Morgan Wheatly

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos gave their all against El Paso Harmony in the Regional Tournament Friday night in Levelland, but fell short in their attempt at extended post-season play. The Broncos succumbed to the charter school and were defeated 50-72.

Things did not go well for the Broncos in the first half of play, and the Tigers roared to a huge lead as they were able to connect on several three-point shots. The inside work of their 7’3″ post did not hurt the Broncos offensively. Because of the height difference, post Adam Topper had to be very creative with his shots and made good on several shots underneath the basket. But after two quarters of play, the Broncos trailed the Tigers, 14-34.

“We did not shoot the ball very well the first half and got too far behind,” coach Brandt Lockhart said.

The Broncos came out determined in the second half and played strong. But the deficit was too big and Clarendon had to foul to get the ball out of the Tigers’ hands.

Cole Ward lit up the last two quarters of play and finished with 27 points to lead the Broncos on the scoreboard and added 16 rebounds for a double double.

The Broncos finished a great season at 22-11 and will miss the seniors who have labored for four years.

“I thought we played very well in the second half, but we were too far behind,” Lockhart said. “I am very proud of this bunch and their effort this year. Like always, my staff and I enjoyed coaching this group of seniors the last three years.”

Scoring: Ward 27, Topper 13, Santos 4, Johnson 3, and Wood 3.

The Broncos will say good-bye to Adam Topper, Cole Ward, Trajen Johnson, Diego Santos, Cody Wood, and Jonah Sell.

Earlier in the week, the Broncos defeated the Stratford Elks in the Region 1-1A Division II quarterfinal in Amarillo 57-32 to earn their trip to the Regional Tournament. According to Lockhart, the Broncos’ defense made the big difference in the game, and the Elks could not handle the pressure.

Scoring: Topper 19, Johnson 15, Ward 14, Santos 6, Mason 2, and Wood 1.

Congratulations on a great season, Broncos!

Plans are underway for the first Chance Mark Jones Memorial 5K Walk/Run to be held this April to coincide with Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The Clarendon Lions Club is hosting the event, which will be held on Saturday, April 13, in conjunction with the Donley County Child Welfare Board. The race is intended to bring the community together to honor the life of four-year-old Chance Mark Jones, who died from abuse in 2011.

The race will start and end at the Community Fellowship Church and will run along the scenic JA Ranch Road. The start time is 8 a.m.

The event is expected to draw several out-of-town athletes to the community, as running events continue to gain in popularity and participation in them increases. Sponsorships are also being sought to support the race.

Proceeds will go towards a playground project that can be enjoyed by all the children of Donley County.

Those interested in running or walking in the 5K (a little more than three miles) can register online at http://bit.ly/XYvkxn. Registrations may also be picked up in person at the Clarendon Visitor Center located at the Mulkey Theatre, 110 S. Kearney.

For more information, contact event chairman Chandra Eggemeyer by email at tourism@cityofclarendontx.com or by calling 806.874.2421 (office) or 325.234.3401 (cell). Information is also available at www.ClarendonEDC.org.

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

The dreaded Blizzard of 2013 kept folks inside but didn’t bury Donley County the way it did in other areas across the Panhandle Sunday night and throughout the day Monday.

While Amarillo received around a foot and a half of snow with drifts as high as six feet, Clarendon’s snowfall was considerably less – two or three inches by some measures – and blew so much that there was still some bare ground in a few areas Tuesday morning.

Tommie Saye, Clarendon’s Cooperative Observer for the National Weather Service, officially measured 0.53 inches of precipitation during the storm, and that came in the form of rain, sleet, small hail, and snow.

Clarendon ISD and Clarendon College canceled classes Monday as did Hedley ISD, and snow and wind forced state officials to shut down US 287 from Childress to Amarillo and Interstate 40 through the entire Panhandle.

TxDOT crews and other emergency personnel worked throughout the storm, and the American Red Cross opened a shelter at Clarendon’s First United Methodist Church. Six people stayed in the shelter here. By contrast, more than 100 took shelter in Claude where the storm had a greater impact.

Poor road conditions Monday night and Tuesday morning, caused Clarendon ISD and Clarendon College to start classes late while classes were canceled altogether in Hedley and at the CC Pampa Center.

By late Tuesday afternoon, most highways in the Panhandle were back open.

The storm prompted several schedule changes at the Clarendon Public School.

The Broncos’ playoff game against Stratford scheduled for Tuesday was moved to Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at Tascosa High School. National Honor Society inductions and Concert and Site Reading Contests slated for this week for Clarendon High School were canceled. The high school’s track meet in Childress has been moved from Friday to Thursday at the same time as the junior high meet.

 Clarendon ISD officials say the school will hold classes on April 29 to make up for Monday’s snow day.