By Sandy Anderberg
The Clarendon Broncos gave it their all at home Friday night in their 19-21 loss in the last regular season game of the season against Panhandle.
Even though they did not get the win, the Broncos showed a lot of heart and determination. Two points and one questionable call on a called back touchdown proved to be the difference in the game and the playoff seeding. The Broncos will now go into the playoffs in the number three seed, and the Panthers will have the number one seed.
The Broncos struck first for six when Charleston Harris ran it in from five yards out, and Cole Ward added the kick. But Panhandle grabbed the momentum and put up three touchdowns before the break, and the Broncos trailed by eight going into the break. Wes Williams scored in the second quarter on a three-yard run to narrow the gap.
“It was quite a game,” head coach Gary Jack said. “We played hard and outplayed them on the field, but the two missed extra points cost us the game.”
The Broncos scored again in the second half when Charles Mason made good on a two-yard run. The Broncos went for two and fell short.
“We had a guy wide open,” Jack said. “We just missed him.”
After the missed extra point, the Broncos got another chance to put six on the board and take the lead, but the touchdown was called back on a questionable call. But the Broncos battled all night and shut the Panthers out in the second half of play.
“It was a very physical game,” Jack said. “(Panhandle) definitely knew we were around. We played hard enough to win, and we had the momentum, but it just didn’t reflect that on the board.”
Jack gave credit to the awesome blocking from the offensive line and great defensive play from several Broncos.
“We are playing better and better,” he said. “And most of that is due to the fact that we are getting healthy. We’re not 100 percent yet, but we are getting there.”
Defensively, Trevor Cobb and Diego Santos had good games with Cobb getting an interception. Tyler Smith and Jerami Johnson each had several tackles and interceptions. Cole Ward had one fumble recovery and one caused fumble, and the Pigg brothers and Nathan Dziedzic had great games.
“We stepped up and dominated the second half,” Jack said. “It was a battle inside, and we played extremely hard.”
The Broncos will have to ride that intensity, as they take on Canadian in the first round of the playoffs on Friday, November 11, at Pampa High School at 5:00 p.m.
“We are going to play one of the best teams in the state,” Jack said. “We’ll have to play hard and physical. They are a solid team.”
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