down Loboes wide receiver Dillon Silva in Friday night’s game in Cisco. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce said the Bucks, who were down 21-7 at halftime, played better in the second half, but he stressed the importance of putting it all together for four quarters.

“We got a response in the second half when we came out and tried to play, but there’s a lot more to it than a half of football at a time,” Pearce said. “You got to get stops, you got to get the ball in the endzone. We went from first and 10 to first and 15. There’s not a lot of play calls for that. The physical part of it needs to be four quarter, not just a half.

“We got to get that straightened out. It’s very indicative of a young football team, but very indicative of some attention to detail,” the coach continued. “Three weeks in, things have got to start changing. They didn’t change like we wanted them to tonight, but I thought they fought their tails off tonight in the second half.”

One of the bright spots from Friday’s game was the Buckaroos’ ability to score their first offensive touchdown of the season and start to build some offensive consistency following a shutout in week one against Holliday and seven points coming from a kickoff return last week against Childress.

“It’s a big deal (getting the first offensive points of season),” Pearce said. “At least we can score. We need to be able to stack positive plays and sustain a drive. The biggest thing right now is staying on schedule. We can’t go from third and six, where it’s manageable, to fourth and 14. This group right now, we have to be perfect in what we do. That’s hard to do playing football. We have to get 11 dudes on the same page.”

The game’s first points weren’t scored until late in the first quarter when the Loboes capped off an 81-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Julius Proffitt to Laike Kennedy. The PAT was no good, giving the Loboes a 6-0 lead with 2:34 remaining in the first quarter.

The Buckaroos were able to put together a nine-play, 32-yard drive including an eight-yard run by Joseph Juneau on fourth down; however, the Bucks’ drive would end three plays later with a failed fourth down attempt.

Cisco answered with their second score of the game following an eight-play 63-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown run by Proffitt. Kennedy rushed in for the two-point conversion, giving the Loboes a 14-0 lead with 6:05 left in the second quarter.

Two plays into the next Buckaroo possession, Sawyer Wimberly broke free for a 60-yard touchdown run for the Bucks’ first points of the game and first offensive touchdown of the season. Wimberley connected on the PAT, making the score 14-7 with 5:21 remaining in the second quarter.

Both teams were forced to punt on their next possessions before Cisco put together a quick three-play 41-yard drive that was capped off with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Proffitt to Kennedy. Parker Williams’ PAT was good, giving the Loboes a 21-7 lead with 1:18 left in the first half.

Buckaroo quarterback Zage Gravitt hands off the ball to Sawyer Wimberly in the third game of the 2024 season. Breckenridge traveled to Cisco to take on the Loboes Friday night. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cisco opened the third quarter with an eight-play 66-yard drive that was capped off with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Proffitt to Kennedy. The PAT was good, giving the Loboes a 28-7 lead with 7:49 left in the third quarter.

The Bucks answered with a quick three-play 57-yard drive that resulted in a 47-yard touchdown pass from Zage Gravitt to Wimberley. Wimberley connected on the PAT, making the score 28-14 with 6:55 left in the third quarter.

With the Bucks starting to gain the momentum midway through the third quarter, their defense forced the Loboes to punt following a 10-play drive.

Unfortunately, the Buckaroos were unable to put a drive together and were forced to punt after just three plays.

The Loboes moved the ball 48 yards in 11 plays and used up almost six minutes of the fourth quarter clock before the Bucks stopped them on a fourth down attempt inside the one-yard line.

Pinned back in their own territory, the Loboes recorded a safety on the very first play from scrimmage, giving them a 30-14 lead with 5:20 left in the game.

Following the safety, the Buckaroos forced Cisco to punt after just three plays and were set up in prime field position as they started their next drive at the Lobo 25-yard line.

Two plays later, Gravitt found Ayden Couger for a 13-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was no good, making the score 30-20 with 2:44 left to play in the game.

Buckaroo Joseph Juneau (7) gains some yardage in Friday night’s game against the Cisco Loboes. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cisco was able to run out the remaining 2:44 of the game clock and claim the 30-20 win.

Breckenridge had 110 yards rushing and 118 yards passing for a total of 228 yards, while Cisco had 212 yards rushing and 155 yards passing for a total of 367 yards.

For the Buckaroos’ passing attack Gravitt completed 11 of 17 pass attempts for 118 yards, had two passing touchdowns and one interception.

Wimberley was the leading rusher with 89 yards on eight attempts and one touchdown. He was also the leading receiver with two receptions for 60 yards and one touchdown. Couger had two receptions for 15 yards and one touchdown.

Christian Flores and Jamie Cruz led the Buckaroos defensively with 15 tackles each. Flores had three solo tackles (two for a loss) and 12 assists, while Cruz had four solo tackles and 11 assists. Cruz also had two forced fumbles. Cameron David had 14 tackles, eight solo and six assists (one for a loss). Gunnar Pearce recorded double digit tackles, as well, with 11 total, including four tackles for a loss. Pearce had four solo tackles and seven assists.

The Buckaroos will travel to take on the Eastland Mavericks at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in Eastland.

District 3-3A Opponents Results

(Winner in bold, District opponent in italic)

Comanche (2-1) 36
Eastland (2-1) 14

Seminole (3-0) 44
Sweetwater (1-2) 7

Wall (2-1) 25
Jim Ned (1-2) 24

Shallowater (2-1) 54
Clyde (1-2) 21

Ballinger (3-0) 61
SA TLCA (0-3) 6

Sept. 20 Games

Breckenridge at Eastland
SA TLCA at Austin Hyde Park
Sweetwater at Lubbock Estacado (Lowery Field)
Comanche at Tolar
Jim Ned vs Jacksboro
Clyde vs Snyder

Buckaroo running back Sawyer Wimberley crosses the goal line after a 60-yard touchdown run Friday night at Cisco’s Chesley Field. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Breckenridge High School color guard entertained the crowd at halftime in the Buckaroo-Lobo game Friday night in Cisco. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Pride of Breckenridge – Buckaroo Marching Band were in full uniform for their halftime performance at Chesley Field on Friday night. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Breckenridge High School senior Sawyer Wimberley evades Cisco Lobo Hudson Hernandez in Friday night’s game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)