Buckaroos open district play against Paradise Friday

The Breckenridge High School football team kicks off district play Friday after a lengthy break thanks to the bye week.

After giving up more than 350 yards and six touchdowns on the ground last week, Breckenridge coach Casey Hubble said the Buckaroos extensively drilled tackling throughout the bye week and that will come in handy when they travel to face Paradise’s powerful run attack Friday.

“We’re getting there. It’s not a situation where you just do a drill and everything is fixed,” Hubble said. “We’re making progress. It’s a huge emphasis this week and last week as well. We’ll see when it’s live, but the guys are doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”

The Buckaroos come into district play with a 0-5 record, but throughout the season Hubble held firm to the mantra of nothing matters until district play. That time has come and Hubble believes his players had the perfect start to the final phase of the regular season after beginning the week with a strong practice thanks to the Columbus Day holiday.

“We had a good practice today. The kids all showed up at 8 a.m. this morning,” Hubble said. “We ate breakfast and had our meetings, offense and defense. We went out and had a good two-hour practice. The intensity was good. It was one of the best practices we’ve had all season. It’s very important to roll into a game feeling good about what you’re doing. We need to start the district race off with a win.”

While the Buckaroos come into the district opener still looking for their first win, the Paradise Panthers have a two-game win streak and look to even their overall record to 3-3 with a victory Friday night. Anchored by 6-foot, 190-pound senior fullback Lane Upton, Hubble said the Panthers will use their flex-bone formation offense to batter the Buckaroos into submission.

“They run the same offense we ran in the previous couple of years,” Hubble said. “They are going to run the football. They don’t throw it a whole lot. Last year they didn’t either. We made them throw it a lot. Hopefully, we can do that this week also and make them beat us left-handed.”

On defense the Panthers allowed an average of 16.8 points per game over five games, taking advantage of their size at the line that allows their linebackers to shoot gaps and make plays in the backfield. Hubble said they typically from a 3-4 formation, which is a formation the Bucks saw against Hirschi and Eastland as well as Early during their final preseason scrimmage.

“They’re going to come off the ball and get guys flying around,” Hubble said. “They play a cover 2 behind it and they do a good job. There are not a whole lot of holes. We’re going to have to create match-ups and win at the point of attack.”

Last year, the Bucks edged Paradise 28-21 in an overtime thriller. Hubble said he expects to face an improved Panthers team Friday.

“They’re a good team and they’re steadily getting better,” Hubble said. “They have a coach with district titles and state championship rings. He a good one and they do a good job.”