Sports

By Sandy Anderberg

Senior Bronco Charles Mason has been named the Defensive Player of the Year by participating coaches in District 2.

Mason has played a huge role in the success of the Broncos the last four years. His quickness and fundamental strengths on the court allowed the Broncos to be at the top of their district each season.

Bryce Grahn and Chance Lockhart were named to the All-District team as well. Grahn and Lockhart are young, but gained valuable experience on the court this year and were also instrumental in the success of the team. Cedrick McCampbell and Junior Ceniceros were given honorable mentions for their work on the court.

According to coach Brandt Lockhart, several Broncos were named to the Academic All-District Team. Cedrick McCampbell, Chesson Sims, Riley Shadle, Chance Lockhart, Bryce Grahn, and Colt Wood were recognized for not only their play on the court, but their attention to maintaining high standards in the classroom as well.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Annual Alumni game was played last Saturday at the CHS Softball field with about 14 players representing the Alumni. The Lady Broncos defeated the Alumni, 20-4.

“It was a lot of fun seeing the exes return and play,” coach Gary Jack said. “Our girls played pretty good with Briley (Chadwick) and Sterling (King) doing the pitching and Taylor (DeGrate) catching. “Skyler (White), Karlee (Adams), King, Taylor (Gaines), Brooke (Martin), Chadwick, Shelby (Baxter), Jensen (Hatley), Brittney (McAnear), and Hannah (Hommel) all had good hits in the game. We played solid defense for the most part.”

Jack was excited with the turnout for the Alumni and all of the exes were glad to be back on the field.

“Thanks again to the ex-players for coming back to play in the Alumni game. It was fun as usual.”

The Lady Broncos will play at Booker on Friday at 4:00 p.m.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos outhit the Wildcats four to one but were not able to post the runs on the board and suffered a 2-4 loss last week.

According to coach Brad Elam, Bryce Hatley had a hot bat for the Broncos going one for four from the plate, driving in one run and scoring one run. Hatley also homered in the third inning. Zack LaRoe was on the mound and did a great job against River Road holding them hitless for over four innings. He allowed no earned runs, walked four, and struck out six.

The Broncos were able to post a run in the third and one in the sixth when Hatley homered.

On Friday, the Broncos smashed Wellington 17-2 in five innings. The Broncos exploded in the fourth inning when they scored 10 of their 17 runs. Andy Davis got things rolling on an RBI single, and then Nathan Shadle slammed a two-run single. Hatley connected on an RBI single, and LaRoe made good on an RBI double. Nick Shadle scored once, and brother Nathan doubled again for the Broncos before the inning was done.

Chance Lockhart was on the mound and Wellington struggled against his pitching. Lockhart allowed no earned runs, walked no hitters, and struck out four in his two innings on the plate. Kade Hunsaker hit an RBI double and Shadle struck again with a two-run single to top off the scoring.

Over the weekend the Broncos played in a tournament in Fritch. They defeated Dalhart 14-2, and then beat Fritch 7-5, before losing to San Jacinto 4-15. They took on Dimmit in the last game and earned an 8-3 win.

Elam was pleased with the performance by the Broncos in the tournament.

“We had a very good spring break,” he said. “We got to play outside in the nice weather and get four good games in. I was very pleased with the way we played in every game. Minus one inning, we had a very strong tournament.”

Elam also said several players got to play in a lot of different spots.

“We are still looking for the right mix once district comes around,” Elam said. “Seven different pitchers saw action, and I was very pleased with the way they performed. I thought we made a few too many errors in the field, but we have not had a chance to work much outside due to weather. Offensively, I though we hit the ball well. I thought our base running was good as well, and we are looking good heading into district in two weeks.”

The Broncos will play at home against Shamrock on Friday, March 20, at 4:00 p.m. Thursday and Saturday, the Bronco JV will play in the Nazareth tournament.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos and Lady Broncos competed in the Pantex Relays hosted by Sanford-Fritch last week with the ladies finishing in sixth place with 60 points and the boys finishing eighth with 32 points.

Abby Johnson posted the lone first-place finish for the Lady Broncos with a big win in the 400-meter dash at a time of 1:05.53. She also finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.83, which was only one one-hundredth of a second out of first.

Lady Bronco results: 100-meter dash: Amelia Weatherton 2nd 13.28; 400-meter dash: Johnson 1st, MaRae Hall 5th 1:10.67, Shaelyn Owitti 6th 1:10.91; 100m hurdles: Taylor DeGrate 3rd 17.53; long jump: Weatherton 2nd 15’ ¾”, Taylor Gaines 5th 14’6″; shot put: Berkeley Alexander 3rd 31’6″; discus: Alexander 5th 90’.

Bronco results: 100-meter dash: Charles Mason 6th 11.70; 200-meter dash: Cedrick McCampbell 6th 24.28; 400-meter dash: Colt Wood 3rd 55.53, Caleb Cobb 5th 55.96; 800-meter run: Cobb 3rd 2:18.31; 400-meter relay: 5th 47.31 (Steven Johnson, Keandre Cortez, McCampbell, Mason); long jump: Mason 2nd 21’2 ½”; triple jump: McCampbell 4th 39’10 ½”.

The Broncos and Lady Broncos will participate in the Shamrock track meet on March 12.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos racked up run after run in their 39-21 romp of West Texas High last Saturday. The win put Clarendon at 1-0 in district play.

“This was the longest five-inning game I have ever been a part of,” head coach Gary Jack said. “The WTH pitchers struggled throwing strikes and they walked us a lot. It was a crazy long game, but we survived and won.”

The Lady Broncos had the Lady Commanches down 25-6 in the second inning and went up 39-11 in the third without ever trailing. Briley Chadwick was on the mound for four innings before Sterling King came in to close. Taylor DeGrate was behind the plate and, according to Jack, did a good job at that position. Offensively, Jack had several players who hit the ball well. He gave credit to Brooke Martin, Taylor Gaines, Skyler White, Chadwick, Karlee Adams, Shelby Baxter, and King.

“We made some good plays on defense but made a couple of mistakes, also,” Jack said. “We just have not had any practice outside and have had only two days of outside practice so far, with the rest being in the gym. We are still doing well and getting that win at WTH to open district play was really big.”

The Lady Broncos played a junior varsity game following the first game and won 13-6. Allyson Hogan was on the mound with Hannah Hommel behind the plate.

“Allyson pitched well and Hannah caught a good game,” Jack said. “Zaryia Smith, Baxter, King, and Martin made some nice hits.”

The Lady Broncos will take on the CHS Alumni on Saturday, March 14, at 1:00 at the Lady Bronco field.

“This game is always a lot of fun and there will be about 15 ex-players coming back to play,” Jack said.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos put up a great fight, but were narrowly knocked out of the post-season play last Tuesday night by the Gruver Greyhounds at 56-50. It was a hard-fought battle the entire game, but the Broncos could not convert crucial shots and Gruver came out on top.

The Broncos had a great season and went undefeated in the first half of District play finishing 22-8 overall. They finished second behind Wellington in the district race, who was knocked out in the Area round by Farwell. Gruver lost by two points in the Area round after taking Panhandle to overtime. The Broncos trailed the Greyhounds by six points after the first period, but worked their way back in the game to tie their opponent at the break. Gruver posted a fairly strong third quarter to lead by five and they were able to hold that spread until the end.

The Broncos came back to only trail by three late in the game, but fouls allowed Gruver to go to the bonus line where they shot 70 percent from the line. The Broncos shot 78 percent from the bonus, but shot only nine compared to twenty for Gruver.

“We had our opportunities at the end, but it just did not happen for us,” head coach Brandt Lockhart said. “I was pleased the way we fought the whole game.”

Senior Charles Mason led the Broncos with 18 points and three steals and Chance Lockhart helped with 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Colt Wood put in nine points and senior Cedrick McCampbell had six points and eight rebounds. Riley Shadle and Bryce Grahn each had two points on the night. Grahn also had four assists and two steals and Taylon Knorpp took two charges.

“I was proud of the way these players worked hard all year,” Lockhart said. “This team had all nine players step up all year long and do things that do not show up in the stats. Coach Gaines and I really enjoyed coaching the JV and varsity this year. We enjoyed coaching Charles and Cedrick for the four years.”

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos needed to get a win at home Friday night against Quanah in order to secure second-place in the District race with Wellington sitting atop the list for first place in District play. After losing to Wellington Tuesday night, the Broncos were determined and earned the 65-49 win over Quanah at home on Friday night.

Clarendon jumped all over the Indians early in the game as they played a stellar first quarter. Defensively, the Broncos stopped the Indians in single digits in the first eight minutes and stunned them with their offensive attack. The Broncos remained in control throughout the game and never gave the Indians a chance to get in the game.

“We did a good job of passing the ball down the court and getting easy baskets,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “We also were able to get turnovers and turn them into fast break points.”

Lockhart was excited about the success the Broncos had early on.

“It was our best first quarter of the year,” he said. “Charles, Riley, and Colt did a good job of keeping one of their top players scoreless.”

Chance Lockhart finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and three steals. Charles Mason was on fire as well with 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals, while Jr. Ceniceros put in 11 points, grabbed five rebounds with five assists. Bryce Grahn had eight points, four assists, and four steals and Riley Shadle put in five points. Cedrick McCampbell added four points and three steals and Colt Wood had three points and Chesson Sims helped with two points. The Broncos shot 66 percent from the free throw line and put in four three pointers for the game. Lockhart connected on three from the arc in the first quarter of play.

The Broncos went up against Wellington at home Tuesday night and despite giving their all, fell short at 54-73. The Rockets led from the get go and held an eight-point lead at the break.

The game stayed close until the fourth quarter when the Broncos could only muster eight points compared to 21 for the Rockets. The teams were fairly even from the three-point line with the Broncos hitting seven and the Rockets putting in six. The Broncos made five for nine from the bonus line and Wellington shot 71 percent from the charity stripe.

“We did not get stops when we needed them in the fourth quarter,” Lockhart said. “Wellington played very well.”

Grahn led the way with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Mason put in 10 points, had three assists and four steals. Lockhart added seven points and six rebounds and McCampbell and Ceniceros finished with seven points. Wood put in four points and Shadle had two.

The first playoff game for the Broncos will announced at a later time.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos traveled to Shamrock Friday and came home with a 36-35 win over the Irish.

The Broncos led 11-0 in the first quarter of play but allowed the Irish to get back in the game before the break.

The second half of the game was tight, but the Broncos held on to get the win.

“I was very pleased with our effort,” head coach Brandt Lockhart said. “We did a good job of getting the win in the last few minutes and it was Shamrock’s first loss of the season at home. With the win, the Broncos clenched a playoff berth.”

Chance Lockhart put in 11 points in the game and was the top rebounder with eight. He also had four steals in the game. Charles Mason had seven points, and Bryce Grahn put in six. Mason also grabbed seven rebounds. Junior Ceniceros finished with five points and Colt Wood had three. Wood had two steals and took two charges on the night.

Earlier in the week, the Broncos traveled to Memphis to take on the Cyclones in a district match up. Despite playing hard, the Broncos were defeated, 47-70. The Broncos only trailed the Cyclones by three after the first quarter of play, but were outscored in the next period by 12 points. The third quarter of play was as devastating as the second was and the Broncos could not recover.

“You know what they say; ‘It is hard to play a good team three times,’” Lockhart said. “We did not shoot the ball well and Memphis outplayed us on all phases of the game.”

Wood finished with 16 points to lead the Broncos on the board, six rebounds and two steals, and Mason had 14 points. Chesson Sims put in five points, and Grahn had six. Grahn also had three assists. Ceniceros had three, McCampbell had three, and Taylon Knorpp had two. Lockhart had six rebounds and three steals.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos traveled to Memphis last Tuesday night to take on the Memphis Lady Cyclones; and after four eight-minute quarters, the Lady Broncos walked away with a huge 52-41 win.

After finishing the first quarter of play, the Lady Broncos trailed by three points, but closed the gap in the second eight minutes. They were able to back on track as they executed their offense game.

After the break, the Lady Broncos were able to control the tempo of the game and also the scoreboard to take over the lead and the momentum. Taylor DeGrate hit two big three-pointers in the final half to spark the ladies and Taylor Gaines made good on several field goals. All the Lady Broncos contributed to the win, and they shot 59 percent from the bonus line.

DeGrate led the ladies with 19 and Gaines had 18. Allyson Grahn put in nine, Carlee Johnson had four, and Hannah Howard put in two.

On Friday night, the Lady Broncos traveled to Shamrock and were defeated by two points at 53-51. They played hard in the game but could not hold on to the lead.

Shamrock took the early lead, but a good offensive surge in the second quarter allowed the ladies to get back up on top. They were able to hold that lead until the final period. Grahn was on target from the three-point arc as she nailed five three-pointers. She finished with 18 points. Degrate added 16 and Johnson put in nine, which included two three-pointers. Gaines had four, Hannah Hommel and Briley Chadwick had two each.

 

By Shanna Smith, Clarendon College

Gabrelle Gloria did all she could to give Clarendon College a boost, but it wasn’t enough to get past Western Oklahoma State, as the Lady Bulldogs lost, 10-6, in seven innings at Altus, Okla., on Monday.

Gloria was hot from the plate for the Lady Bulldogs and went 1-4 and scored three runs. She tripled in the fourth inning.

Even though Jennifer Wolf allowed six runs over seven innings she still recorded the victory. She struck out three, walked one and surrendered 10 hits.

Western Oklahoma’s Dayna Reynolds, Justine Romero and Kriston Shumaker combined for five hits and three RBIs.

Gloria ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with the loss. She allowed eight runs in 4 2/3 innings, walked three and struck out four.

WOS jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. The Oklahoma rally started when Romero singled. A groundout by Miranda Gonzales then moved Romero from first to second. Shumaker singled, plating Romero. WOS pushed more runs across when Shumaker scored on an RBI single by Megan Birchfield.

Western Oklahoma scored one run in the third inning, and then followed it up with one more in the sixth. In the third, WOS scored on an RBI single by Jessica Forrester, scoring Reynolds.

The Lady Bulldogs scored two runs in each of the fourth, fifth and seventh. Despite the team effort, Paige Lafferty, Bailey Carter, and Korynna Lara all had a multiple hit game.

Two runs in the top of the seventh helped the CC women close their deficit to 10-6. A groundout by Ryata Daniel and a steal of home by Gloria gave the Lady Bulldogs life. Wolf ended the game by getting Cassidy Brumaghin to ground out.