Broncos lose District game to Quanah

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos played a solid game against a good Quanah team Friday night at home, but a couple of miscues led to a 13-14 loss.

The Broncos battled hard in the evenly matched game but could not convert the extra point after Keandre Cortez ran it in from one yard out in the second quarter of play. It was also Cortez who gave the Broncos their first six points in the opening quarter on a 23-yard run with Clay Koetting adding the bonus kick.

The Broncos trailed the Indians in total yards for the night with 229 and 384 for Quanah. Quarterback Bryce Hatley was five for seven passing for 88 yards with one interception. But according to head coach Gary Jack, the Broncos had opportunities to best the ranked team.

“It was a good game against a good team,” Jack said. “They were picked to win by 27 points, and we had chances to beat them.”

The Broncos were inside the red zone, but a penalty moved them back. The following play, the Broncos had a miscue on offense, which put them back even farther. They were unable to make up the lost yardage and regain their scoring position.

“We played a solid game on both sides of the ball,” Jack said. “That’s two games we’ve came up short and lost those two by only four points total. It was two games we could have won.”

Jack thought the Broncos did a good job defensively, with Caleb Cobb racking up 12 tackles, Taylon Knorpp nine tackles and one sack, and Justin Christopher with six tackles and two sacks. He also noted Daquawne Oliver, Damarjae Cortez, and Clay Koetting with playing a solid game.

“Offensively, Keandre had 134 total yards with two touchdowns,” Jack said. “It was a big night for him. Junior Ceniceros caught five passes and our line blocked well all night.”

It was a tough loss for the Broncos and they will know they will have another battle this Friday night in Crosbyton.

“It will be a tough game again,” Jack said. “We need to play well. But I am proud of our kids for the way they came out and played. They did an exceptional job and executed well. It was a tough week of practice with everything going on, but the kids were focused. The coaches did a good job of getting ready. We would have loved to had pulled this game out.”

The Broncos will be on the road Friday, October 23, in another District match up with Crosbyton and play at 7:00 p.m.