Buckaroos suffer frustrating loss to Sweetwater in final home game of season
By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan
In an effort to play the spoiler for the district-leading Sweetwater Mustangs’ district title, the Buckaroos had a tale of two halves once again Friday evening at Buckaroos Stadium.
In the end it was the Mustangs who pulled away in the second half and ultimately came away with a 43-13 win over the Buckaroos in the last home game of the season for Breckenridge.
The loss dropped the Bucks varsity football team to 0-9 (0-4 in district) overall with the final game set to take place next week against San Angelo TLCA.
At the bottom of the pile is Buckaroo quarterback Joseph Juneau, who scored the first touchdown of the game Friday night against the Sweetwater Mustangs. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The win propelled the Mustangs to 4-0 in district and 6-3 overall into their district finale against the Jim Ned Indians on Nov. 8, at the Mustang Bowl in Sweetwater.
In Friday’s game against the Mustangs, Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce described the second half in one word: “Frustrating.”
“We turned the ball over in the second half, and it led to some easy (scores),” Pearce said. “Played on a short field for two of them. It’s just frustrating. People can’t call me a liar because these dudes fight and they have shown up every week.”
Prior to the game, the seniors were honored, and Pearce noted the impact that the senior football players have had on the program.
“This senior class won’t be forgotten with the way they have competed with an 0-9 record,” Pearce said. “We got some quality individuals and some good athletes. We have had an Alcatraz for the last 12 weeks.”
Trailing 15-6 at halftime, the Buckaroos were able to keep the game within reach in the first half, a big positive for the Bucks, according to Pearce.
“We have not been in games the last three weeks,” Pearce said. “If we win one of those, we got a shot. We backed ourselves in a corner by not winning the Clyde game. We knew that. Coming into the season, we had that one marked. We knew this three-week stretch was going to be rough with quality teams that are seasoned.
“This group here (Sweetwater) they are in the same boat that we are this year,” the coach continued. “They played with a bunch of freshmen a year ago, and now they are playing with some sophomores that are seasoned. It’s part of it.”
Breckenridge High School head football coach and athletic director Casey Pearce signals to the players on the field during Friday night’s game against the Sweetwater Mustangs. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Buckaroos got on the scoreboard first in Friday’s game against the Mustangs as they methodically moved the ball down the field in their opening drive. They moved the ball 51 yards in 10 plays and capped the drive off with a three-yard touchdown run by Joseph Juneau. Sawyer Wimberley’s PAT was blocked, giving the Bucks a 6-0 lead with 6:13 remaining in the first quarter.
The Mustangs answered with a 14-play 96-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown run by Uriah Aguilar-Rivera. The initial PAT was no good, but an offsides penalty gave the Mustangs an extra chance, and Korda Moore was able to run in for the two-point conversion for the Mustangs, making the score 8-6 with 2:08 left in the first quarter.
A Buckaroo punt that was blocked by the Mustangs set the Mustangs up at the Buckaroo 39-yard line; however, on the first play of the drive, Wimberley intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards to set the Bucks up at the Sweetwater 27-yard line.
The Bucks moved the ball 12 yards in six plays and ended up settling for a 32-yard field goal attempt. The field goal was blocked and returned for a touchdown by the Mustangs; however, a penalty erased the points and set the Mustangs up at the Bucks’ 35-yard line.
Sweetwater needed just four plays to reach the end zone as Moore scored on a seven-yard touchdown run. The PAT was good, giving the Mustangs a 15-6 lead with 7:12 remaining in the second quarter.
Breckenridge moved the ball 57 yards in 13 plays to and used up over six minutes of the clock; however, an interception ended the drive with just 50 seconds remaining in the half.
The Mustangs opened the second half by returning the kickoff 57 yards to the Buckaroo 37-yard line, which helped set up a short five-play drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown run by Caiden Ortiz. The PAT was good, giving the Mustangs a 22-6 lead with 10:07 left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing possession, the Buckaroos answered with a six-play 58-yard drive that resulted in a 17-yard touchdown run by Jaime Cruz. Wimberley connected on the PAT, making the score 22-13 with 7:32 remaining in the third quarter.
This would be as close as the Buckaroos would get as the Mustangs stretched their lead to 28-13 with a five-yard touchdown run by Moore following a six-play 65-yard drive at the 5:09 mark of the third quarter.
The Buckaroo defense teams up to take down the Mustangs ball carrier. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Bucks were forced to punt after just three offensive plays on their next possession, and the Mustangs capitalized on the stop by moving the ball 58 yards in six plays enroute to an eight-yard touchdown run by Rivera. Moore converted on the two-point conversion, giving the Mustangs a 36-13 lead with 1:40 remaining in the third quarter.
On the ensuing Breckenridge drive, the Bucks moved the ball 35 yards in eight plays; however, the drive resulted in no points after they were stopped on fourth down.
Sweetwater scored once again as they capped off a 72-yard drive that lasted 11 plays with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Ortiz to Darwin Blueford. The PAT was good, giving the Mustangs a 43-13 lead with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter.
The Buckaroos moved the ball 31 yards in four plays, but an interception by the Mustangs put an end to the drive.
Game Stats
The Buckaroos recorded 106 yards rushing and 162 yards passing, for a total of 268 yards. Sweetwater had 243 yards rushing and 187 yards passing, for a total of 430 yards.
Juneau completed 15-26 passing attempts for 162 yards and had three interceptions. He also rushed for 24 yards on 10 carries and had one rushing touchdown.
Jack McKay was the leading rusher for the Buckaroos with 53 yards on four carries, while Cruz had 46 yards on five carries and one touchdown and Wimberley had 26 yards on seven carries.
Wimberley was the leading receiver with five receptions, for 31 yards; Cruz had two receptions for 22 yards; and Ryan Mendoza had three receptions for 20 yards.
Christian Flores led the Buckaroos defensively with 12 tackles — four solo-one solo and eight assists. Cameron David had 11 tackles — four solo and seven assists.
The Buckaroos will close out the season against San Angelo TLCA, Friday, Nov. 8, at Lakeview Stadium in San Angelo.
District 3-3A Results
(Winners in bold)
Sweetwater (6-3, 4-0) 43
Breckenridge (0-9, 0-4) 13
Jim Ned (6-3, 3-1) 45
Clyde (4-5, 2-2) 6
Comanche (6-3, 3-1) 72
SA TLCA (0-9, 0-4) 6
Nov. 8 games
- Breckenridge at SA TLCA
- Jim Ned at Sweetwater
- Clyde at Comanche
District 3-3A Standings
(Top 4 make the playoffs)
1. Sweetwater 4-0
2. Jim Ned 3-1 (tied with Comanche)
2. Comanche 3-1 (tied with Jim Ned)
3. Clyde 2-2
4 Breckenridge 0-4 (tied with SA TLCA)
4. SA TLCA 0-4 (tied with Breckenridge)
Photo Galleries
Breckenridge Texan Publisher Tony Pilkington took a lot of photos of the pre-game and half-time activities during Friday night’s football game. Click the following links to see the photo galleries:
Buckaroo Ryan Mendoza holds off the Sweetwater defense as Jaime Cruz heads for the goal line. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Pride of Breckenridge – BHS Marching Band performed their annual light show during halftime Friday night. During the performance, the lights in the stadium are turned off and the band members’ uniforms and instruments are adorned with various lighted and glowing accessories. Click here to see more photos from the light show. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The BHS senior football players were honored before Friday night’s game during the annual Senior Night ceremony. Click here to see more photos. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
BHS marching band member Malachi Harper was honored, along with other senior band members, football players and cheerleaders, for Senior Night. He was accompanied by his family. Pictured, from left, are Rachelle Perry, Malachi Harper, Parker Perry and Codie Perry. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo wide receiver Jaime Cruz crosses the goal line for Breckenridge’s second touchdown of the night. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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