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This Week

Broncos fall to Vega,

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The Broncos hosted Vega in their first home game of the season on December 6 and were defeated by two points at 41-43. They will participate in the Canyon Holiday Tournament December 29-30.

Bronco Anthony Ceniceros drives to the basket last week against Vega. Enterprise Photo /Roger Estlack

The Broncos played well against the Longhorns, but Vega was able to take advantage of too many missed shots by the Broncos. The game remained close from the tip off with neither team able to pull away to settle into a comfortable lead. Tyler Harper played solid and hit thee crucial three-pointers when they needed them and hit two out of two from the bonus line. Jmaury Davis led all scorers with 14 and shot 86 percent from the bonus line. Josiah Hearn put in five, Lyric Smith had four, and Anthony Ceniceros put in three. Mason Sims and Kaleb Bolin put in two points each.

The Broncos participated in the Childress Tournament and had three losses and one win over Spearman.

The Broncos lost to Holiday 45-54. After a close first half, the Broncos struggled in the third quarter only putting in three points. Holiday was able to capitalize on the Broncos’ situation and get the win. Davis played solid and finished with 26 points. The Broncos were defeated by West Plains 32-44. Once again, a slow shooting third quarter plagued the Broncos after playing fundamental basketball in the first half. Davis and Smith had 10 points each in the game.

The Broncos took on City View and narrowly lost 37-40. Going into the final period of play, the Broncos led by five points, but struggled to keep up the pace and City View took the win by three. Davis finished with 15.

The Broncos defeated Spearman 61-53 in the final game. They were able to execute offensively and played solid defense to make stops when they needed them. Smith put in 20, Davis had 19, and Hearn put in 11.

Local surveys to help county, communities

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An important survey will be conducted in the coming weeks by Donley County, the City of Clarendon, and the City of Hedley, which should help local communities become eligible for more grant funds.

Donley County Judge John Howard says the survey will determine whether our communities can apply for grants to purchase new ambulances when needed and conduct street repairs in our cities as well as other municipal projects.

“Based on current census data we are not eligible to apply for these important CDBG funds,” Howard said. “We must correct the wrong information in the census by conducting our own survey.”

The surveyors will be local citizens, who most people should be familiar with as having grown up here in Donley County.

Participation is voluntary, but it is vital that local officials collect enough responses to correct the census information and ensure county and city eligibility to apply for these grants to help the community.

County and city officials ask that when you see the surveyors, thank them for their community service, and they thank you for your assistance in this vital project.

“Spread the word and let’s bring some of our federal tax dollars home to help our communities,” Howard said.

City hits new sales tax revenue record

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Sales tax revenue for the City of Clarendon reached a new milestone when Comptroller Glenn Hegar delivered monthly allocations last week.

Clarendon surpassed the half-million-dollar mark for sales tax collections during calendar year 2022 with a 12-month total of $500,638.16.

Although December’s monthly allocation was down 8.83 percent at $33,640.67, the city finished the year 3.45 percent ahead of 2021 and set the record for its highest collection in a calendar year.

In Hedley, sales tax revenue was up 16.13 percent at $857.51, but the year was down 4.48 percent to $12,458.17.

Howardwick posted big gains for both the year and the month, up 10.05 percent for the year with revenue of $22,006.91 and up 9.81 percent for the month at $1,499.54.

Statewide, the comptroller sent $1.1 billion in local sales tax allocations for December, 12.4 percent more than in December 2021.

These allocations are based on sales made in October by businesses that report tax monthly.

Howard wins second Chamber drawing

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Another winner has been named, but there is still a total of $350 in Clarendon Chamber Christmas Cash available to win this holiday season.

Jowlene Weiss presents $100 in Chamber Cash to Anna Howard (right). Enterprise Photo

Anna Howard was the second $100 winner drawn by the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce last Friday during its “Shop Small Big Christmas” promotion.

Sign-ups continue for drawings that will be held for $100 on December 16; and the big $250 giveaway will be held December 23. Participating merchants include Amanda’s Country Soaps, Country Bloomer’s Flowers & Gifts, Every Nook & Cranny, Henson’s, J&W Lumber, Mike’s Pharmacy, Rambling Ranch Boutique, Saye’s Flying A Tack, Whistle-Stop, and Wicked Fast Attire.

To enter, shoppers will fill out an entry at local participating merchants. The Chamber will gather them up each Friday morning, and hold the drawings live on the Chamber’s Facebook. Enter as many times as you shop locally, so shop often. Entries stay in the hopper each week, so those who enter will have multiple chances to win.

In addition, three downtown merchants are staying open late this Thursday night, December 15, for shoppers’ convenience. Those stores staying open until 7:30 p.m. are Henson’s, Ramblin’ Ranch, Every Nook & Cranny and Saye’s Flying A Tack.

Lonita Howard

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Lonita Howard passed away in Memphis, Texas, on December 12, 2022, surrounded by her loving family. She was 94 years old.

Lonita Howard

Services will be held in Robertson Funeral Directors Heritage Chapel in Memphis on Saturday December 17, 2022, at 10 a.m. Lonita is to be buried in Rowe Cemetery, Hedley, Texas among her great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and her younger brother Ronnie Hickey.

Viewing will be held at the funeral home in Memphis on Friday, December 16th from 9:00 AM – 6:00 p.m. with family receiving friends from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Lonita was born March 5, 1928 to Elvin and Vera Hickey in Clarendon. The family moved to El Paso in 1938. She graduated from Austin High School in 1945 and received her B.A. and M.A. in Reading from the University of Texas at El Paso.

She married Preston Lee Howard in 1949, and they had two children, Preston Lee Jr., and Linda Kay. Lonita started her teaching career in 1953 and was a reading lab teacher for 34 years. Lonita retired in 1993 and moved back to Hedley where she remained. She was an avid gardener and loved her yard. Her favorite activities were functions with her family.

She was a member of the Hedley Church of Christ.

Lonita leaves behind a son, Preston Howard Jr. of Anthony, and wife Alma, a daughter Linda O’Connor of Memphis; four granddaughters, Danielle Koenig of Mesilla Park, New Mexico, and husband Willie Joe, Shellie Howard of Mesilla Park, New Mexico, and Isaac De La O, Colleen Owens of Hedley, and Kathleen Ward of Panhandle, and husband Mike; and 12 great-grandchildren, Kaydens Koenig, Andy Cox, Joe Koenig, Ayden Cox, Preston Koenig, Kaylee Ward, Parker Howard, Micheal Ward Jr., Charlie Owens, Connor Owens, Declan Ward, and Caden Owens, one brother Carroll Hickey of Arlington, Texas and wife Barbara, as well as her extended family and friends.

Franks caps NFR with big ride

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Clarendon’s Cole Franks riding New Scarlett in Vegas at the NFR. PRCA photo by Click Thompson

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – Cole Franks has spent the last two ProRodeo seasons traveling with three-time world champion bareback rider Tim O’Connell and Jess Pope, who clinched his first gold buckle this season.

“I’ve just got to complete the trifecta and have all of us in the rig wearing gold buckles,” said Franks, 21, of Clarendon, Texas.

He concluded a fantastic sophomore season with a solid run through the 2022 National Finals Rodeo. He placed in eight of 10 rounds and finished second to Pope in the average race; that, alone, is worth $60,159. He earned just shy of $147,000 in 10 December nights in the Nevada desert.

“It was slow compared to what it was last year, but it was a lot more fun this year,” Franks said. “I drew a lot nicer horses. They were just on the weaker ends of the pens every time. I feel like I did what I could with what I had. Today I made a little bobble at the end that cost me a little bit, but I’m pretty happy with how it ended.

He rode Pickett Pro Rodeo’s New Scarlet for 88 points, which would have won half the rounds this year. During Sunday’s 10th round, Franks finished in a tie for fifth place and added $6,063. He finished the year with $263,378

“I’ve dreamed of getting on that horse for a long time,” he said. “I watched Tim get on him at San Angelo (Texas) this year. That horse is so much fun, so much fun. He just floats right underneath himself. That’s probably one of the funnest horses I’ve been on.

“That’s a lot of those Pickett horses. They are all really good to get on. That’s the first Pickett horse I’ve been on (at the NFR). I was pretty excited about it when I saw the draw last night.”

Finishing so high in the aggregate race is also a blessing that came with riding well for 10 nights. He finished the NFR with 852 cumulative points, just eight behind Pope, who has won the average title for three straight years. That is a standard that proves the consistency of the top guys during the championship event.

“It is awesome to be able to do that,” Franks said. “Last year I was third in the average, so moving up one spot in the average is awesome. I’m going to be plugging for next year. I’m going to have to bump Jess out of that, but that’s going to be work.”

Franks isn’t afraid to work, and it’s why he’s been among the top five in the world standings each of his first two years in the PRCA.

Franks earns his 7th NFR check

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Cole Franks rides Girl Crush at the NFR Thursday. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – Through 18 rounds of the National Finals Rodeo, Cole Franks has been chomping at the bit in hopes of earning his first go-round victory.

He was within a whisker of it Thursday night, riding Bridwell Rodeo’s Girl Crush for 87 points to finish in a three-way tie for second place. Instead, Texan Leighton Berry took the round with an 88-point ride, but Franks came away with $17,410 for doing his part.

“I was getting pretty antsy toward the end,” Franks said as he watched the action; Berry was the third-to-last bareback rider to compete. “He rode good and had a really good horse. That’s part of the game. You can’t win everything. There are always better horses, better rides somewhere.”

Winning NFR go-rounds is tough business. Only the top 15 contestants in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to Las Vegas, and it’s difficult to beat all of them on a given night. For his part, Franks has ridden all of his horses and placed seven out of eight nights. He has pushed his NFR earnings to more than $80,000 and stands sixth in the world standings with just shy of $200,000.

“You just have to take them one at a time,” he said. “You keep nodding your head, keep getting on what you’re getting on that day and don’t worry about anything else.”

It’s working. He has scored 679 cumulative points on his eight rides and is in a tie with Californian R.C. Landingham for second in the aggregate race. They are 14 points behind the leader, Jess Pope, who travels the rodeo trail with Franks and Tim O’Connell. In fact, Pope and Landingham also scored 87 points to join Franks in the No. 2 position in the go-round.

“That horse is kind of a sleeper in that pen,” said Franks of Clarendon, Texas. “I was a little nervous going into this. Leighton Berry was helping me and said, ‘You know, this thing feels a lot better than people think.

“That horse feels really good. He is strong. He is all there, but he feels really good and is a lot of fun to get on.”

With two nights of the NFR left, his place in the aggregate race is valuable. If he were to finish alone in second place, it would be worth a bonus of $60,159 when Saturday’s 10th round comes to an end. Third place pays nearly $48,000.

“I’m still going for the round wins,” Franks said. “If that takes me out of the average, if I make a bobble, if I do get bucked off something, at least I know I was going for it.”

Franks finds the fun at NFR

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Cole Franks riding Powder River at the NFR in Vegas. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

By Ted Harbin,  TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – He’s a bit soft-spoken, but Cole Franks has no problem hiding the joy he is experiencing during his second trip to the National Finals Rodeo.

He’s a bareback rider, and he makes a living riding bucking horses. This is the best chance he has to really cash in on his season, so he’s making the most of every opportunity. On Wednesday night, he rode Powder River Rodeo’s All Eyes on A & K for 84.5 points to finish fifth in the seventh round.

It marked the sixth time in seven nights that he’s earned a paycheck in the Nevada desert.

“It’s always fun,” said Franks, 21, of Clarendon, Texas. “If it wasn’t fun, I don’t think I’d be able to do it. I like having fun. I like challenges. It has been challenging, for sure, but it has been a blast being here. I love it.”

The NFR is 10 rounds of the best rodeo has to offer. Only the top 15 contestants in each event qualify, and the bareback riders select the top 100 horses to be part of the sport’s richest rodeo. All Eyes on A & K fits into that category.

“That’s just a really nice horse and has been nice all year,” Franks said. “I was pretty excited to have her.”

He should have been. By finishing fifth, he added $7,462 to his bankroll and pushed his NFR earnings to $63,319. He is eighth in the world with nearly $180,000 collected this season. He’s also in line to add more to his pocketbook. Franks is tied for third in the average race with 592 points on seven rides. If he stays in that position when Saturday’s final round ends, he will add more than $41,000.

All this happened after he got off to a rocky start. Bareback riders use a rigging that is supposed to be strapped tightly to the bronc’s chest. They wear specially made gloves that have binds in them, then put their hands into the handhold of the rigging to lock themselves onto the horse. If the equipment is set up right, then the rest is muscle memory.

“I didn’t really pull my rigging very good,” Franks said, indicating that it was a bit looser on his horse than it should have been. “We started pulling (the cinches) a little early. (Arena director) Tom (Neuens) started us a little early, and I didn’t think about finishing it off.

“I chased my rigging most of the time.”

It served as a lesson learned for the young bronc buster. He’s gained a lot of those over his first two years in ProRodeo. He’s earned a lot of money in a short time, but much of that came toward the bottom end of the round payouts. He’d love to win a round and earn almost $29,000, but he’ll wait it out and see what the future holds over the next three nights.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “Everything is moving up, and that’s the only way it’s going to hopefully go.”

Franks keeps adding NFR cash

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Cole Franks riding Yum Bugs Tuesday at the NFR. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – When nickels are mixed with dimes, they eventually add up to dollars.

That seems to be how Cole Franks is playing his game in Sin City this week during his second appearance at the National Finals Rodeo. He’s placed five out of six nights, so that’s good. He even finished in a tie for second in Round 4. That was his biggest paycheck of the week at $20,000.

Beyond that, he’s added just he’s earned just shy of $26,000, which is a significant payday for four days’ work. Alas, go-round winners earn more than that every night, so it’s sub-par in the eyes of the men who are competing at the biggest rodeo all year.

Besides Round 4, his biggest payday came in Tuesday’s sixth go-round, when he rode J Bar J Rodeo’s Yum Bugs for 87 points to finish fourth, worth $12,125.

“I’m happy with it,” said Franks, 21, of Clarendon, Texas. “I got on that horse in this round last year. That horse is awesome and so much fun to get on. I feel like I made a couple bobbles there at the end. It could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse. It was still fun either way.”

He sits ninth in the world standings with $172,284. He is also tied for fourth in the average race with 507.5 cumulative points on six rides. By placing in the aggregate at the end of the NFR, he would be able to add a significant bonus to his earnings.

Of course, having the right horses makes a big difference in how things go.

“The horses we had tonight were the kind that everybody wants to get on,” he said. “Anywhere you’d go, you’d want these by your name. There were a lot of thee horses that were out tonight that could be in the TV pen; they are just a step down from the TV pen.”

The animals are separated into five pens, and the bareback riders are the ones making the selections (in order of Round 1-5, the Rounds 6-10): souped-up hoppers, semi-eliminators, eliminators, hoppers and TV pen. That means the toughest-to-ride horses are featured in Rounds 3 and 8, and the flashiest horses are in Round 5 and 10, designated TV pen in a look back to when the NFR was only broadcast during the final round of the 10-round championship.

“These horses that were out tonight were versatile,” Franks said. “If you put them in anybody’s pen, you’d be able to win most of the time.

“Things started out slow for what I was hoping for, but it is still good. I’m ready for it to pick up more. I’m trying to set the bar higher and keeping going for the round every time. If it don’t happen, then it don’t happen, but I’m going to be swinging for it.”

Lady Broncos win fourth Miami Tournament

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Lady Broncos named Miami Tournament Champions last weekend. Courtesy Photo /Al Elam

The Lady Broncos converted 21 three-point shots in four games to win the Miami Basketball Tournament for the fourth year in a row.

Senior outside player Finley Cunningham hit 13 of those 21 shots to lead the way to the win. The Lady Broncos defeated West Texas High by 40 points to bring home the trophy.

The McLean Lady Tigers stayed with 10 points of the Lady Broncos, which was the closest of all four teams. Clarendon played them on Thursday and won 43-33. The first half of play ended with the Lady Broncos holding only a one-point advantage. However; the ladies picked up the pace in the second half of the game. Cunningham hit five three-pointers and one two-point shot to finish with 27. Fellow senior Baylee Gabel finished with seven.

“We played excellent defense and Fin (Cunningham) was on fire was on fire several games giving us an edge over all the competition,” head coach Korey Conkin said.

The Sanford-Fritch and Wildorado games were lopsided in the Lady Broncos’ favor as they won big at 50-22 and 60-19. Freshman Kenidee Hayes led the way with 10 and Courtlyn Conkin added nine in the SF game. They went only six of thirteen from the bonus line and was the only game that no three-pointers were posted. Cunningham was the lead scorer in the Wildorado game with five more three-pointers and 19 total points and Conkin added 11 to the point total.

The championship game with WT was just another day in the gym for the Lady Broncos as they earned the 53-15 win. The ladies were able to execute their offense while staying solid on defense to go up 23-2 at the half time break. WT could do little to stop the Lady Broncos as they 10 different players put points on the board. Cunningham led the way with 11, Gracie Smith had nine, Hayes put in seven, and Berkley Moore had six. Conkin had five, Hayden Elam and Kennedie Cummins put in four each, Gabel finished with three, and Tandie Cummins and Madi Benson had two each.

Earlier in the week the ladies traveled to Groom and won 49-31. The Lady Broncos jumped out to the early advantage and was able to contain the Lady Tigers with solid defense.

Cunningham ended with 12 and Gabel had 10. Elam put in nine and Makenna Shadle had eight. Smith the game with six and Hayes had two.

The Lady Broncos will play in the Childress Tournament December 8-10 and play Nazareth at home on December 13.

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