Sports

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos have fought hard game after game to reach their overall season record of 21-5-1. Led by a crew of senior players, the team has learned to be strong and never give up. That held true last week in the Lady Broncos’ one run win over the Lady Whirlwinds at home at 2-1.

Tandie Cummins has been at home on the mound all season and the game against Floydada was no different. Cummins faced 26 batters in her seven innings on the mound and struck out two opponents at the plate. Cummins threw 74 pitches overall and found the sweet spot 49 times with Hayden Elam working behind the plate.

The ladies battled the entire way in a game that determined the district champions. With the win, the Lady Broncos and Lady Whirlwinds tied for first place in their district. Floydada grabbed two quick hits in their opening inning, but could not find home plate. At their first at bat, the Lady Broncos earned two walks, but could not hit anyone home. Neither team scored until the fourth inning.

The Lady Whirlwinds gained their first and only run of the game in the fourth, but struggled against a strong offence and failed to put more runs on the board.

The Lady Broncos’ turn at the plate produced two runs in the inning. After a groundout and an error at first base, Shelby Christopher was able to land on first base. Shelbi Coles laid down a sacrifice bunt that allowed Christopher to get to second. Kennadie Cummins, who has slammed several homeruns this season, stepped up to the plate and pounded one to center field for a two-run homerun to put the Lady Broncos on top. Floydada had three more innings to earn more runs, but the Lady Bronco defense was just too tough and they were held scoreless.

Along with her homer, K. Cummins racked up a single, two RBIs, and one run. Maloree Wann added a single and Christopher connected with a single to add a run to the board. T. Cummins was able to knock down a big triple in the win.

The Lady Broncos are awaiting the playoffs where they hope to go far before their season ends.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos are currently in fourth place in the District 2-2A standings and are waiting for post-season play.

Last week, the Broncos fell short against Floydada and Wellington. Both games were a two-run loss for the Broncos at 3-5 against Floydada and 4-6 against Wellington.

Senior Colton Caudle was on the mound against Floydada for five innings and faced 21 batters. During his time, Caudle allowed two hits, four runs, and five walks while striking out eight. Mason Sims came in for the last two innings and threw 19 strikes out of 30 pitches and allowed one run.

The Broncos were able to strike first in the opening inning against the Whirlwinds and held them scoreless until the third. Mason Allred singled and was able to get the runner home for the score. It was Allred again in the third with a double to left field that scored Shane Hagood who was hit by pitch and able to take a base.

The Whirlwinds came alive in the fourth to put three runs on the board. With one out, the Whirlwinds stole home on a walk and scored on a single and a popup. The Broncos had four hits in their time at the plate but could not find home and took the loss despite scoring one more run in the sixth.

Hayden Moore took the loss in the Wellington game but did a solid job on the mound. Moore pitched four innings and allowed five hits, six runs and three walks. Parker Haynes came in for two innings and did not allow any hits or runs posting one walk and one strike-out.

Once again, the Broncos struck first with two outs in the first when Allred singled to center to score Sims. The Rockets were able to answer on a double to center. After a scoreless second inning, the Broncos were able to put a run on the board in the third when Hagood brought Sims home.

The Broncos seemed to be in control and went up four to one in the fourth on a Hudson Howard single that scored Kreed Robinson. But Wellington came out with hot bats in the fourth and scored five runs for the lead and win.

Both games were tight throughout and the Broncos ran wild on the bases racking up eight stolen bases against Floydada and seven against Wellington.

By Sandy Anderberg

Forty-six runs were score in four games last week with huge wins over Quanah, Lockney, and Memphis, and a tie against the Randall junior varsity. In those four games the ladies threw 196 strikes out of 294 pitches. The Lady Broncos are sitting at 20-5-1 for the year.

Kennadie Cummins was on the mound against the Lady Indians and allowed only two hits, no runs, and had nine strike-outs in their 15-0 blowout over Quanah. As a team, the Lady Broncos racked up eight stolen bases and 10 hits. Hayden Elam finished with one double, three RBIs, three runs, two stolen bases, and 11 put outs in the game. Riley Jantz had a single, a double, an RBI and two runs, while Maloree Wann had two singles, three RBIs, one run, one stolen base.

The Lady Broncos’ first inning was huge as they were able to see the pitch and react extremely well. They racked up five hits with two walks, and two hit-by-pitch to get to the bases.

The Lady Indians had no answers to combat the Lady Broncos’ strength at the plate.

The Lockney Lady Longhorns could not find any way to stop the Lady Broncos in their next game and Clarendon won 14-2. Tandie Cummins went start to finish for six innings and allowed six hits and two runs. Lockney would not score until the fourth inning.

Zane Cruse was the first batter up in the second inning and earned a big home run for two runs, and Shelby Christopher knocked one down in the sixth to center field to score Riley Jantz. The ladies scored nine runs in the last inning to seal the win.

The ladies went on to annihilate Memphis at 11-0 to continue their winning streak. K. Cummins got the call and did a great job facing 21 batters and allowing one hit, no walks, and striking out 12. Cummins threw an impressive 51 strikes out of 69 pitches. Cummins was on fire at the plate as well and knocked down a two-run home run in the third to go up nine to zero.

The Lady Cyclones struggled on the mound and the field and fought to get any hits off of Cummins. Clarendon dominated in every aspect of the game. Their bats were on fire as they hit four singles, three doubles, one triple, and one home run in the game. They racked up nine RBIs and three stolen bases.

Defensively, they committed five errors, but evened out the stats with 15 put-outs in the game. Elam put out 11, Wann had three, and Christopher added one.

The Lady Broncos have played Randall JV several times and lead with two wins and one loss. They tied the Lady Raiders 6-6 this game.

Josie Murillo was on the mound and allowed 11 hits, six runs, had four walks, and struck out four. Murillo faced 37 batters and threw 57 strikes out of 102 total pitches. Elliot Frausto and Christopher each slammed a home run in the game and added two singles, one double, five RBIs and three runs together. Murillo added a single, double and one run and Elam hit a double with an RBI and two runs.

The Lady Broncos earned the first score of the game with a single, and two doubles. Frausto hit a home run to left field to score two runs and three batters later, Christopher slammed one to center field to score Elam.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos are currently at 9-8 on the year by putting together three big district wins last week. They were able to get by Quanah, Lockney, and Memphis and will have two games remaining in regular season next week at Wellington and Quanah.

The Broncos earned a two-run win over the Indians at home April 7 at 11-9 in a game that was back and forth. Mason Allred took the duties initially and pitched for three innings. He allowed five hits, and as many runs while facing 17 batters. Out of 73 pitches, he was able to slide 42 in the strike zone and strong arm for six strike outs. Parker Haynes came in for the next three inning and did a good job in relief throwing 32 strikes out of 60 pitches with two strike-outs to get the win. Mason Sims pitched the last inning and posted three strike outs.

Quanah struck first in the opening inning putting two runs on the board. But the Broncos stayed solid on both sides of the plate and led six to three after two innings. Overall, the Broncos ran strong around the bases with 13 stolen bases in the game. Klay Wilkins and Shane Hagood ran wild with three stolen bases each and Sims added two. Allred, Bryce Williams, Braylon Rice, Dakotah Jameson, and Hudson Howard had one apiece.

After a three-run homer by the Indians the Broncos put together an inning ending double-play with the score tied at seven. The Broncos were able to turn up the heat in the bottom of the sixth after two base-on-balls and a single by Sims that scored one run. To add to the Indians’ grief, Wilkins was able to steal home plate and earn the Broncos their game-winning run.

The Broncos were able to stomp the Lockney Longhorns with Hagood driving in four runs on three hits. His grand slam homerun in the third gave the Broncos the energy they needed to get the big win. Rice was on the mound in inning two and earned the win after Colton Caudle got the opening nod. Rice pitched four innings allowing one hit, two runs, and striking out four. Sims stepped up the final two innings to finish the game.

At the plate, the Broncos had their bats moving and shaking with Hagood leading the way. He posted a single, double, and a home run to finish with four RBIs and two runs to his credit. Rice connected with a single, double, and triple for three RBIs and three runs. Caudle slammed two singles, Kreed Robinson had a big double, and Allred claimed a double, three RBIs, and three runs. Sims was able to shake the Longhorn pitcher and received three of the nine walks for the Broncos. Sims also grabbed three stolen bases.

In their final game of the week, the Broncos were able to slide by the Memphis Cyclones 13-12 for a huge district win. Hayden Moore was on the mound for the first three innings and allowed six hits and 10 runs with four walks, while striking out four. Haynes came in for two innings allowing one run and one hit, and two walks before Sims closed out the game and netted the win. Sims only allowed one hit, one run, and struck out four batters.

It seemed as if the Cyclones had the momentum early on as they led by five runs after three. But the Broncos got on board and closed the gap in the fifth. A momentum swing was on their mind after a scoreless sixth inning, when they turned up the heat in their turn at the plate in the seventh.

After holding Memphis to only one run in the top of the seventh, the Broncos got busy at the plate. Robinson started the rally with a single and then rounded the bases to third. Wilkins connected for a single to score Robinson and then Sims and Williams singled to add runs. They were able to chip away at the lead after a walk and a hit by pitch free base, and another walk to squeeze by with the one-run win.

By Sandy Anderberg

Clarendon High School’s Madi Benson, Tristen Ybarra, and Addy Havens bested the field on the oval at the district level and will participate in the Area meet this week in Panhandle.

Benson posted a time in the 800m that was four and a half seconds ahead of the pace at 2:28.99 and ran the 1600m in a time of 5:46.08. Ybarra won the 1600m with a 5:22.23 and the 3200m at 11:56.12. Freshman Havens has been running great all year and won the 3200m run at 13:01.54 and was third in the 1600m with a qualifying time of 5:58.28.

The Bronco and Lady Bronco athletes made a great showing at the meet to qualify for the Area round. The top four competitors earned the right to move on. On the Bronco side, Brice Wagner and Kaleb Mays will participate in the 100m dash.

Wagner finished second at 11.50 and Mays was third with a time of 24.21. Wagner will also run the 200m as his 23.97 put him in second in that race as well. Senior runner Bryce Williams will move on with a second-place finish in the 800m with a 2:14.64 that was only 52 hundredths of a second behind first place.

Fellow senior Mason Sims ran the 110m hurdles in a time of 16.60 for third place to qualify and Michael Randall was fourth in the high jump with a leap of 5’10” to move on. Wagner was able to advance with his 18’8 ½” distance in the long jump.

The 4x100m relay ran a great race and will move on with a third-place finish with a time of 46.08. Members of the relay are Mays, Shane Hagood, Wagner, and Caleb Herbert.

The Lady Broncos’ 800m relay finished second with a time of 1:56.61 to qualify and was run by Berkley Moore, Kenidee Hayes, Gracie Ellis, and Benson. Kate Shaw advanced in the shot put with a throw of 32’1 ½” for second place and Emmarie Holland will compete in the Area meet in the 3200m with Havens at a qualifying time of 13:30.23.

Individual Results: Broncos: Mays 5th 200m-24.21; 400m Kyler Bell 7th-1:02.77 and 5th in the 800m at 2:17.82; Williams 5th in 1600m at 5:39.74; Sims 5th in the high jump at 5’10”; Randall 5th in the long jump-198’4”; John Weatherton 13th-long jump-16’3 1/2”; triple jump-Herbert 7th-35’11”; discus Ronan Howard 12th-86’6”, Max Caudle 13th-82’6”, Coulter Wortham 15th-64’4”; shot put Nolan Burrow 8th-31’8 ½”, Caudle 14th-30’4”, Wortham 15th-29’8”.

Individual Results: Lady Broncos: 100m Sequoia Weatherton 8th-14.90, Mary Jo Dushay 12th-15.41, Jayla Woodard 13th-15.43; 200m Weatherton 10th-30.47, Lexi Phillips 13th-31.64, Dushay 16th-34.33; 800m Holland 5th-2:31.74; 1600m Holland 6th- 6:15.37; 110m hurdles Kashlyn Conkin 5th-20. 65; 400m relay 5th-55.70 (Moore, Hayes, Weatherton, Ellis).

The Regional Meet for those advancing from the Area Meet will be held at WTAMU April 18-19.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos fought until the very end in their attempt to take out the Wellington Skyrockets last week at home. They gave their all, but the Skyrockets added two runs in the 10th and the game was over.

Wellington jumped out to an early three-run lead after the opening inning and led by six after three. Hayden Moore was on pitching duty for four innings and allowed seven hits, nine runs, and struck out three. Braylon Rice stepped in for the remaining six innings and allowed three hits, two runs, and knocked out six hitters.

The Broncos’ bats were going strong and they were able to add one run in the second inning when Mason Allred scored on an error by the pitcher. But the Rockets had another big inning in the third to go up 9-1 in the top of the fourth.

The momentum swung in the bottom of the fourth when the Broncos were able to add eight runs to tie the score at 9. Hot bats, base on balls, and errors by Wellington gave the Broncos the energy they needed to make a comeback.

They were able to score two runs before receiving their first out and then Allred homered on a fly ball to left field before the final out of the innings.

Both teams went scoreless for five innings until the Rockets earned two runs. They took advantage of a Bronco error in the field and scored one run, then a hard-hit single to third base allows another run for Wellington.

A pop-up fly caught by Kreed Robinson on second base ended the Rockets’ time at the plate. The Broncos had the tying run on second when three outs caught up with them and the game ended at 9-11.

The Broncos will continue their schedule April 11 at home against Memphis at 4:30 p.m. and the Bronco JV will host Sanford-Fritch on April 12 at 11:00 a.m. The Broncos will be at home against Floydada on April 15 as they near the end of their regular season.

The Hedley High School Owls and Lady competed at the district track meet in White Deer last Tuesday, April 1, with two athletes advancing.

Takoda Edwards and Brandon Moore qualified for Area in the 1600-meter and the 3200-meter respectfully.

Payton Inman placed sixth in the 100-meter run with a time of 12.56, while Lillie McKleskey finished with a time of 16.06. In the 200-meter, McKleskey recorded a personal record (PR) with a time of 33.08. Madison Moore competed in the 400-meter, securing sixth place with a time of 1:17.75.

In the 800-meter, Payton Inman achieved fifth place with a time of 2:24.63, setting a personal record, while Takoda Edwards finished sixth with a PR of 2:30.28. Madison Moore also competed in the event, finishing in 3:13.02. Edwards excelled in the 1,600-meter, placing fourth with a personal record of 6:02.56. Brandon Moore participated in the 3,200-meter, finishing in fourth place with a personal record of 13:39.40.

In the 110-meter hurdles, Payton Inman placed sixth with a personal record of 22.06, followed by Takoda Edwards in seventh place with a PR of 22.53. In the high jump, Inman earned sixth place with a height of 5 feet. Abbey Branigan represented in the field events, throwing 21 feet, 0.25 inches in the shot put and 49 feet, 9.25 inches in the discus.