Buckaroos shutout by Mavericks in Eastland, 14-0
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
The Breckenridge Buckaroos varsity football team will head into next week’s Homecoming game still looking for their first win of the season, following Friday night’s shutout in Eastland.
Jaime Cruz carries the ball toward the goal line in Friday night’s game in Maverick Stadium. He had 22 rushing yards on five attempts in the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
In their fourth game of the 2024 season, the Buckaroos traveled to Maverick Stadium for the Sept. 20 match. The final score was 14-0 in favor of Eastland.
After a scoreless first quarter, the first points of the game came with 3:40 left in the first half, when Eastland’s Isaac Castro ran the ball in for a touchdown. Samuel Cruz’s extra point kick was good, making the score 7-0.
The second score of the game happened in the third quarter when the Mavericks found themselves with a fourth down and nine yards to go. Quarterback Kye Herrington made a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Eddie Medina for the touchdown. Cruz’s kick was good, again, moving the score to 14-0 with less than three minutes left in the third quarter.
That was the last score of the game.
After the game, Breckenridge head football coach Casey Pearce summarized the loss: “Wasted opportunities, poor execution, too many third down conversions. Didn’t make plays. We’re not stacking anything consistently together, running a football, throwing a football. Our inconsistency is internal, and it’s going to have to get straightened out. We got 50 people invested in this team…we better get it figured out.”
Next Friday, Sept. 27, the Buckaroos will take on the Tolar High School Rattlers for the Breckenridge High School Homecoming. The game will start at 7 p.m. in Buckaroo Stadium, and the Homecoming Queen festivities will start at 6:30 p.m. on the field. Tickets will be available for purchase online; click here to purchase, when the option is available.
Game Stats
Buckaroo quarterback Zage Gravitt hands off the ball to running back Jack McKay as Breckenridge took on the Eastland Mavericks Friday night. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Breckenridge had 43 yards rushing and 158 yards passing for a total of 201 yards, while Eastland had 261 yards rushing and 34 yards passing for a total of 295 yards.
For the Buckaroos, Zage Gravitt completed 21 of 38 pass attempts for 158 yards; he threw one interception. The leading receivers were Jaime Cruz with four receptions for 37 yards and Cameron David with two catches for 33 yards. Jack McKay had two receptions for 21 yards, and Alejandro Franco had two catches for 19 yards. Ryan Mendoza and Ayden Couger each had three catches for 17 yards.
Hayden Mendoza was the leading rusher with 28 yards on four attempts, and Jaime Cruz had 22 rushing yards on five attempts with two negative rushes.
Joseph Juneau led the Buckaroos defensively with 11 tackles, including three solo tackles and eight assists (three for a loss). Erik Saucedo had 10 tackles — five solos and five assists. Christian Flores also had 10 tackles, including two solo tackles and eight assists (one for a loss).
District 3-3A Opponents Results
(Winner in bold, District opponent in italic)
Tolar (3-1) 14
Comanche (2-2) 7
Lubbock Estacado (1-3) 25
Sweetwater (2-2) 39
Jim Ned (2-2) 42
Jacksboro (3-1) 40
Clyde (2-2) 46
Snyder (1-3) 13
Austin Hyde Park (2-1) 56
SA TLCA (0-4) 6
Sept. 27 Games
- Breckenridge vs Tolar (Buckaroo Homecoming)
- SA TLCA — OPEN
- Sweetwater vs Wall
- Comanche vs Early
- Jim Ned vs Holliday
- Clyde at Muleshoe
Buckaroo running back Hayden Mendoza tries to power past the Eastland Mavericks. He was was the leading rusher with 28 yards on four attempts. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Breckenridge Buckaroos varsity football team made time for a quick prayer before Friday night’s game against Eastland in Maverick Stadium. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Pride of Breckenridge – Buckaroo Marching Band (pictured above and below) took to the field Friday night to provide halftime entertainment. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: The Buckaroos work to take down the Eastland ball carrier in Friday night’s game in Maverick Stadium. The final score was Eastland 14, Breckenridge 0. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Check out the Breckenridge Texan’s related stories:
BHS to celebrate Homecoming next week with parade, bonfire, pep rallies and more
Buckaroos still looking for a win following 30-20 loss in Cisco
Buckaroos move to 0-2 after home opener loss to Childress
Buckaroos drop football season opener to Holliday, 64-0
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, to correct the name of the Eastland kicker. The Breckenridge Texan regrets the error.
