1956 Bucks lock in first win of season

The third game of the season was set with the Breckenridge Buckaroos playing against the Gainesville Leopards. The Bucks starting quarterback, Bobby Goswick, was still out with the broken hand and Joe Crousen, who was the backup QB, was once again in for Goswick against the Leopards. Additionally, the starting center, Frank Riggins was out with the flu and Larry Kimberlin stepped up to that position for this game.

The Leopards were said to outweigh the Bucks by 15 pounds per man, but the Bucks were much quicker off the ball, faster and considered to be tough, hard tacklers. Jimo Wilson (HB) kicked off for the Bucks. The Bucks defense of Larry Munnerlyn (RT), Kimberlin (C), Joe Fonville (RG) and Jim Wright clicked and held the Leopards to 88 yards on the ground.

The Bucks also got their ground game despite the fumble by Wilson, but recovered by George Wragg (HB) on the Bucks 17. Ingram got three yards, Maurice Mehaffey got two and Ingram trotted off and got 18 more. Then, Wilson got loose for a nice run of 41 yards to the Leopard 19 before he was stopped.

Next, Ingram fumbled on the Leopard 11, but on their second play, the Leopards’ back fumbled and Munnerlyn recovered the ball on the Gainesville 17. It took five more plays for the Bucks to get the 17 yards remaining for their first TD. However, Crousen hit the crossbar in the extra point attempt. The score was 6-0 for the Bucks. As the first quarter drew to a close, Ingram intercepted a pass, but the Bucks lost it on downs on the Leopard 36 and then the quarter ended.

That was when the Leopards moved to the Bucks 1-yard line in 10 plays only to be stopped by the Bucks as they dug in and refused to allow the Leopards to score. The Leopards got a five-yard penalty that pushed them back to the five and then Wragg intercepted a Leopard pass on the Buck 7. On the very first Bucks play, Wilson ripped off a 60-yard run on an off tackle play and put the ball on the Gainesville 33. Crousen passed to Mehaffey for 15 yards and then a pass to Wright, but he was smothered by Leopard defenders and lost 18 yards. On the next play, Ingram got eight yards and then a pass from Crousen on fourth down went too long and the Bucks had to relinquish the ball.

However, on the Leopards third down, the Leopard player fumbled the ball back to the Bucks, with Munnerlyn recovering it and going in for the TD. The Wilson kick was no good for the Bucks and the score remained at 12-0, as the first half ended.

Wilson took the opening kick-off of the second half and returned it to the 50. Nine plays later, Mehaffey was standing in the endzone and a third TD for the Bucks. During that series, Crousen had passed to Wilson for 17 yards and then a 14-yard jaunt over RG by Mehaffey for the score. Jerry Green (LG), subbed in for Jimmy Demasters (LG), attempted the extra point kick but it hit the crossbar and fell incomplete. The Bucks went up by 18-0.

The Leopards punt went to the Bucks 25, where Mehaffey took it but was stopped in his tracks. On four tries, the Bucks went 36 yards with Mehaffey and then Wilson, who got 23 yards. The Bucks marched 75 yards down the field. Crousen passed to Ronnie Payne (RE) for a five yard pass and a TD. Payne was the younger brother of Jerry Payne, who had played on the 1954 Championship team and was at Oklahoma with Bennett Watts. Ronnie was the fourth son of Dr. Frank C. Payne, who was the team doctor for the Bucks, to play for the Bucks. Green was finally successful at the conversion kick for the Bucks and split the uprights and the score went up 25-0.

The last half of the fourth quarter was spent between the Buck 44 and the Gainesville 24, with the Bucks having a drive underway when the gun sounded ending the game.

The Bucks had their first victory of the 1956 season and a real morale booster for the Green and White.