Buckaroos’ victory in Comanche secures playoff spot for first time since 2022
By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan
It took nearly 24 hours and two different days to complete the game, but the Breckenridge Buckaroos were victorious against the Comanche Indians, 26-22.
With the win, the Bucks have locked themselves into the Class 3A playoffs for the first time since 2022, when the Buckaroos finished the season 8-3 overall following a 47-7 loss to Paradise in the Bi-District round.
The game against Comanche was moved up to 6 p.m. Friday evening, Oct. 24, as multiple weather forecasts called for thunderstorms to develop in the evening hours.
Around 6:18 p.m. the game went into a lightning delay as thunderstorms approached the Comanche area.
The Bucks held a 12-0 lead before the delay, following a seven-play 86-yard drive to open the game.
Buckaroo Ryan Waller runs for the goal line in the first touchdown of the game in Comanche on Friday night, Oct. 24, before lightning delayed the game until Saturday. Click here to see more pictures from the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Joseph Juneau connected with Ryan Waller on a 66-yard touchdown pass to cap the drive off. The PAT by Josiah Acosta was no good, giving the Bucks a 6-0 lead with 8:06 remaining in the first quarter.
The Buckaroo defense quickly forced a punt by the Indians after just three plays and on the first play of the ensuing drive, Jaime Cruz broke free on a 52-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed, giving the Bucks a 12-0 lead with 6:20 left in the first quarter.
Two plays into the next Comanche drive and with 5:37 left in the first quarter, the game was delayed.
Around an hour later, as heavy rain poured down, the decision was made to delay the game until 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.
The Saturday afternoon game created a playoff type atmosphere that many teams across the state don’t get to take advantage of.
“It’s awesome and special,” Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce said regarding to playing in the afternoon on a Saturday. “There are not many high school teams that ever played two days in a row. We found a way to do it and got it done.”
Leading 12-0, the Buckaroos had momentum early in the game before the delay, but it took them a while to play to their potential as the game resumed Saturday.
“You never know with 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds how it’s going to be,” Pearce said on the delay and how it was going to affect the team. “But when they showed up on time, rested and ready to pack and load to come down here…what can you ask for except for them to show up and play.
“We didn’t play very good to finish the first half,” Pearce said about Saturday’s game. “But we found a way to come out and regroup and kept playing and kept chipping away on defense. That’s all you can ask for.”
On Saturday, the Indians made the score 12-3 following a 39-yard field-goal by Dallas Gillette with around nine minutes left in the second quarter.
Two plays into the ensuing Buckaroo drive, Juneau had a pass intercepted by CT Buford and returned 30 yards for a touchdown. The PAT by Gillette was good, making the score 12-10 with 8:23 remaining in the second quarter.
The next Buckaroo possession ended in a punt, however two plays into the next Comanche drive, Waller intercepted a pass to give the ball back to the Buckaroo offense at the Indian 44-yardline.
The Buckaroos couldn’t cash in on the good field position as another Juneau pass was intercepted by Buford.
The two teams traded punts in the following three minutes of the second quarter and went into halftime with the Bucks leading 12-10.
The Buckaroos forced a punt on the opening drive by the Indians, but another interception ended the drive. The interception was returned 45 yards from the five yard-line to the 50, setting Comanche up at midfield.
The Indians needed just eight plays to go 50 yards and capped the following drive off with a three-yard touchdown run by Damian Aguilar. The PAT was no good, giving Comanche a 16-12 lead with 4:58 remaining in the third quarter.
Jaime Cruz, Buckaroo running back, scored two touchdowns in the game against Comanche, one on Friday night and the other one when the game resumed on Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Breckenridge was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, and Waller ended Comanche’s next drive after he intercepted a pass from Cooper Welch.
The offensive struggles by the Buckaroos continued as they were unable to capitalize on the interception and were forced to punt after just three plays.
Four plays and 59 yards later, the Indians scored again on a one-yard touchdown run Ladainian Smith. The PAT was no good, making the score 22-12 with 10:35 left in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks’ offense moved the ball 40 yards in seven plays but came up short on a fourth down attempt that gave the ball back to Comanche’s offense.
Cooper Wimberley intercepted a pass by Welch to end the Indians’ ensuing drive.
The Bucks moved the ball 37 yards to the Comanche 11-yard line, but a fumble recovered by the Indians put an end to the drive with 4:39 remaining in the game and the Bucks still trailing 22-12.
Two plays into the next Indian drive, Wimberley came away with his second interception which led to a 16-yard touchdown run by Cruz. The PAT by Acosta was good, making the score 22-19 with 3:45 left in the game.
Feeding off the momentum swing, Buckaroo Damien Reynolds recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, giving the ball back to the offense at the Comanche 19-yard line.
The Buckaroos moved the ball to the Comanche 11-yard line, and, as the clock approached the two-minute timeout, the Buckaroo coaching staff used that time to come up with the right play call to convert the fourth down.
Unfortunately for the Buckaroos, a false start penalty backed the Bucks up to fourth and seven, and the Bucks were forced to try a 34-yard field goal.
The field goal was blocked by Comanche, and Breckenridge came up empty on the drive with 1:54 remaining in the game.
But the Buckaroo defense wasn’t finished as the Bucks forced a punt, giving the ball back to the Breckenridge offense with 1:13 left in the game.
The Buckaroo defense takes down the Comanche ball carrier during the game on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 25. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Breckenridge needed to go 47 yards in order to possibly tie or take the lead.
The Bucks picked up yards on first down as Juneau completed a 13-yard pass to Erik Saucedo.
On the next play, Juneau connected with Wimberley on a 34-yard one-handed touchdown reception. The PAT was good, giving the Bucks a 26-22 lead with 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Comanche did not score again.
“I’m just happy to get the team back in the game and, you know, excited again,” Wimberley said on his game-winning touchdown and two interceptions. “We came back at halftime fired up, and we did it as a team, pretty much.”
The fight and determination that the Buckaroos showed on the field was evident in the way they finished out the game.
“We made enough plays to get us back in it defensively,” Pearce said. “Offensively, we found a way to get in the endzone finally. After the block field goal, I didn’t know. But I’m proud of the way we played, and Cooper Wimberley is unreal. I haven’t seen that in a long time.”
Game Stats
The Buckaroos finished with 191 yards rushing and 187 yards passing for a total of 378 yards.
Joseph Juneau completed 13 of 25 passing attempts for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 22 yards on four carries.
Ryan Waller was the leading receiver with two receptions for 73 yards, while Cooper Wimberley had four receptions for 64 yards.
Jaime Cruz was the leading rusher with 26 carries for 156 yards.
Looking forward
The Buckaroos now turn their attention to the Sweetwater Mustangs, who were defeated by the Clyde Bulldogs 27-20, Friday in Clyde.
The Buckaroos will have their work cut out for them as they will need to win on the road in Sweetwater at the Mustang Bowl in order to help with their district playoff seed.
“Now we are playing for a gold football,” Pearce said. “The work we put in the next two weeks is going to be big, and it could change the way we seed this thing out. We need to go win on the road again. We need to prove we can win on the road. We go into the playoffs and you’re going to be on the road.”
The last time the Buckaroos defeated the Mustangs dates back to 1979, according to lonestarfootball.net historical data. The Bucks won that game 40-7.
Breckenridge has played Sweetwater the past two seasons in district play, while playing them regularly as a non-district opponent from 2012-2015. The last time Breckenridge and Sweetwater were in the same district was during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery from the game.
District 3-3A Results
Jim Ned (7-1, 3-0) 50
SA TLCA (0-8, 0-3) 0
Clyde (7-1, 3-0) 27
Sweetwater (3-5, 2-1) 20
Breckenridge (3-5, 1-2) 26
Comanche (3-5, 0-3) 22
Oct. 31 Games
- Jim Ned at Clyde
- Comanche at SA TLCA
- Breckenridge at Sweetwater
District Standings
(2 games remaining)
T.1 Clyde
T.1 Jim Ned
2. Sweetwater
3. Breckenridge
4. Comanche
5. SA TLCA
The Buckaroo varsity football team and cheerleaders celebrate the win over Comanche after the final portion of the game on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 25. The game started on Friday evening but was delayed due to lightning in the area. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Despite the teams starting the game early on Friday, Oct. 24, storms rolling across the region led to a delay and then a postponement. Breckenridge and Comanche finished playing the game on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 25. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce gives an interview to the local media after the win over Comanche. Pictured, from left, are Casey Pearce; Calvin Best, BISD teacher and sports information director; Brant Thurmond, Breckenridge Texan sportswriter; Alex Kielar, Breckenridge American reporter; and Monica Pearce, Breckenridge Junior High assistant principal and Casey’s wife. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo Cooper Wimberley catches a 34-yard pass from Joseph Juneau to score the final touchdown of the game against Comanche. The Buckaroos won 26-22 to secure a spot in the playoffs. Click here to see more photos from the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
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