Sports

By Fred Gray

The Hedley Owls fell to the Groom Tigers, 38-12, in their season opener in Groom, last Friday, August 31. The Owls’ defense was scrappy and tough, imposing its will on the Groom offense. The Groom offense may have been bigger and faster than Hedley, but the Owls’ defense dominated the first half with gang tackling and players flying to the ball.

On offense, after Groom took a six to zero lead with a 46 yard run by Brady Painter, Hedley immediately answered when Tanner Chambless scampered five yards for a touchdown. Klaiton Moore, Hedley’s version of the Lone Ranger, set up the touchdown with a sparkling 32 yard kickoff return after Groom’s touchdown.

After each team scored on their first possession, neither team was unable to punch the ball into the end zone for the remainder of the first half. Late in the first half, Hedley put together a long drive that started on their 26 yard line and ended on downs at the Groom 12 yard line. Groom then ran out the final 1:38 of the first half.

In the second half, the overall team speed and size of Groom eventually wore down the Hedley defense. Trailing 22 – 6 in the second half, Hedley scored again, thanks to two long runs, of 25 and a 35 yard touchdown, by senior running back Coltin Kingston, cutting the Groom lead to 10 points.

Groom’s superior size and speed took over, and the Tigers stretched their lead to the final score, 38-12. The Owls played their hearts out and left everything on the field. They have absolutely nothing to hang their heads about and should be proud of their efforts. The game was hard fought and very entertaining.

The Owls travel to Lefors this Friday, September. Kickoff is at 7:30 PM.

By Sandy Anderberg

Bronco football is back and they opened their 2012 season with a scrimmage against Bovina at home Friday night.

According to head coach Gary Jack, the Broncos performed well in the contest. “Everything went good,” Jack said. “We saw some things we needed to see and we were pleased.”

 The Mustangs racked up 50 yards in their first possession, but were soon stopped by the Bronco defense, which impressed the coaches. Clarendon only allowed Bovina to gain only another 27 yards on the entire night. While the Bronco defense limited their opponents’ offense, they fought through offensively with 115 yards of their own.

“There wasn’t much scoring in the game,” Jack said. “We scored once and they didn’t score at all. But we could have easily put more points on the board.”

Penalties seemed to be a nemesis for the Bronco offense on the night, but Jack knows those problems can be fixed. The junior varsity players saw some action and finished with good results as well.

“The JV offense had a total of 78 yards and only allowed Bovina to gain 24 yards,” Jack said. “They did a good job.”

Overall, the coaches were pleased with the Broncos’ play and are gearing up for one more scrimmage before the season starts. “We saw a lot of good stuff,” Jack said. “Everybody got to play and both older and younger did a good job. We need to polish up on offense, correct our misfires, and get ready for White Deer.”

The Broncos will travel to White Deer Thursday, August 23, for their last scrimmage and then open their 2012 season at home Friday, August 31, against Tulia with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

The Hedley Owls football season is under way under the direction of new head football coach Darrell Wallace. Wallace brings 15 years of sixman football experience to Hedley and says he likes what he sees so far.

“The town of Hedley as well as the school have been extremely welcoming and supportive” said Wallace. “The players are working hard and hungry to win. I am looking forward to seeing all their hard work pay off.” “This is one of the best senior classes I have had the pleasure of coaching. They are setting the bar very high and being very positive leaders.”

The owls are also welcoming assistant football coach and Head basketball coach Garrett Bains to the sixman ranks. Bains, who is in his second year of coaching is coaching sixman for the first time. “Coach Bains is a God send”, Wallace said of Bains. “He is like a sponge when it comes to learning the system and the overall program that we are trying to put in here. He brings a lot of energy and a great work ethic.”

The Owls will begin their season with a scrimmage at Lefors beginning at 5:00 on Friday.

Clarendon College announced last week that it has hired Devin McIntosh as the new Bulldog Baseball head coach and Raquel Hawkins as the new head coach of the Lady Bulldog softball team.

McIntosh accepted the position on June 21 and will come to Clarendon immediately.  McIntosh was assistant coach at Richland College before accepting the new position at Clarendon. He succeeds Chris Joblin who resigned to take a position at Galveston College.

Coach McIntosh has coached for eight years and brings NCAA Division I experience to Clarendon College coaching at two different DI programs at Nigeria University and University at Buffalo. In addition, he has also coached in three of the premier summer collegiate wooden bat leagues – Cape Cod League, Great Lakes Collegiate Baseball League, and Northwoods Collegiate League.

He has coached over 100 players who have been drafted or signed free agent contracts with Major League Baseball including six first-round draft picks and ten major leaguers.

McIntosh is attending showcases and scheduling try outs to fill the squad for the upcoming year.

“He and his fiancé will marry in August and they look forward to getting settled in Clarendon,” CC Athletic Director John Green said.  “Coach McIntosh looks to build a strong baseball program and involve his team in the community and surrounding area this fall.”

Hawkins was raised in Monahans and started her collegiate career at WJCAC opponent Western Texas College where she was on the team that advanced to the NJCAA National Softball Tournament.  After earning numerous honors she was recruited to Lubbock Christian University where, in the first year of the softball program at LCU, they won the NAIA National Championship. Hawkins is an NFCA All American and has earned 17 other conference and region awards on her resume.

As an assistant coach at both Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University, Hawkins created a network of coaches at the four-year level which will benefit her as she starts recruiting softball players to Clarendon.

“Raquel is the real deal,” Green said.  “I am amazed at the respect she has across all levels of college softball. She was endorsed by many coaches and has big plans for the CC Softball Program.”

Hawkins follows Coach Candra Crittendon who resigned following her husband’s relocation to another job.

Green says Hawkins has hit the ground running and has scheduled recruiting events across the Panhandle and beyond.  She is also making plans to enhance and improve the softball field as well as scheduling for the next spring semester.

Clarendon College Baseball Coach Devin McIntosh will be conducting a “Baseball Showcase” on July 11th starting at 10:00 a.m. at Bulldog Field in Clarendon.

All baseball players are encouraged to attend and tryout for one of the spots on the Clarendon College 2012-13 Baseball Squad.  Players need to bring equipment to be able to demonstrate their abilities in all aspects of baseball.

The showcase will include a variety of drills to access the skill level of each of the athletes. Meetings with the players will be held immediately after the showcase ends.

Parents are welcome to attend. Information and tours of the campus will be available during the day.

If you would like further information, e-mail Coach McIntosh at devin.mcintosh@clarendoncollege.edu.

Clarendon College is a member of the NJCAA and competes in DI Baseball within the Western Junior College Athletic Conference and Region V.

By Sandy Anderberg

Senior Wes Williams’ suitcase was a little heavier when he came home from Austin last weekend where he participated in the State Track Meet.

For his efforts in the long jump, Williams brought home the bronze medal for third place in that event. His jump of 22’ just missed the second place silver medal by one-half of an inch.

“Wes competed well,” coach Johnny Nino said. “He had a little trouble getting on the board, but he kept his composure and fought though that. He got the 22’ jump on his next to last jump.

“Wes has worked hard all year and it showed with the success he had in the long jump and the 100-meter dash. I would like to thank Wesley for all his hard work this year and throughout his high school career. I would also like to thank Coach Gaines for all his hard work with all of the jumpers – girls and boys.”

By Fred Gray

The Clarendon College Bulldogs’ baseball team split their last four games Friday, May 4, and Saturday, May 5.

Odessa College won the first game 11-9, after jumping out to a 9 to 3 lead after three innings. The Bulldogs played hard the last four innings, outscoring Odessa College 6 to 2 over the last four innings.

CC won the second game 10-6, after spotting Odessa College a 3-0 lead in the first four innings. Over the last five innings, the Bulldogs went on a rampage with their bats and scored 10 runs over the last five innings of the game.

In the third game of the home stand, Odessa again took an early lead and held on for a 6-5 closely contested win.

The last game ended with another fine exhibition of power hitting. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Wigberto Nevarez, the Puerto Rican bomber smashed a two-run homer to successfully complete yet another late inning rally.

The Bulldogs outslugged Odessa College for an 11-10 victory, bringing a successful close to their regular season.

CC ended the year in third place in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference. They will open regional tournament at Texas Tech against Grayson College, Saturday, May 12, at 5 p.m. The game will be streamed live stream on psblive.com.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Bronco baseball team had an early exit from post-season play Saturday in a 2-6 loss to Seymour in Childress. 

The 9-9 Broncos were disappointed in the loss, but stayed focused and fought hard throughout the season to make an appearance in the playoffs. Electra is the only team out of the Broncos’ district to remain in the playoffs. According to coach Brad Elam, the Broncos got behind early in the match up with Panthers after spotting them five runs in the first two innings. 

“We got behind, but were able to claw ourselves back in to the game in the fourth,” Elam said.  “We made a couple of mistakes in the first two innings that cost us, but we settled down after that.” 

Adam Topper pitched the entire game and did all he could do to help the Broncos on defense. “Adam pitched another great game going the distance,” Elam said.  “He was able to hold them to one run the last four innings to keep us in the game.” 

The Broncos put up two runs in the fourth and were looking for a comeback, but were stifled once again by the Seymour defense.

“Offensively, we weren’t able to do much,” Elam said.  “In the fourth, we did strike for two when Dillon Nickell singled, followed by a Caleb Mitchell single and Trevor Cobb tripled both (runners) in to cut the lead, but we were unable to mount a threat after that.”

The Broncos will lose only three seniors and will be back next season to battle once again.

“I am really proud of the way the kids battled in this game and the second half of district,” Elam said. 

Seniors Caleb Mitchell, Gage Nelson, and Jerami Johnson will be missed by next year’s team.

Also, to add to their determination and perseverance, the Broncos recently showed their adoration for a fellow baseball player.  Austin Chontos, who is a junior varsity player from Randall High School, was seriously injured in a game with Caprock on April 14 when a pitch struck him in the head causing his brain to swell.

Austin is not personally known to any of the Bronco players, but their heart-felt sincerity kicked in and they were able to raise money to give to Austin’s family to help offset the mounting doctor bills in his treatment and recovery. Austin is still recovering after two surgeries and has a long road ahead of him, but his prognosis is good according to the Amarillo Globe-News.

No, the Broncos will not make an appearance at the state championship game this season, but with their unselfish act of kindness, they are truly state champions.

By Fred Gray

The Lady Bulldogs closed out their regular season in dramatic fashion, sweeping their last four games against Frank Phillips College. The first two games of the four game set were played in Borger, last Saturday, April 28. Clarendon College won the first game 9-6, and then won the second game 10-4.

CC then returned home for their final two regular season games on Sunday, April 29. In the first game of the day, the Lady Bulldogs scored one run in the bottom of the seventh inning for a dramatic 1-0 victory.

The Lady Bulldogs then won the second game of the day, 7-3. The four game sweep of Frank Phillips College knocked them out of the regional tournament, beginning this Thursday, May 3. The Lady Bulldogs finished in fourth place in conference play.

The regional tournament is a double elimination event. Clarendon College’s first game is at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, May 3. The tournament will be hosted by Lubbock Christian University and will be streamed live at www.psblive.com or visit the CC website, www.clarendoncollege.edu for a link and more information.

By Sandy Anderberg

Senior Wes Williams came on strong in the Regional track meet in Levelland to claim the gold medal in the men’s long jump last week.

His effort of 22’1 ½” bested the field by more than six inches. He is the only Bronco or Lady Bronco who earned the right to compete in the State meet May 11-12. Williams will compete in the long jump in Austin on Friday, May 11 at noon. He also competed in the 100-meter dash where he finished fourth with a time of 11.84. His preliminary time in that event was 11.28.

Several Lady Broncos competed in the Regional meet, but failed to advance to the state level. The 400-meter relay came close to advancing, but fell short finishing third. Only the top two finishers in each event will advance to the state meet. Amber Keelin, Glory Bryley, Marqueda Gaines, and Sarah Luttrell ran a 51.86 in the prelims which tied for the second fastest relay time. Their time of 50.65 in the finals moved them to third place, just one out of advancing. Their hopes were high for a wild card in that event, but their time was one-hundredth of a second off the pace. That same group ran the 800-meter relay finishing fifth with a time of 1:49.41. They ran a time of 1:51.15 in the prelims.

Luttrell competed in the 100-meter dash and finished fifth with a time of 13.70 and Abby Johnson took 9th in the prelims in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:06.71. Audrey Shelton was fourth in the 3200-meter run with a time of 13:02.96 and fifth in the 1600-meter run at 5:54.69. Jentry Shadle was fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.92, and Amanda Powell was 12th in the prelims in the 300-hurdles at 52.77.