Broncos stand their ground; defeat Sunray

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos (3-5 and 2-2) rode out of Sunray Friday night with something that few suspected they would have and that was an upset victory over the Bobcats. But tenacity paid off and the Broncos stole a 27-26 win in a come-from-behind effort that was first class. They racked up 328 yards of total offense and quarterback Chance McAnear was 9-26 for 163 passing yards.

After three full quarters and a third of the fourth quarter of play it looked as if the Bobcats had the game well in hand as they led 26-7 with only nine minutes left in the game. Clarendon had only seven points on the board, which came in the second quarter when Chance McAnear threw a strike to Cedrick McCampbell and JoJo Cartwright added the bonus.

But nobody told the Broncos they were going to lose the game and they came roaring back in the fourth quarter to not only score once, but rack up three touchdowns in five minutes of play to take the lead with only minutes left on the clock.

McAnear scored on a 10-yard run and then threw a 10-yard pass to Charles Mason for six more. Brandon Miller grabbed an outstanding pass from McAnear to tie the game at 26. Cartwright added the extra point to give the Broncos the one-point advantage.

“Wow! What a game,” head coach Gary Jack said. “What an exciting game. This is what we needed to happen to still be in the chase for the playoffs.”

According to Jack, the Broncos missed some opportunities early to stay with them in the first half. But he praised the defense for playing a solid game and basically shutting Sunray out the second half play.

“Our defense caused some big turnovers for us,” Jack said. “And then our offense got going. Our line did a great job in the second half. Jacob Bishop, Zack Laroe, Zach Cornell, Taylon Knorrp, Tres Hommel, and Montana Hysinger stayed solid. Chance and Charles did a good job, too. Cedrick, Zack, and Brandon made some big catches for us.” Defensively, Jack was very pleased with the Broncos’ effort.

“Our defense did a great job for us,” Jack said. “JoJo Cartwright had 11 tackles and a caused fumble and recovered fumble. Dustin Crump had 13 tackles and a recovered fumble, Cedrick had a huge interception, Mason had nine tackles, and Laroe and Cornell had fumble recoveries. Also, Bryce Hatley and Caleb Cobb were solid on defense.”

Jack was also pleased with the play of several freshmen players.

“Marshal Johnson came in and had two tackles and a fumble recovery, Riley Shadle played well, and Taylon Knorpp caused a fumble,” Jack said.

Jack was happy to see that all the Broncos were on the same page and knew it came at a crucial time.

“You could see the momentum switch in our favor,” Jack said. “I have to give our defense a lot of credit as they created most of the turnovers.”

“We did what we had to do,” Jack said. “It was one of the most exciting come-from-behind wins that I’ve ever seen. The guys will never forget it.”

The Broncos will battle one more time in District play next Friday at 7:00 pm when they host Memphis in a huge game.

“We’re still battling,” Jack said. “And we’re getting better every day. We need a big crowd at home. We’re still in the chase.”