Buckaroos fall to Merkel 14-6; playoff spot comes down to season finale
By Brant Thurmond/Breckenridge Texan
The Breckenridge Buckaroos went into Friday’s match-up against the Merkel Badgers with a chance to clinch a spot in the Class 3A Division II playoffs.
The Buckaroos gave the Badgers everything they had, but ultimately, it was Merkel who came away with a 14-6 win over the Buckaroos.
The Bucks will still have a chance to get in the playoffs, but it will be a must-win situation when they travel to take on the Henrietta Bearcats on Friday, Nov. 6, in Henrietta.
Cooper Wimberley made the Buckaroos lone touchdown of the game against Merkel. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
It was a solid defensive effort by the Buckaroos that kept the game close as Merkel entered the game with a history of scoring 40 points per game, while the Bucks’ defense allowed 33 points per game prior to Friday’s match-up.
That defensive effort was one of brightest spots of the game.
“We have a pretty good group of kids to play with and had pretty decent plan,” Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce said. “I thought we executed the plan. The Malone (Merkel quarterback Easton Malone) kid is a load and proved why he has the numbers he has. He played his rear end off, and we played ours off.”
The two teams traded punts on their opening possessions before the Buckaroos sniffed out a fake punt by the Badgers on Merkel’s second possession of the game.
The Buckaroos put together a seven play 56-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown run by Wimberley. The two-point conversion failed, giving the Buckaroos a 6-0 lead with 3:30 left in the first quarter. The Bucks converted a fourth down attempt during the drive.
Both teams traded punts once again as neither team could find an offensive rhythm with the defenses forcing stops.
Following a Buckaroo punt, the Badgers moved the ball 66 yards in 10 plays en route to a two-yard touchdown run by Malone. The drive was aided by a pass interference penalty on the Buckaroos that put the ball at the two-yard line.
Merkel connected on the PAT, giving the Badgers a 7-6 lead with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter.
An interception by Merkel ended the next Buckaroo drive five plays into it. That led to a 12-play drive by the Badgers that used up around four minutes of clock.
The Buckaroo defense came away with a stop on the next Merkel drive as the Badgers tried a reverse and fumbled the ball.
Buckaroo Zach Beltran picked up the fumble and returned it deep inside Badger territory, but a penalty moved the ball back 15 yards, and the Buckaroos were unable to come away with any points before halftime as the score remained 7-6 at half.
Buckaroo Hudson Woodward blocks a pass intended for a Merkel player. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The Buckaroos were forced to punt on their opening possession of the second half, but the defense came away with another stop, this time on another fourth down attempt by the Badgers.
Two plays later, Merkel intercepted another pass, which led to a five-play 34-yard drive by the Badgers that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Malone. The PAT was good, giving the Badgers a 14-6 lead with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
The Buckaroos had only two possessions for the remainder of the game, which resulted in a punt and a failed fourth down attempt.
After having one of their better games of the season offensively against Holliday last week, the Bucks’ offense struggled at times to get any consistency to keep drives going.
“They (Merkel) mixed the (defensive) fronts on us and caused some problems in the run game,” Pearce said. “We weren’t able to connect on some balls we had open. I thought their number two did a good job trying to defend Ryan (Waller). We didn’t have the explosives that we had a week ago.”
One of the additions to Buckaroo Stadium this week was a sign honoring the memory of the late Bill Pearce, who served as the athletic trainer for BISD for 25 years prior to his passing in December 2025. He also served as head coach of the Buckaroos from 1981 to 1984 and as an assistant from 1977-1980 and 1985-2001.
“It’s special. This is a special place,” Casey Pearce said. “He put a lot of blood, sweat and emotion into this stadium, this program and kids and parents along the way. It’s a special place for the Pearces. It’s my job to defend this place, and I’m going to defend it to the best of my ability and try to make him proud and my mom proud.”
District 4-3A Results
Merkel (6-3, 3-1) 14
Breckenridge (1-8, 1-3) 6
Jacksboro (8-1, 3-0) 49
Holliday (3-6, 3-1) 21
Henrietta (4-5, 1-3) 60
City View (0-9, 0-4) 0
Nov. 6 Match-Ups
- Breckenridge at Henrietta
- City View at Jacksboro
- Holliday at Merkel
Breckenridge High School senior Rylee Fuller, center, was joined by her family for her Senior Night presentation before the game. Pictured from left are the Fuller family: Rihana, Doug, Rylee, Kim and Robert. The Oct. 30 game against Merkel was the last home game of the regular season. The seniors from the football team, cross country, band, and cheer team were honored, along with their family members. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Before Friday night’s football game, Felix Brazile, a member of the Pride of Breckenridge – Buckaroo Marching Band, performs an electric guitar version of the National Anthem in the spirit of Jimi Hendrix’s iconic 1969 performance. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Buckaroo head coach Casey Pearce leads the team into the stadium under a new sign in memory of his dad, the late Bill Pearce, who served as the athletic trainer for BISD for 25 years prior to his passing in December 2025. He also served as head coach of the Buckaroos from 1981 to 1984 and as an assistant from 1977-1980 and 1985-2001. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Due to a burn ban earlier in the season, the annual Buckaroo Bonfire was postponed until last week. The Buckaroos football players, cheerleaders and fans gathered for the annual pep rally and bonfire Wednesday night. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Buckaroo Hunter Davis tackles the Merkel ball carrier in Friday night’s game. The Buckaroo defense held the Badgers to only 14 points, a change from their usual 40 points per game this season. Click here to see more photos from the game and other related activities. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
