JACKSBORO – For Kevin Franco, it was a start to remember.

Taking over for last year’s starter at quarterback Owen Woodward, Franco helped ignite the Breckenridge offense by rushing for 127 yards and two scores and throwing for another pair of touchdowns in a hard fought 43-36 win over Jacksboro at Tiger Stadium Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

Franco threw for 154 yards on 10-18 passing as part of a 510-yard offensive evening. Franco’s pair of rushing scores, one runs of three and 12 yards, brought the squad back from a second quarter deficit to give the squad a 20-9 halftime lead they would never relinquish.

A pair of 32-yard scoring strikes to Woodward would enable the Bucks to lead by as much as 43-23 with 2:31 to go. Jacksboro would get within seven with 28 seconds left but Breckenridge would recover the onside kick and run the clock out.

Franco was joined in the 100-yard rushing club by Angel Ruiz, who rushed for 106 yards on 11 carries.

Jacksboro led 3-0 after its opening drive before Jonas Arellano’s 21-yard run on the visitors’ opening drive put Brekenridge up 7-3. The Tigers went up 9-7 early in the second before Franco capped the next two Buckaroo drives with the scoring runs. He then added a scoring strike to Woodward in the opening minute of the third quarter to extend the lead to 26-9.

The squads traded scores until Diego Arellano’s 11-yard run seemingly put the game out of reach at 43-23 with 2:31 left but the Tigers had other ideas with a pair of scores, both set up by Breckenridge turnovers, to make things interesting late.

Breckenridge returns home Friday to face Comanche, which lost to Eastland, 34-15.