Benbrook Bobcat high school football narrowly defeated by Breckenridge Buckaroos

The Benbrook Bobcats finished fifth in district last season. They came into this game undefeated but faced a formidable opponent in Breckenridge, who finished the 2022 season in second place in District 4 4A-2.

Breckenridge head coach Casey Pearce said their goal for the season is to become consistent early and develop confidence as a team.

“I thought we were able to get out early and get some things rolling for ourselves,” Breckenridge head coach Pearce said.

The Breckenridge Buckaroos have 17 returning lettermen on their team. With 9:57 remaining in the first quarter, Breckenridge’s top returning rusher Sawyer Wimberley scored the first touchdown of the evening. This made the score 6-0.

Coach Pearce said the team’s strength is work ethic, and Wimberley has been working on his game.

“My personal improvements have been keeping my head up, especially if the pocket comes out or gets blocked,” Wimberley said.

The next scoring play came with 5:18 remaining in the first. Benbrook’s kicker, Andy Garcia, successfully made a 42-yard field goal, putting points on the board for the Bobcats. The score was 6-3, and the first quarter came to an end.

Benbrook tried to take the lead in the second quarter, but they struggled to move the chains and were forced to go for a 33-yard field goal again. This tied the game. Breckenridge came back with another touchdown at 6:29 by running back Jack Mckay. The extra point was good and the Buckaroos were up 13-6.

Breckenridge continued their streak with another touchdown. This time it was made by Brilee Bernal with less than 30 seconds on the clock in the half. At half-time, the Buckaroos were ahead 19-6.

Buckaroos quarterback, Camden Escalon threw the ball 25 yards to wide receiver Alexis Franco that resulted in a touchdown with 8:19 left in the third quarter. The score was then 27-6.

A fumble by the Buckaroos opened the door for Bobcat Kade Cross to run across the field and score a touchdown. The score was 27-12. On the attempted extra point, Breckenridge’s Braye Cantrell swept the ball off the floor and ran across the field, scoring and putting two more points on the board.

With less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Breckenridge continued their scoring streak with another touchdown. With 1:57 remaining in the third quarter, the score was 36-12. This was the last score of the quarter.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Benbrook scored a touchdown and made a successful 2-point conversion, leading the team to a 36-20 lead. With 7:00 left in the game, Benbrook scored another touchdown and the 2-point conversion was successful.

This brought the score to 36-28. Neither team scored the rest of the way, and Breckenridge secured the win.

“We were fortunate to come out of here with a win,” Pearce said. “Their staff is to be commended on how they played in the second half. They had a plan coming back out…we were able to hold on.”

Coach Pearce said he is hopeful his team will play for the district title. Both Breckenridge and Benbrook have bye weeks next week.