Untimely turnovers lead to 41-20 victory for Mineral Wells

Turnovers made all of the difference last Friday as the Breckenridge High School football team suffered its second loss in a 41-20 drubbing by the Mineral Wells Rams.

The Rams took advantage early in the first quarter with an 8-yard touchdown pass after a muffed Buckaroos’ punt return put them inside the red zone on what would have been Breckenridge’s first offensive possession; and the Bucks’ woes continued to build from there.

“There were way too many mistakes,” Breckenridge coach Casey Hubble said. “This game is not a complicated one … Everything has a design and if you don’t execute exactly the way it’s supposed to be, then often it doesn’t work. Tonight, we just had too many mistakes. I told the kids, ‘It’s not any one person. The coaches got to coach better. The players have to play better. If we’re going to beat teams like Mineral Wells, then that’s the bottom line. We’re going to have to play a lot better.’”

With Breckenridge’s offense stalled by turnovers and failed possessions, its defense spent significantly more time on the field. With the Buckaroos facing a larger 4A program, it became a game of odds — the longer Breckenridge’s defense spent on the field, the greater odds it would be susceptible to the big play. The Rams scored 20 unanswered points on a pair of 34-yard touchdown receptions in the third quarter and a 67-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which dramatically shifted the momentum in Mineral Wells’ favor.

“They can exploit you whenever you make mistakes,” Hubble said. “Defensively, we made good plays and then a mistake and it allowed them to drag us up and down the field all night.”

The Buckaroos did have a few highlights Friday night and briefly played their way back into the game after capping off a second-quarter drive with touchdown by senior running back Zach Willis on a 24-yard sprint into the end zone. Willis ended with night with 131 yards rushing on 11 carries, including a 57-yard carry. Willis said the first touchdown drive was a sign of things to come and believes the offense will be much more formidable when they begin district play.

“The line did their part and the receiver on the outside held his block,” Willis said. “I got out to the corner and did my thing … We’re putting in work and getting where we need to be. Everything will come when it starts to matter.”

Another player that showed promise Friday night was sophomore quarterback Owen Woodard, who finished the game completing 14 of 21 passes that included an 18-yard touchdown to senior receiver Lonnie Hinson, who led the Buckaroos in receiving with seven receptions for 64 yards. Woodard was also second in rushing with 67 yards, which included an 11-yard touchdown, but the fourth-quarter score was not enough for the Buckaroos to mount a comeback.

The Buckaroos will face another tough opponent Friday in the Eastland Mavericks, who came into the season ranked 15th in small 3A football and picked to finished second in the Region 1 District 4 standings behind Cisco by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football 2017. The Mavericks come Friday’s game 2-0 with victories over Merkel (42-6) and Clyde (35-6). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Breck        0  6  0   14 - 20 

MHS       13  7  14   7 - 41

First Quarter

9:53: D’ija Kennedy 8-yard pass from Seth Slack (kick good). 0:51 Khalil Thompson 2-yard run (kick good).

Second Quarter

9:12 Zach Willis 24-yard run (kick no good). 8:29 Carlos Gray 67-yard touchdown pass from Slack (kick no good). 

Third Quarter

10:03: Gray 34-yard  pass from Slack (kick good). 5:35 Kennedy 34-yard pass from Slack (kick good).

Fourth Quarter 

11:01 Woodard 11-yard run. 4:53 Kennedy 11-yard run. 0:31 Hinson pass 11-yard pass from Woodard.  

Individual Stats

RUSHING — Willis 11-131; Woodard 10-67, Tarrence Roberson 11-58. Angel Ruiz 1-12, Kevin Franco 2-4.

PASSING —  Woodard 14-21-1 Franco 3-9-0-2 .

RECEIVING — Hinson 7-64-1, Kyler Knight 3-60, Angel Ruiz 1-45, Jake Escalon 2-13, Willis 4-23.