Sports

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.”

After a strong finish at the Region V Cross Country meet this weekend, the Clarendon College Men’s Cross Country Team has qualified for the National Cross Country Meet and the Half Marathon Classic.

Coach Casey Kreger and the squad are passing on the Cross Country Nationals to shoot for a strong finish at the NJCAA Men’s Half Marathon Classic November 19, at Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, Georgia.

Team members are Hector Becerra of Harlingen, TX, Emanuel Barron of Hart, TX, and Joshua Olvera of Abilene, TX.

The team is running around 100 miles a week in preparation for this event.

“I am thrilled at the success these student athletes are bringing to CC,” CC Athletic Director John Green said.

“It is incredible this squad has set themselves up for success in both running events.  I could not have dreamed we would have the opportunity to compete in both, but completely support Coach Kreger in his decision to go for the gold at the NJCAA National Half Marathon.”

By Tangela Copelin

With their big win over the Happy Cowboys on Friday night, the Hedley Owls are set to win district.

The Owls will take on the Groom Tigers at home on Friday night for their final district game.

The 78 to 70 win over the Happy Cowboy put the Owls in the playoffs, but a win against Groom will have the Owls making history as district champs.

The game was a fast paced six-man football show with both teams putting forth some fancy offensive play and some tough defensive muscle.

With the offensive line of Austin Adams, Caden Farris, Seth Ruthardt, and Kyle Lindsey doing some tough blocking, the Owls were able to move the ball with success.

Senior Chris Blackburn had 20 carries for 234 yards and 4 touch downs, with 5 catches for 150 yards and 2 touch downs.

Coltin Kingston passed 8 for 11 for 220 yards and 5 TDs. Iago Alvarez had 3 carries for 4 yards and 9 of his 10 PATs were successful. Nicco Bennett returned two kickoffs for 89 yards, and one of those was for a 79-yard TD. Ruthardt also had 3 catches for 60 yards and 2 TDs.

Defensively, several Owls contributed to the victory.

Kingston had 22 solo tacks, 6 assists, and caused two fumbles, Blackburn came up will 11 solos, 6 assists, and had one fumble recovery.

Brandon Evans had 7 solos, and 3 assists, Ruthardt had 6 solos, and 2 assists, Adams had 4 solos, and 5 assists, Bennett had 4 solos, and 1 assist, Lindsey had 3 solos, and 2 assists, Bryan Evans had 2 solos, and 1 assists, and Farris came up with one solo tackle.

The Owls game this week will begin at 7:30 at Memorial Field in Hedley.

The seniors will walk the field during Senior Night at the end of the game.

By Sandy Anderberg 

The Broncos knew exactly what they needed to do Friday night at Lockney to secure a playoff spot; and for the fifth year in a row, the Broncos did exactly that.  With their 39-12 romp over the Longhorns, the Broncos sealed the deal in post-season play.

According to head coach Gary Jack; the Broncos played a solid game.

“We did exactly what we needed to do,” he said.  “It set us up for the game with Panhandle this week. There is no scenario that can take us out of the playoffs.”

Jack praised the team offensively.

“Our offense ran the ball well,” Jack said. “Chance McAnear threw the ball well and our receivers did a good job.  The line gave us good protection.”

Defensively, the Broncos were sharp.

“Lockney only had three plays that did anything for them,” Jack said. “Two were for touchdowns and one was a long run. Other than that our defense shut them down and did a good job.”

Trevor Cobb had several tackles and a sack; Charles Mason and Trajen Johnson each had a fumble recovery; Jonah Sell had an interception; and Tyler Smith, Jerami Johnson, and Jayson Pigg all did a good job on the line.  Jack said the Broncos came through the game almost injury free.

The Broncos will take on Panhandle at home Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in their last regular season game.  Jack knows the Broncos need a good game against the Panthers, and it is an important game for both teams in the playoff race.

“We’ve put ourselves in a good position for week 10,” Jack said.

 

 

By Sandy Anderberg

Two missed chances to score inside the five added to the demise of the Broncos in their district season opener against Quanah.

The 30-42 final put the Broncos at 0-1 in district with two regular season games to go.

Overall, according to head coach Gary Jack; the Broncos put together a fairly good offensive game despite the loss.

“We were ahead early,” Jack said. “We played hard and it was a tough game, but our mistakes cost us the win.”

Clarendon racked up over 450 total yards of offense, just behind the Indians’ 500 yards.

Wesley Williams posted over 170 yards rushing, which put him over the 1,000-yard mark already this season, and Charleston Harris added another 100 plus on the night.

“We did a lot of good things offensively,” Jack said.

“And with six minutes left in the game, it’s a four-point game.  Either it was our win or anybody’s game.”

Several Broncos had good games and according to Jack, quarterback Chance McAnear threw the ball well and Jerami Johnson made good catches.

Jack noted that Chris Shultz did a great job on both sides of the ball.  Trevor Cobb and Trajen Johnson played well on defense.

Jonah Sell played good defense with a fumble recovery.  Harris was great on offense and played good defense as well.  He also had one fumble recovery and recorded a QB sack.  Diego Santos caused two fumbles and Jayson Pigg had a fumble recovery.

The loss put the Broncos in a must-win situation as they prepare to face Lockney on the road Friday night.

“We need to win this week,” Jack said.  “And we need to be ready to play.  We have a few guys back from injuries, and we are getting healthier.”

The Broncos will hit the road again to face-off against Lockney at 7:30 p.m. Friday night, October 2 in Lockney.

 

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Lady Broncos made a gigantic move in the District cross-country meet in Plainview last Monday.

The team had seven runners finish in the top 25 to vault them into the top spot and earn the right to move on to the Regional meet that will be held next Saturday.

Junior standout Audrey Shelton finished second in the meet, which is higher than her finish in 2010.  Deborah Howard was 8th, and Haley Ferguson finished 10th.

Sarah Luttrell came in 13th and Abby Johnson was right behind her in 14th.

Phara Berry was 17th, and Trevela Dronzek came in at 23rd.

Maci White ran for the junior varsity and did a great job coming in at second place.

Austin Lowry finished in third place running for the JV boys.

Eighth grader Caleb Cobb continued running well and took the top spot in the junior high boys division. Cobb lead the team to a third-place finish. Clay Koetting finished the course and came in seventh place.

Junior Ceniceros was 15th, Clint Franks was 18th, Riley Shadle came in at 26th, and Keandre Cortez was the 27th runner to finish the course.  Justus Burton and Chance Lockhart also competed in the meet.  Tessa Buckhaults finished 12th for the junior high girls during the cross country meet.

The Lady Broncos will run in the Regional meet on Saturday, November 5, in Lubbock at Mae Simmons Park.