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1953 Bucks begin district play against Lamesa

Mon, 07/30/2018 - 2:37 pm

The Breckenridge Buckaroos began District 1-3A play in 1953 against the Lamesa Tornadoes. That team had a veteran line on defense with all two-year men and the best end in the district, Sherrod Dunn. The Tornado fullback outweighed Bucks fullback Sam Newcomb by at least 30 pounds. Also, the Tornado quarterback was a good passer, runner and notably, a good ball handler. However, he was no Kenneth Ford, who was a senior and a seasoned player for the Bucks, who had set all kinds of passing records at the helm of the team.

The first Buckaroo District 1-3A game was slated for Buckaroo Stadium on Friday night, Oct. 16, with most of the town in attendance after a downtown pep rally earlier that afternoon.

The Bucks were in charge from the very beginning  and rattled off one TD after another for a final score of 34-7 before the home crowd. 

Ford ran from the 4-yard line to score the first touchdown. The next one was a 45-yard pass from Ford to Roger Hobson for the second TD. Billy Dendy made a 50-yard run for the third TD and Tommy Beasley took a pass from Ford and ran it in for a fourth TD, and Jerry Arnold went over the goal line for the fifth TD. Ford made four of the five extra-point kicks. 

Jake Sandefer ran six carries for 30 yards. Ford had five carries for 17 yards. Newcomb had eight carries for 16 yards but those were tough yards needed for first downs. Dendy had 10 carries for 124 yards and Jerry Cramer had one big carry for 25 yards, which was an essential gain, leading to a TD for the Bucks. The Bucks only allowed one touchdown by Lamesa.

Dendy was the lead scorer for District 1-3A, with 63 points through all six games that season but only had 6 points in district play. He was tied with teammates Hobson, Tommy Beasley and Jerry Arnold, who all had 6 points in district games. Ford was ranked second in total points for district games with 10 points. 

The next game for the Buckaroos was against the Snyder Tigers, who were said to have lots of speed. That was hampered by the wet and muddy conditions during the game. Ford dominated the game the first half. He passed to Sandefer, Hobson and Dick Carpenter for three TDs and then ran in for a fourth. The other two touchdowns were running plays in the mud. Despite the conditions, Ford made five of the six extra-point kicks.

Beasley left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. The Bucks really missed him on defense the second half. The Bucks also missed W.L. Pevey, who was out with a kidney infection. During the fourth quarter, the Tigers made 21 points but never got close enough to take over from the Bucks, who were ahead 41-7, then 41-14, 41-21 and finally 41-28.

Ford passed four balls for 119 yards in five attempts, with one pass intercepted that went in for a Tiger touchdown.

The Bucks were superior in every category except first downs, with only eight first downs to the 15 made by the Tigers.

Newcomb and Pevey were unable to practice all week because of charley-horses from the Lamesa game the week before. Snyder had the best defensive team that the Buckaroos had come up against that season. 

The Tigers scored more points against the Buckaroos than anyone else had that season. Kerbel attributed it to the loss of Beasley, Pevey and Newcomb, who was just at half speed and Jack Parrott, who had been out for three weeks with a full leg cast and was now on the mend but not cleared to play.

The Bucks and the Big Spring Steers were the only two teams undefeated in District 1-3A play and they were set to clash next on the schedule, defending their 2-0 records.

More rain was in the forecast, which meant another muddy battle on the field at Big Spring, set for Nov. 1, 1953.