Breckenridge Texan

By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan

The Breckenridge Buckaroos went into Friday’s match-up with the Cisco Loboes looking for their first win of 2026 and trying to avoid a 0-3 start. But, the Bucks will have to wait another week to pick up their first win as Cisco defeated the Buckaroos 42-6 in Chelsey Stadium on Sept. 11.

Breckenridge came out more physical than in the previous two games, but some miscues led to things spiraling out of control.

“We upped the intensity, played with them and played hard and then gave it to them,” Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce said. “It’s aggravating.”

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

Defensively, the Buckaroos failed to get stops when needed the most, but the alignment issues the Bucks faced a week ago were improved.

“We aligned at times better, but it didn’t equate in stops,” Pearce said. “We didn’t force one punt tonight. We can’t expect our offense to only get the ball when they kick it to us. That’s not a good recipe.”

The Buckaroo defense struggled to contain Cisco’s quarterback Colby McIlroy when it needed to the most.

“The McIlroy kid is their get-out-of-jail-free card anytime they need to get out of a hole,” Pearce said. “They are going to put the ball in his hands, and we knew that. You got to be able to make plays when you’re locked in on what they are fixing to do.

“There weren’t any secrets. They were going to do what they do, and there’s not a kid in that locker room that didn’t know how they were going to get out of a bind,” the coach said. “We still allowed them to get out of a bind.”

Offensively, the Bucks had some chances to score, but the consistency was an issue again.

“(Offense) was spotty. We saw some things that give you a chance to win ball games, but the consistency there late was frustrating,” Pearce said. “We’re trying to get movement out of the defense, and we can’t get off on a snap count. That’s frustrating because it doesn’t give us an opportunity to execute like we need to.”

Following a Buckaroo punt on their first possession, the Loboes found the endzone on their opening drive of the game following a 13-play 78-yard drive that ended in a 13-yard run by Landry Vosburg. The PAT by Terrick Hernandez was good, giving the Loboes a 7-0 lead with 2:36 remaining in the first quarter.

The Bucks were forced to punt again but quickly came away with a takeaway on the second play of the next Lobo possession as Buckaroo Issac Flores came away with an interception.

Four plays later, the Buckaroos scored their only points of the game as Gunnar Pearce capped off a 24-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The PAT was blocked, making the score 7-6 with 10:50 remaining in the second quarter.

Flores came away with another interception on the next Cisco possession and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown, however a penalty for blocking below the waist erased the touchdown.

Buckaroo Issac Flores eludes the Cisco defense as he advances the ball in Friday night’s game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

On the next play, Cisco intercepted a pass by Hudson Woodward and ended the Buckaroo drive.

Nine plays and 89-yards later, Cisco scored again on a five-yard touchdown run by Vosburg. The PAT was good, giving the Loboes a 14-6 lead with 3:33 remaining in the second quarter.

Breckenridge was forced to punt on their next possession, which led to a four-play 60-yard drive that was capped off with a 48-yard touchdown pass from McIlroy to Vosburg. The PAT was once again good by Hernandez, making the score 21-6 with 1:30 left in the second quarter.

The Loboes dominated the third quarter with a long, 16-play drive that stretched 71 yards and took up seven minutes of the third-quarter clock.

Buckaroo coach Rob Durham congratulates the players after a good play on the field. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The drive was capped off with a two-yard touchdown run by Vosburg. The PAT was good, giving the Loboes a 28-6 lead with 4:52 remaining in the third quarter.

The Buckaroos were forced to punt on their next possession; however, the snap sailed over the punter’s head and was picked up in the end zone by the Bucks and returned to the 10-yard line.

The Loboes took advantage of the excellent field position and needed just two plays to move the ball 10 yards as July Johnson scored on a five-yard touchdown run. The PAT was good by Hernandez, making the score 35-6.

The struggles for the Buckaroos’ offense continued as they were forced to punt after picking up just four yards on three downs.

The Bucks only had two possessions in the third quarter that picked up a total of eight yards of offense after six total plays.

The Loboes scored the game’s final points of the game as Gage Johnson capped off a seven-play 58-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run. The PAT was good by Hernandez, giving the Loboes a 42-6 lead with 8:20 left in the fourth quarter.

On the first play of the ensuing Buckaroo drive, Cooper Wimberley broke free for a 40-yard run to take the ball to the Cisco 30-yard line.

The Bucks were plagued by a series of penalties on the drive that cost them 20 yards and ultimately moved the ball to the one-yard line before an interception ended the drive.

Buckaroo Cooper Wimberley (No. 6) runs with the ball after a hand-off from quarterback Hudson Woodward (No. 2) in Friday night’s game against the Cisco Loboes. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

That was the final Buckaroo drive of the game as it used up eight minutes of the fourth quarter clock and gave the ball back to Cisco with 20 seconds remaining.

The Buckaroos had 78 yards rushing on 25 attempts and completed 10 of 16 passing attempts for 111 yards for a total of 189 yards.

Cisco had 274 yards rushing and 149 yards passing for a total of 423 yards.

The Buckaroos will be back in action against the Clyde Bulldogs at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at Buckaroo Stadium.

The Bulldogs enter the game at 3-0 with wins over Cisco (27-24), Tolar (55-26) and Comanche (57-21).

“They are a good team that’s picked to win that district,” Pearce said of the Bulldogs. “If you think our schedule is easy, you’re crazy. We have another one in front of us just like you saw tonight. We are going to see power football with a quarterback that can go.”

Pearce said the Buckaroo run defense will need to be improved in order to slow the Bulldogs down.

“Let’s see if we can stop the dang run game for less than five or six yards a carry,” he said. “They are 80/20 run to pass and quarterback run game is the majority of that 80 percent.”

Breckenridge High School’s head football coach, Casey Pearce, talks to the varsity Buckaroos after Friday night’s 42-6 loss to Cisco in Chelsey Stadium. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The drumline and the rest of the Pride of Breckenridge – Buckaroo Marching Band traveled to Cisco for Friday night’s football game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

The game started off with the coin toss, which Cisco won. They chose to kick off to the Buckaroos to start the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo Gunnar Pearce scores Breckenridge’s only points in Friday night’s game as he crosses the goal line in the second quarter. Next week, the Buckaroos will play the Clyde Bulldogs in Buckaroo Stadium. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)