Close game in Holliday ends in 35-34 loss for Buckaroos
By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan
Friday night’s football game in Holliday was a close one with the Breckenridge Buckaroos tying the score three times as they took on the Holliday Eagles, but ultimately the Eagles won 35-34.
With the loss, the Bucks fell to 1-2 in district 4-3A and 1-7 overall, while Holliday improved to 3-0 in district and 3-5 overall. Breckenridge will now be forced to win one of their final two games in order to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Buckaroo Hudson Woodward scored the Buckaroos’ first points of the game in Holliday, catching a 28-yard pass from Cooper Wimberley. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Coming off a 38-6 loss to district-leading Jacksboro the week before, the Buckaroos were looking to get back in the win column Friday, Oct. 23. They had an opportunity to achieve that late in the game, as the Buckaroos found themselves trailing 35-28 but in possession of the ball with 4:25 left in the game.
The Bucks put together a solid drive that stretched 60 yards and took 3:20 off the clock before Cooper Wimberley found the endzone from six yards out.
Playing for the win with 1:05 remaining in the game, the Buckaroos went for two but were unable to convert the two-point conversion following an incomplete pass from Wimberley to Ryan Waller.
“When we scored, I trusted it (the decision to go for two-point conversion),” Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce said. “We had the match-up and had what we wanted. He (Ryan Waller) broke the route off, he’s uncovered, we threw the football at him and (he) gets tackled. We had our shot.”
Early on in the game, the Buckaroos had momentum working in their favor. Following a punt on Holliday’s opening series, they moved the ball 34 yards to the Eagles’ 25-yard line before a fumble put an end to the drive.
“We had a lot of stuff going our way the first series, and we turned the ball over,” Pearce said. “We were trying to do too much in that first series and wanting it so bad.”
The Eagles took advantage of the fumble, moving the ball 77 yards in 12 plays on a drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Landon Jones. The PAT was good, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 3:48 remaining in the first quarter.
Buckaroo freshman Nick Young made it over the goal line in Friday night’s game. With Leo Mendoza’s extra point, the score was tied 14-14 in the second quarter. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Buckaroos fought back and tied the game at 7-7 with 40 seconds remaining in the first quarter with a nine-play drive that went 61 yards and ended with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Wimberley to Hudson Woodward. Leo Mendoza kicked the PAT.
Holliday scored on a 61-yard touchdown run by Brayden Hamill on its first play of their ensuing possession. The PAT was good, giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead with 21 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Buckaroos answered with a 64-yard drive, went nine plays and ended with a five-yard touchdown run by Nick Young. The PAT was good, making the score 14-14 at the 9:03 mark of the second quarter.
The Eagles scored two more times in the final 9:03 of the second quarter with a two-yard run by Jones and a 16-yard pass from Jones to Preston Fandler following a Breckenridge interception.
The Bucks trailed 28-14 at halftime.
Both teams had a failed fourth down attempt on the first possession of the third quarter.
The Buckaroos defense takes down the Eagles ballcarrier in Friday night’s game in Holliday. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Following the defensive stop by the Buckaroos, the offense put together an 11-play 54-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard pass from Wimberley to Waller. The PAT was good, making the score 28-21 with 4:29 left in the third quarter.
The Buckaroo defense forced a punt on the next Holliday possession, which led to 10-play 91-yard Breckenridge drive that ended with a nine-yard touchdown run by Gunnar Pearce. The PAT was good, tying the score at 28-28 with 9:47 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles scored on their next drive on a six-yard touchdown run by Hamil to give them a 35-28 lead with 4:30 left in the game.
That led to the six-yard touchdown run by Wimberley for the Buckaroos and the two-point conversion attempt.
The Bucks will host the Merkel Badgers at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at Buckaroo Stadium for senior night.
“That’s going to be a big ball game,” Pearce said. “They got a quarterback that accounts for everything they do. He’s also starter on defense that’s pretty dang good at the linebacker level. He’s about 225 and is going to be a load to tackle. They can sling it around and are going to try to give us fits up front.”
The playoff hopes are still alive for the Buckaroos if they win one game in the next two weeks against Merkel and Henrietta, but being able to clinch a playoff spot at home would be more meaningful for Pearce and the Bucks.
“It’s been a long time since Breck has clinched a spot for the playoffs at Breck,” Pearce said. “Let’s just go do it. They deserve to win a ball game.”
Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s Photo Gallery from the game.
District 4-3A Results
Holliday (3-5, 3-0) 35
Breckenridge (1-7, 1-2) 34
Jacksboro (7-1, 3-0) 64
Henrietta (3-5, 0-3) 37
Merkel (5-3, 2-1) 34
City View (0-8, 0-3) 7
Oct. 30 Matchups
- Breckenridge vs Merkel
- Henrietta at City View
- Jacksboro at Holliday
Buckaroo wide receiver Ryan Waller catches a pass in Friday night’s game in Holliday. Click here to see more photos. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Breckenridge senior Gunnar Pearce scored the Buckaroos’ fourth touchdown of the night with a nine-yard run that capped off a 10-play 91-yard Breckenridge drive. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Pride of Breckenridge – Buckaroo Marching Band performed for the crowd in Holliday on Friday night. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo quarterback Cooper Wimberley’s six-yard run brought the score to 35-34 with a little more than a minute to go in the game. The two-point coversion failed, and the Holliday Eagles ended up with the win. Click here to see a photo gallery from the game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
