Buckaroos drop season opener against Comanche
By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan
The Breckenridge Buckaroos officially kicked off their 2026 football season against the Comanche Indians Friday night in Comanche.
The Indians are a former district opponent that the Bucks defeated in 2025 during a two-day affair due to a storm that moved in on the scheduled date.
Buckaroo Wide Receiver Canyon Shirley returns a kickoff 52 yards to the Comanche 16-yard line. The Buckaroos scored a touchdown four plays later. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
However, it was the Indians that were victorious Friday night with a final score of 28-6.
The season opener always comes with a list of variables and things tend to get exposed while the team perfects its skills and execution, something Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce pointed out following the game.
“The execution must improve,” Pearce said. “We can’t squander opportunities inside the redzone. It’s been a focus for several years, and we are going to have to get where we can handle it.”
Pearce noted the work to be done but also credited the team for retention.
“We got a lot of work to do, but we are in a better position than we were a year ago,” Pearce said. “We got some retention and got an ability to know what we are doing. Offensively, we got to pick it up and defensively; we got to start faster.
“We picked it up after we kind of got our feet on the ground and forced some turnovers and forced them to punt the football,” he continued. “We didn’t do that in the first half. Had we gotten a stop or two in the first half, I think we could have been a one-score game at halftime.”
While the Bucks start the season 0-1, there is still a long road ahead and several opportunities to improve before district starts. One loss will not define the Buckaroos.
“It doesn’t define us, and this was a whole lot better than we played last year against Holliday,” Pearce said. “The physicality is there.”
The Buckaroos’ first offensive series stalled after just three plays as Comanche forced a punt.
The Indians then moved the ball 79 yards in seven plays on a drive that was capped off with a 49-yard pass from Cooper Welch to Zaden Tello. The PAT was good, giving the Indians a 7-0 lead with 6:20 remaining in the first quarter.
The Buckaroos then put together a nine-play drive; however, it ended with a failed fourth down attempt.
The Bucks’ defense came away with a fourth down stop of their own but then failed to pick up a first down after four plays.
Comanche answered with a seven-play 69-yard drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Welch to Adrian Guerrero. The PAT was no good, making the score 13-0 with 4:06 left in the second quarter.
Buckaroo defenders take down a Comanche ball carrier during Friday nights game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Buckaroos moved the ball deep inside Indian territory to the four-yard line, with the help of a 42-yard run by Hayden Mendoza on the first play from scrimmage.
The Bucks had four attempts inside the 10-yard line but failed to come away with points and trailed 13-0 at halftime.
Comanche started the second half with the ball and quickly moved 74 yards in five plays on a drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown run by Ladanian Smith. Guerrero converted the two-point conversion attempt, giving the Indians a 21-0 lead with 8:56 remaining in the third quarter.
As the Buckaroos picked up one first down on their ensuing drive and were forced to punt.
Breckenridge came away with a stop on fourth down, but an interception put an end to the next possession.
Two plays later, the Bucks got the ball back as Bradyn Olson recovered a fumble for the Bucks.
The Bucks went on a seven-play drive that moved the ball to the Indians’ eight-yard line but were ultimately stopped again.
Comanche needed just two plays before finding the endzone once again. An 87-yard run helped set up Smith who scored on the second play of the drive on a five-yard run. The PAT was good, giving the Indians a 28-0 lead with 8:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Buckaroo Canyon Shirley returned the ensuing kickoff 52 yards to the Comanche 16 yard-line.
Four plays later, Jaxyn Tyson scored on a two-yard run for the Buckaroos. The PAT was no good, making the score 28-6 with 6:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Buckaroos had 153 yards rushing on 32 attempts and completed 5 of 19 passing attempts for a total of 30 yards.
Comanche had 240 yards rushing and 131 yards passing for a total of 371 yards.
The Buckaroos will host the Early Longhorns at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at Buckaroo Stadium for homecoming.
Zach Beltran, No. 3, tries to battle his way around Comanche defenders after receiving a handoff from quarterback Hudson Woodward during Friday night’s game in Comanche. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Buckaroo band performed at halftime during Friday night’s varsity football game against Comanche. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo running back Jaxyn Tyson, No. 22, drives across the goal line during the varsity game in Comanche Friday night to score the Buckaroos’ only touchdown of the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
