Breckenridge Texan

The Breckenridge Buckaroos faced a tough opponent Friday night, Oct. 16, when the Jacksboro Tigers came to town, and the result was their first district loss of the season.

The 38-6 loss to Jacksboro puts Breckenridge in third place in District 4-3A Div.  II, behind Jacksboro (first) and Holliday (second). They are followed by Merkel (fourth), Henrietta (fifth) and Wichita Falls-City View (sixth).

Buckaroo quarterback Cooper Wimberley avoids a Jacksboro tackle in Friday night’s game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Friday night’s game started off with a Jacksboro touchdown toward the end of the first quarter. Two more Tiger touchdowns put the score at 21-0 at halftime.

Back on the field in the third quarter, following another Jacksboro touchdown, the Buckaroos scored their only touchdown of the game when quarterback Cooper Wimberley threw a 22-yard pass that was caught by Canyon Shirley for the score. The extra point kick was wide to the left, leaving the Bucks with 6 points with 1:41 left in the quarter.

Jacksboro wrapped up the game with a final touchdown and then a field goal in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 38-6. The Jacksboro team is coached by Casey Hubble, who coached in Breckenridge from 2014-2019.

“I knew – we knew – what was coming to town,” Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce said. “Good football team, probably the best football team (Hubble) has had since ’23. Good up front, good on both sides of the football.”

He noted that Jacksboro’s defensive front presented significant challenges, preventing the Buckaroos from executing their run game as successfully as they did last week against Wichita Falls-City View, when the Buckaroos won 55-23.

Buckaroo wide receiver Ryan Waller stays in bounds after catching a pass from Cooper Wimberley in Friday night’s game against the Jacksboro Tigers. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

“(Jacksboro) gave us about all we could handle up front on the offensive side, and we didn’t find the creases like we found a week ago, and put pressure on the quarterback, wasn’t able to be clean in the pocket. We got to get that straightened out,” Pearce said. “And then we gave up explosive runs, which you can’t do if you expect to win. And it’s frustrating because we played pretty frenzied up defensively a week ago, and we played hard tonight. But we didn’t get people tackled. That’s not lack of effort. That’s just fact of the matter of what didn’t happen.”

While praising his squad’s effort, the coach said they need to shore up their interior run defense and improve communication on the field.

Looking ahead, Pearce remains confident about the team’s overarching goals, emphasizing that their aspirations for the season are still well within reach. “Everything that we want is in front of us,” he said. “We’ve got to go find us a way to win a ball game. We might have to do it on the road next week…we just have to continue to show up and work our rear ends off.”

Pearce highlighted the importance of balance, praising the connection between quarterback Cooper and receiver Ryan while cautioning that opposing defenses will soon look to double-team their top targets, requiring other playmakers to step up.

The Breckenridge defense takes down the Jacksboro ball carrier in Friday night’s game at Buckaroo Stadium. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

“We got to do whatever it takes to try to win a ball game,” the coach said. “We’ve had to throw it. We’ve had to run it. We were able to run it a week ago. We ran it at times tonight, but you know, to be effective, you got to be balanced. Cooper (Wimberley) and Ryan (Waller) have had a connection, and they’ve been explosive. But … somebody’s going to try to take Ryan away, double him, and we’re going to have to have other people step up and handle it.

Despite the setback Friday night, Pearce expressed faith in his squad’s resilience and competitive spirit. He commended his players for delivering a four-quarter battle without giving up, calling it their most competitive performance of the season. “It’s not any different, 0 and 5 or 1 and 0 going in district play or into this game tonight, they show up and work. (There) hasn’t been anyone quit, and that’s the most competitive we’ve been for four quarters. I mean, getting out there and getting after it, not finding reason not to be out there with max effort, so I’m not disappointed in our team, but we’ve got to get better and find a way to win.”

Turning his attention to next week’s matchup against Holliday, Pearce said the Buckaroos need to stay strong defensively. “It should be a good game. I mean, 2-0 opponent versus a one-and-one. We have to scratch and claw,” he said. “We’re gonna have to stay in the ball game defensively and get stops and see what we can do.”

The Buckaroos will travel to Holliday on Friday, Oct. 23, to play the Eagles. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online through Holliday High School (click here for the link).

District 4-3A Results

Breck (1-6, 1-1) 6
Jacksboro (6-1, 2-0) 38

Holliday (2-5, 2-0) 65
Wichita Falls City View (0-7, 0-2) 39

Merkel (4-3, 1-1) 43
Henrietta (3-4, 0-2) 42

Oct. 23 matchups

• Henrietta at Jacksboro
• Breckenridge at Holliday
• City View at Merkel

The Breckenridge High School marching band entertained the crowd during halftime Friday night. The next day, the band traveled to Stephenville to participate in the UIL Region 7 Marching Contest and received a division 1 for its performance. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The Pride of Breckenridge – Buckaroo Marching Band advanced to the Area contest, which will take place in Denton on Saturday, Oct. 24. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo wide receiver Canyon Shirley catches a pass from Cooper Wimberley, after it was tipped his direction by Jacksboro’s Kris Wicks, scoring Breckenridge’s only points of the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)