Sports

By Sandy Anderberg

A solid running attack gave the Broncos a big Homecoming win in Bronco Stadium last Friday night.

With the momentum of a 14-7 halftime lead, the Broncos pushed through the second half with no doubt they would the win. The win put the Broncos at 4-0 for the year.

Racking up a huge 331 yards on the ground, the Broncos used their strength, and Daquawne Oliver to finish on top. Oliver was a beast with 175 yards on 16 carries that netted him four Clarendon touchdowns. He had runs of four, five, 47, and 50 yards for scores on the night to lead the Broncos in the win. Damarjae Cortez accounted for the other Bronco score on a 46-yard run in the second quarter.

“I thought our kids played really wee Friday against Gruver,” head coach Clint Conkin said. “Our defense played great and we held Gruver to 76 total yards rushing. They did throw for 200 yards, but our secondary covered well all night.”

Defensively, the Broncos were strong. Noab Elam and Colt Wood both had interceptions in the game and several players knocked down Greyhound passes.

The Bronco offense lit up the night and posted 346 total yards. Even though the Bronco passing game finished with only 15 yards against 205 for Gruver, the Broncos filled in the gaps on the ground.

“We had several different kids run the ball,” Conkin said.

Along with Oliver, Cortez had five carries for 64 yards and Preston Elam had three carries for 36 yards. Ryan McCleskey ran with the ball seven times for 17 yards, and Noab Elam posted 25 yards on five carries. Dalton Benson carried twice for seven yards, and Antwan Bassett and Collin Butler each carried one time for three yards. The receivers were hard at work as well with Bear Smith and Colt Wood grabbing one pass each for six and seven yards, respectively. Reston Elam also had one reception for two yards and caught a pass from brother Noab for a two-point bonus in the second quarter.

The Broncos will travel to Booker on Friday, September 29, for their last pre-district game beginning at 7:30 p.m.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos are 2-0 on the year and looking to keep their winning record alive as they take the week to prepare for a road trip to Wheeler next Friday.

Their big win over S-E, gave them the momentum they need to hit the Mustangs head on and continue to prepare for their district schedule, which begins October 13.

The Broncos stepped out in style and racked up 328 total yards in the game compared to only 135 for the Wolverines. Clarendon’s ground game was hard to stop as they ran for 282 yards. All of the Bronco scores came on the ground as Daquawne Oliver earned the first six on a 10-yard run and Cortez scampered 15 yards for the second TD to put the Broncos up by 16.

“We had several guys carry the ball,” head coach Clint Conkin said. “Daquawne Oliver had nine carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan McCleskey had 16 carries for 81 yards, and Damarjae Cortez had six carries for 73 yards and one touchdown.”

Others adding to the Bronco offense were Preston Elam with four carries for 30 yards, Collin Butler had one carry for 5 yards, and Antwan Bassett had three carries for 15 yards. Conkin said Noab Elam was five of eight passing for 65 yards, and Preston Elam caught two passes for 23 yards. Bear Smith caught three passes for 42 yards and a two-point conversion, while Cortez returned a kick off 75 yards for a touchdown.

“I thought we played really well the first half,” Conkin said. “We had some mistakes in the third quarter but came back and finished strong. Our defense played great. We held S-E to 21 yards rushing and 103 yards passing. We allowed only six first downs for them.”

The Broncos will travel to Wheeler on Friday, September 15, with the game beginning at 7:00 pm.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos are 1-0 in their 2017 football season after a 26-13 win over the Shamrock Irish last Friday night in Bronco Stadium.

The Irish offense was big according to head coach Clint Conkin, but the Bronco defense was able to hold them to 211 total yards in the game. Offensively, the Broncos were able to spread out their yardage with 271 yards on the ground and 107 yards passing.

“I thought the kids played really well,” Conkin said. “Our defense played great. I thought our offensive line blocked really well considering how big Shamrock was up front.”

Several Broncos posted good runs in the game. Daquawne Oliver had 11 carries for a total of 114 yards and Damarjae Cortez posted eight times carrying for 84 yards and one of the Bronco touchdowns. Preston Elam carried once for two yards, and Dalton Benson went nine yards on one carry. Ryan McCleskey had a good night rushing posting 74 yards with 21 carries.

Noab Elam was in charge the offense at the quarterback spot and went 8-12 passing for 107 yards and one touchdown.

“We had several different receivers catch passes,” Conkin said. “Nathan Shadle had one five-yard catch, and Bear Smith scored one TD. Elam connected with Andy Davis once for six yards and Cortez ran a 13-yard route for a catch.

“I thought our kids played great the first half,” Conkin said. “We got a little tired the second half but that’s to be expected the first game of the season. We will play our way into shape and be able to put all four quarters together. I’m proud of the way these guys are working and learning every day.”

The Broncos will be on the road this Friday night when they travel to Springlake-Earth to play at 7:30 p.m.

By Sandy Anderberg

Both the Clarendon High School Lady Broncos and junior high Lady Colts made a great showing against the Lady Cyclones last Thursday in a dual meet in Memphis at the City Park.

Jade Benson won first in the Varsity division and Gracie Shadle was second.  Kira Weatherton was third, and Amnesty Oatman came in fourth. Brooke Duncan ran fifth for the ladies, and Aubrey Jaramillo was sixth.

Ashlyn Newsome ran first in the Junior Varsity division, and Kailee Osburn was second. Sandrea Smith was third, Regan Allen fourth, and Jordan Thomas fifth.

The Lady Colts ran hard as well and eighth grader Madison Smith took the top spot.  Aliyah Weatherton was third, Emeri Robinson was fourth, Aleyah Weatherton was fifth, and Lillie Dale finished sixth.

“Overall, Clarendon girls had a great showing against Memphis,” coach Korey Conkin said.  “The number of Lady Broncos and Lady Colts that have come out to run cross country and get stronger are amazing.  We love seeing these girls compete and learn about true grit.”

The Lady Broncos will run on Saturday, September 9, in the Amarillo Invitational.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos are ready for the start of their 2017-18 football season wrapping up their practice games with a scrimmage at home against Electra last Thursday.

According to head coach Clint Conkin, the Broncos did a good job.

“The scrimmage ended up 7-1 in favor of the Broncos,” Conkin said. “The defense played great. We only allowed five first downs for Electra, and we had three interceptions on defense.”

Offensively, the Broncos are still learning a new offense implemented by Conkin but looked impressive as they found the end zone seven times.

“Daquawne Oliver scored two touchdowns on one-yard and 70-yards runs,” Conkin said. “Ryan McCleskey scored a touchdown on a 120-yard run, and Antwan Bassett scored a touchdown on a 58-yard run.”

Hitting the end zone numerous times for the Broncos was Collin Butler. He was able to rack up three scores in the game. One on a 70-yard run, one 9-yard run, and another 52-yard run.

At the quarterback spot, Noab Elam went 7 for 11 passing for 59 total yards to several different receivers.

“Our offensive line blocked really well,” Conkin said. “I thought our kids played great. We still have some things to improve on, but our guys are picking up the new offense in a hurry. I am extremely proud of our guys and look forward to starting the season off Friday night against Shamrock here at Clarendon.”

The opening game for the Broncos will be in Bronco Stadium on Friday, September 1, at 7:30 p.m.

By Sandy Anderberg

Clarendon High School’s new head coach and Athletic Director Clint Conkin stepped on the field as the leader of the Broncos in a scrimmage held in Bovina last Friday night to kick off the 2017-18 football season.

Conkin brings 16 years of experience to the Broncos and is excited for the opportunity to guide the maroon and white.

According to Conkin, the Broncos are running a new offense this year and so far things are going well.

“Everybody did good (at the scrimmage),” Conkin said. “We are still learning the offense, but I was pleased with their execution.”

The Broncos finished one touchdown up on Bovina scoring three TD’s to their two. Bear Smith made good on one, and Collin Butler was able to find the end zone twice.

Defensively, Conkin felt the Broncos made a good showing as well.

“Our defense did well and had a good goal-line stand when Bovina was on the one. Both sides of the ball played well.”

The Broncos will face off against Electra at home in another scrimmage next Thursday night, August 24, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are excited and ready for the first game.”

After the Electra scrimmage, CHS will host “Meet the Broncos” on the football field. They will introduce the team at that time. As of now, they have 29 players on the varsity but will not play a junior varsity schedule. Seniors on the team are Andy Davis, Damarjae Cortez, Justin Christopher, Daquawne Oliver, Clay White, Nathan Shadle, and Colt Wood. There will be introductions of the cross-country team as well.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos’ stellar post season was cut short last weekend as they fell in three games to number five ranked West Texas.

The first game was played Friday night at Amarillo High, and the Broncos were defeated 7-8 The Broncos led most of the game with Kade Hunsaker on the mound, but the Comanches rallied back in the sixth inning. Clarendon was up 7-1 until the fifth when WT put three runs on the board to cut into the big lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Broncos had their opponent just where they wanted them, with two outs. But bases were loaded, and the hitter found an opening in right field that scored all four runs.

On Saturday, the Broncos were ready to avenge their loss from the night before. After a back and forth game with six lead changes, the Broncos dug in deep to get the 9-8 win.

WT was on the board first and took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. But Clarendon got back in it and worked hard to get the win. In the bottom of the seventh, Josh Cobb and Nick Shadle got on base with singles. Hunsaker came up to bat and hit a deep ball to left center, which allowed Cobb and Shadle to put two on the board for the win. Cobb, Andy Davis, and Hunsaker all had multiple hits for the Broncos.

Game three was the deciding game for the series. The Broncos struggled to find their rhythm and were defeated 1-5 allowing WT to earn the Regional Quarterfinals trophy.

The Broncos’ lone run came in the second inning. WT put their final run on the board in the fifth, but Clarendon was not able to answer.

“I was really proud of how these kids fought every pitch of every game during the playoffs,” coach Brad Elam said. “We had five one-run games out of the last six. We came from behind to win three games and had a walk off double in game two against WT. I would have liked to still be playing, but I can’t say enough about how hard these kids played. They never gave up even when behind.

“We had many people say they have never seen anything like what we just went through. We definitely gave the fans their money’s worth. Everyone experienced all ranges of emotions and we will take with us many, many good memories.”

The Broncos finished their 2017 season 23-3-1.