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Bucks beat Crane 28-6 to qualify for quarter-finals against Stamford

Wed, 01/23/2019 - 5:00 am
  •  
    Jean Hayworth

Historically Speaking

The Breckenridge Buckaroos were favored to win over the Golden Cranes by one or two touchdowns by most of the area sportswriters because they saw the Bucks with a heavier schedule. The Bucks finally delivered but it was questionable for the whole first half. Defensively, the Bucks limited Crane to 38 rushing yards in the first half but Bennett Watts (QB) couldn’t muster the usual dominating performance by the Buckaroo offense. Crane had a great passer and a speedy scat-back, at 120 pounds, who was fast on the takeoff and was the leading ground gainer and receiver for Crane. Their only loss was to Seminole, 7-25. Crane had scored 276 total points in 11 games and limited their opponents to

145. The Bucks had scored 296 total points and limited their opponents to 108, which included the two losses in the pre-season to 4A teams.

Tony Andress was in for Joe Bob Jackson (RE) for the remainder of the season due to a re-occurring knee injury and Buddy Hamilton (RHB) was back ready to play after an injury in the Ballinger game.

The Bucks took the opening kick-off at the 20, after the ball went into the endzone and no chance for a return. On the fourth play of that drive, Bill Taylor (FB) fumbled and Crane recovered on the Bucks 34. Crane made it to the Bucks 20 but then Watts intercepted a Crane pass behind the Bucks goal and another Buck defender unintentionally blocked Watts from getting out with a return.

The ball was brought out to the Bucks 20 and a first down. The Bucks only managed to get three yards in three plays and Watts chose to punt from the 32, which went to the Crane 45, where the Crane speedster took the ball but was hit hard by Jerry Payne and got nowhere.› Crane was subsequently forced to punt and the ball went out of bounds at the Buckaroo 12.

The Bucks drive included eight carries by Hamilton for 42 yards. Taylor got only two yards in three attempts and Eddie Offield (LHB) got seven yards in one carry. Watts ran for 20 yards in four carries and the ball was moved to the Crane 10, at the end of the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Watts raced around left end for the first Bucks touchdown. Freeland Morgan (LHB), who was in for Offield, bolted over left tackle for the extra point. It was 7-0 for the Bucks.

Watts usually made the kick-offs and then Taylor, but he was taken out at that time for an injury check. Morgan took the nod and sent the ball to the Crane

40. Crane attempted two passes, one nearly intercepted by James Stanford (RG) and then two running plays but was forced to punt, which took the ball to the Bucks 32.

On the first play, Watts sent a bullet pass to Payne, which just went off his finger tips into the waiting hands of a Crane defender on the Bucks 44. The Crane QB sent a pass to his end, who made it to the Bucks one-yard line, a 43-yard run. On the next play, the Crane QB barreled over the Bucks LG, Joe Fonville, for the Crane TD. The extra point kick was blocked by Hamilton to make the score 7-6 for the Bucks.

Next, Watts hit Payne for a 15-yard pass but he fumbled and once more and Crane recovered the pigskin. On their first play, Hamilton intercepted a Crane pass and the ball was back to the Bucks, at the Crane 49.

Almost like playing ‘Hot Potato,’ Watts couldn’t get anything generated forward and was forced to punt to the Crane 16. Crane made it to the Bucks 35, helped by a 15-yard penalty for defensive holding.

Andress made a beautiful interception on a fullout run and the ball was back to the Bucks on their own 28. Watts couldn’t get his offense past their own 48 and was hampered by another 20 yards in penalties and was forced to punt. Crane didn’t make any ground against the Bucks defensive wall and time ran out for the first half, with a 7-6 score, and the slim lead for the Bucks.

Offield took the second half kick-off at the Bucks 4 and got 10 yards to the 14, aided by a nice block by Watts. Unfortunately, Watts was hit hard in the mouth at that time and was a bit wobbly. Despite that blow, Watts continued to play 16 more downs that covered 86 yards.

Hamilton charged over RT for the last yard and a second Buckaroo TD. Morgan charged over LT for the extra point and the score was 14-6 for the Bucks.

At that point, Watts left the game and was replaced by his backup, Bobby Goswick. Morgan kicked off to Crane and they punted after three plays went nowhere. Goswick took the punt at the 26 and returned it 20 yards to the Bucks 46. Unfortunately, two plays later, Hamilton fumbled and Crane took over at the Crane

42. Another penalty against Crane forced Crane to the air, but that was the wrong move because Stanford honed in on the aerial attempt and intercepted the pass and returned it 40 yards to the Crane 1-yard line, where he was stopped.

Hamilton took it in over RT for the third Buckaroo TD. Goswick used a keeper over LT and got the extra point for a 21-6 score.

Before it was over,› Payne intercepted another Crane pass and ran it back 40 yards to the Crane 30. Goswick engineered eight ground plays but had to relinquish possession on the Crane 10. Not to worry. A few plays later, Hamilton intercepted his second Crane pass of the game and returned it to the Crane 12 before he was stopped. Goswick got two yards on a keeper and then Offield went off RT for the last Buckaroo TD. Gary Ingram, in at RHB for Hamilton, pounded in for the conversion extra point and the score was now 28-6.

The remainder of the fourth quarter was spent between the Crane 37 and the Bucks 37. Goswick finally hit Payne on the last play of the game for a 7-yard gain but the whistle blew to end the game. Final score was 28-6 and another convincing win for the Bucks that put them in the quarter-finals against the Stamford Bulldogs.