Friday night, in its first home district contest, Early was upended by the Breckenridge Buckaroos, 37-20, at Longhorn Stadium to remain winless in league action after notching victories in the first five outings of 2021.
Early (5-2, 0-2) – playing without starting quarterback Jaxyn Price, who suffered a concussion in last week’s 48-7 loss at Jim Ned – churned out 306 yards of total offense, but Breckenridge (3-4, 2-0) generated 332 yards. Neither team committed a turnover.
The Buckaroos jumped out to a 24-8 lead in the first quarter and kept the Longhorns at bay the rest of the way. Breckenridge’s Chase Lehr passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns, while Jerry Lawson rushed for a team-high 76 yards and two scores. Anson Rogers grabbed seven receptions for 71 yards, Zeke Castillo hauled in three catches for 46 yards and Lawson made a 44-yard reception as all three aforementioned players scored.
Tre Beam rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns for Early while Tucker Hale completed 17 of 29 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown, and chipped in 53 yards rushing. Jeremy Brown grabbed five receptions for 50 yards, Beam finished with five catches for 46 yards, John-Stewart Gordon hauled in four receptions for 25 yards, and Ki Houston caught two passes covering 55 yards with a trip to the end zone.
The Longhorns will attempt to secure their first district victory at Clyde (1-6, 1-1), which notched its first win of the season over San Angelo TLCA (0-7, 0-2) by a 61-22 count Friday.