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Broncos number one in coaches’ poll
The Broncos have been ranked as the number one team in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches in Texas with a 5-1 record. They are in the midst of their basketball schedule and recently traveled to Booker easily defeating the Kiowas, 87-40.
The Broncos were just too much for Booker to handle as they executed with intensity offensively and were sharp on defense.
Clarendon held a 26-point lead at the break and never backed down in the second half of play to get the lopsided win. The Broncos shot 90 percent from the free-throw line and had four guys finish in double figures.
Scoring: Johnny Gaines 23, Cole Ward 15, Brayden Phillips 10, Mike Crump 10, Adam Topper 9, Chris Crump 8, Justin Shillings 8, and Wes Williams 4.
On Friday, the Broncos traveled to Childress and could not come up with a win. They were defeated, 50-56.
Childress jumped out to the early advantage and held off the Broncos until the third quarter when Clarendon got back into the game. But the Broncos could never get ahead of the Cats and were plagued by turnovers in the final quarter.
“We got down early in the first quarter and did a good job of coming back,” head coach Brandt Lockhart said. “However, we had too many turnovers and missed free throws in the fourth quarter.”
Scoring: Gaines 16, M. Crump 13, C. Crump 7, Ward 6, Phillips 6, and Shillings 2.
The Broncos will participate in the Caprock Tournament in Lubbock December 27-29 and will travel to Groom January 7 after the Christmas break.
Lady Broncos defeated
The Lady Broncos traveled to Booker last Monday night and suffered a heartbreaking two-point loss at 26-28.
The ladies fought hard and held a six-point lead at the break. They maintained their lead until the final quarter when Booker bested them by two.
Scoring: Jentry Shadle 8, Danielle Ford 6, Anna Ceniceros 5, McKayla Cartwright 4, and Marqueda Gaines 3.
On Friday, the Lady Broncos traveled to Childress and were defeated, 35-52.
The Lady Cats held the narrow early advantage in the game in the opening quarter, but were able to capitalize on mistakes to gain a 16-point lead at the break. The Lady Broncos came back within 10 points of their opponent at the end of three but could not overtake Childress to get the lead.
Emily Clark finished with seven points and Jency Burton added six.
The ladies will participate in the Canadian Tournament December 27-29 and play at Memphis January 7 at 7:30 p.m. to open their district schedule.
City takes steps to improve streets, water
The City of Clarendon last week took its first steps to addressing what have been two major complaints among its citizens for several years – streets and water quality.
During their regular meeting last Tuesday, city aldermen approved purchasing an Asphalt Zipper for $73,000 that will grind up pothole filled streets to form a smooth, solid base that can later be seal coated.
City Administrator Lambert Little had been directed to find the used device after he discussed the idea with the board during a planning session last month.
“I’m 100 percent sold that this is the only way we’re going to be able to do anything, and we might as well get with it,” Little told the board.
Aldermen approved the purchase and directed Little to check into financing options.
Little also discussed a proposal to replace an aging steel water line under four blocks of East Fourth Street between Jackson and Carhart, which city officials believe is the primary cause of discolored water in the south east part of the city. The project is expected to cost between $20,000 and $25,000, and the city can utilize pipe it already has on hand. Aldermen unanimously approved this project.
In other city business, the board approved allowing the Adult Probation Department use of municipal property at Fifth and Kearney as the location for a garden. People in the new “horticulture therapy” program will mow the city property at that location in exchange for water for the garden, and half of the produce from the garden will go to charity.
The board also took action on the following items: Re-appointed Stephen Hall, Alderman Ann Huey, Terry Noble, and Roger Estlack to the board of the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation and ratified the county’s appointment of Bob White and Andy Wheatly to the airport advisory board.
Court returns sentences in local cases
The 100th Judicial District Court heard two pleas which resulted in two convictions when the court met in Clarendon last Wednesday, December 15.
Mattie Fields pleaded true to allegations listed in the State’s Motion to Adjudicate Guilt of Defendant and was convicted and sentenced to 12 months in the State Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
On March 5, 2007, Fields originally pleaded guilty to the state jail felony offense of forgery that occurred on July 16, 2006, in Donley County. The State filed the motion to adjudicate on June 4, 2009, alleging three violations of community supervision.
Fields was sentenced to 12 months in the TDCJ. Fields is also required to pay $348 in court costs to Donley County, $198.07 restitution, and a $1,000 fine.
Jesse Wayne Christopher was convicted and sentenced to five years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
On October 6, 2003, Christopher pleaded guilty to the second degree felony offense of aggravated assault of a public servant that occurred on November 9, 2002, in Donley County. The State filed the motion to adjudicate on October 5, 2010, alleging three violations of community supervision.
Christopher pleaded true and was sentenced to five years in the TDCJ. He will pay $343 court costs to Donley County and a $1,500 fine.
Thornberry advances in House leadership
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) was nominated last week by Speaker-designate John Boehner to serve as the Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in the 112th Congress. He will also serve as the Chairman of the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats, and Capabilities subcommittee.
The Speaker-designate also asked Thornberry to lead an initiative on cybersecurity, which will focus Congress’s efforts to combat the growing national security and economic threat. Cybersecurity is an issue of increasing importance in the wake of a number of high-profile breeches of both public and private cyber networks.
“I am honored to serve as Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in the 112th Congress and to lead cybersecurity initiatives in the House,” said Thornberry.
Boehner praised the local congressman’s record.
“Mac Thornberry is a real leader in our Conference on national security,” Boehner said. “His record on both the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees has shown him to be both an innovator and strategic thinker. I am backing him to be the next Vice Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, a role that will provide Mac with new responsibilities and opportunities to advance the security of our nation.”
The Armed Services committee is responsible for general defense policy, ongoing military operations, the organization and reform of the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, counter-drug programs, acquisition and industrial base policy, technology transfer and export controls, joint interoperability, the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, Department of Energy nonproliferation programs, and detainee affairs and policy.
The spirit on display
Twinkling lights illuminate the homes of Clarendon residents Glen and Susan Bailey, Steve and Robin Sell, and Larry and Jamie Jeffers. Cars passing by slow down, pause, and even stop to gander at the beauty of the various Christmas decorations that temporarily engulf these houses. As multicolored lights shine, Christmas spirit from these homes spreads to all those witnessing their glow.
“Our main goal is to cheer people up,” Glen Bailey said. “Everyday life will get you down, and hopefully it makes people happy even for a little while when they come by. That’s what it’s all about.”
These families are displaying their Christmas joy by “going to the extreme” with their Christmas displays, as Bailey said.
“We’ve always decorated, it’s just gotten bigger and bigger because we’ve got more grandkids,” he said. “We have about 23 blowups outside our house right now. Too many after season specials. We try to get at least one blowup a year if we find one we like, but last year we got four.”
All three families agree that the weeks of putting up their decorations are well worth it when they see people’s reactions.
“Sometimes I just stand in my living room and watch people get out and take pictures with their kids,” Larry Jeffers said. “It’s neat to watch. If you’re a grinch, then you don’t need to come by the house.”
At the Sells home, there are light shows set to music. The songs they included this year are from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Yule, and the worship band from Trinity
Fellowship in Amarillo.
“We’ve had some people who have been in tears after seeing our music with the lights,” Steve Sell said. “We look out at the window every night just to see who is all out there. It’s really fun to watch the little kids. They dance in the street with the music playing. They get pretty into it.”
One of the main reasons the Jeffers and Baileys decorate is for their grandchildren.
“We have seven grandchildren, and one of our granddaughters calls our house a ‘Christmas Wonderland,’” Bailey said. “As long as we can afford to, we will go to extremes for our grandkids because Christmas is special for them, and they will always remember it. You’re only a kid once, so we feel like this is important.”
The grandchildren are not the only ones enjoying the lights, though. These spirited families are receiving compliments from many people for their decorations.
“We had people at Halloween thank us for the Christmas decorations before hand,” Bailey said. “We have people stop and tell us how much they enjoy it all the time, and we see cars lined up and kids leaning out with smiles on their faces. It makes us feel good that we’re making others feel good.”
All in all, the mass of extension cords and breakers is plugging in more than mere lights – it’s also turning on Christmas spirit.
“Christmas is our favorite holiday, and we hope that everyone is enjoying our display,” Bailey said. “I hope we’ve inspired more people to decorate. There’s no such thing as decorating too much.”
‘Tis the season
Broncos finish third in tourney
Things clicked offensively for the Broncos as they routed Silverton, and six players finished in double figures.
Scoring: Johnny Gaines 23, Cole Ward 20, Chris Crump 14, Adam Topper 11, Mike Crump 10, Bradley Watson 10, Brayden Phillips 7, Justin Shillings 4, and Wesley Williams 4.
The Broncos took on Highland Park in the next round and breezed to a 54-31 win. After a slow half, the Broncos turned on their offense in the third quarter to go up by 17 points. The Hornets could not answer and felt the defensive pressure from the Broncos.
Scoring: Gaines 23, Phillips 7, C. Crump 6, Topper 6, Shillings 4, M. Crump 4, Watson 2, and Ward 2.
Dalhart handed the Broncos their first loss of the tournament in the next round at 52-65. Missed shots plagued the Broncos who could not find a rhythm offensively.
Scoring: Phillips 17, Gaines 14, C. Crump 7, M. Crump 7, Shillings 3, Ward 2, and Topper 2.
The Broncos recovered nicely in the next round to earn third place with a big 55-51 win over Childress. Clarendon got their offense moving in the right direction early on but let the Bobcats back into the game at the break.
Clarendon held a slight lead after three but made the go-ahead points to finish the game in the final quarter.
“Overall we played well,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “We did not have a good game against Dalhart but came back with a good game against a good Childress team.”
Scoring: Gaines 16, Phillips 13, Ward 10, Shillings 9, Daniel West 2, C. Crump 2 Williams 2, and M. Crump 1.
Earlier in the week, the Broncos hosted Perryton at home and defeated them, 66-59. Good solid play was key in the victory.
Scoring: Gaines 31, Shillings 9, Phillips 9, C. Crump 6, Watson 5, Topper 4, West 2, and M. Crump 1.
Sex offender in custody after assault
The Donley County Sheriff’s Department arrested Gabriel Callis of Lelia Lake after he assaulted a relative and threatened suicide last week.
Sheriff Butch Blackburn said his office received a call at 7:28 p.m. last Thursday, December 9, from a residence in the 300 block of South Woodrow Street in Lelia Lake, reporting that Gabriel Callis was in the house with a gun and had been threatening suicide for two hours.
Callis had assaulted a female relative by shoving her down onto a brick fireplace and was making threats with a BB pistol, the sheriff said. The subject ran out of the backdoor of the house prior to officers arriving. A search was made for Callis, and he was arrested at 8:48 p.m. as he walked back into the house from hiding in some nearby weeds.
Blackburn said Callis was jailed for a violation of probation and bond was denied by District Judge Stuart Messer. He is facing additional charge of Family Violence – Aggravated Assault.
Callis, who is a professional gospel singer, was found guilty in 2007 of Indecency with a Child. The victim was 13 years old at the time.
The jury in 2007 also found Callis not guilty of a second count of the same charge.
Jurors heard testimony of two prior assaults the defendant had committed, but Callis
had no prior history of sex offenses.
Callis also threatened suicide wielding a knife the day of his sentencing in 2007, but was talked out of doing anything by local officers.
Callis is a registered sex offender and was originally sentenced to five years confinement probated to eight years probation and a fine of $10,000 probated to $5,000. He could face prison time for violating his probation.
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